Trip to Lviv

If anyone is making plans to come for a visit, we will have to include Lviv on the itinerary. We joined 36 ten year olds and 2 teachers, from the school Beth will be working at, for a 2 day excursion. On the way, we visited 2 castles, saw some fascinating art and artifacts, and listened to some amazing history. Okay, the last part is a little bit of a stretch since the tours were all in Ukrainian, but nonetheless, it was very cool. Our language is starting to show signs of life, though it's mind-boggling how hard it is sometimes to speak simple sentences. We keep telling ourselves it's barely been 3 months.
Western Ukraine has some incredible landscapes and scenery. There are castles and unique places scattered in nearly every region. Ukraine has been independent for almost 15 years now, yet for the last 600-800 years the country was ruled by different countries. And so, Ukrainian culture and language basically existed even though there was no real country. There are influences from Polish, Romanian, Austrian, Hungarian, Slovak, Russian cultures all throughout the country. In the west however, these influences run even deeper, except from Russia, and there is a greater influence of the church in the lives of the people. Lviv is no exception. The city looks more like old Europe than Kiev. In one day we visited 4 churches in the center of the city and could have seen about 12 others, if we had had the time. We hope to find time to get back to Lviv. More time is needed to see this magical city that was once the capital of Western Ukraine.
This week was the end of the year for the students in Zalishchyky. We may have some trouble finding kids to work with as most go and have rest in Crimea, the Black Sea, or in the Carpathians. We plan to work at a summer camp located near the city, where children from the region attend weekly and bi-weekly camps. Another goal of ours is to increase the attendance at an English club that one of our friends started. A second goal is to establish a club to help kids improve business, entrepreneur, and computer skills. It will take us some time to figure out exactly what the students in town may need from us in the next 2 years. We would like to establish programs that are sustainable and will last beyond our time as volunteers.
We hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer