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That's in one month and three weeks!
There have been some changes to my itinerary. I'm spending two weeks in the Carpathian Mountains for intensive Ukrainian language school. I had originally expected it to be based in Lviv, with a trip to the mountains at one point, but now the entire program is moved to the Carpathians and it looks BEAUTIFUL!
http://sokilske.com.ua/en/video-photo/
For details about each part of my full 19 day adventure, just take a look at my "Itinerary Page."
Here's a bit of background about me. I spend most days in silence and solitude. I rarely go outside my house, except for to Church, grocery or a doctor's appointment. To be out and intensively moving in the world, among people, in all new situations, could be a shock to me on many levels-
* Jet Lag* Culture Shock
* Unfamiliar EVERYTHING.
Why do I want to do this? Why did the Bilbo Baggins ever leave his hobbit house? To come back home, of course!
But, I will not come home the same, and that is the whole point of my journey. My mind will be able to conceptualize thoughts in the Ukrainian language, which automatically imprints my mind in the ways Ukrainian people think and perceive the world. Language does that. I will be confronting a whole lot of fears about talking to people I don't know and going to unfamiliar places. My eyes will see things I will remember and hold in my heart forever.
Why do I really love to watch the show Dr. Who? It's always very exciting to watch where the Tardis lands. What will happen when the doors are open? Will they have moved in time, space, or both? What world will be here? I guarantee that every place I am visiting is a place I have never been before. I get to ride in the Tardis this time, away to a whole different world. Just pray there are no creepy space aliens trying to destroy the planet!
I want to learn to communicate with people from a very different culture than I was even aware of for most of my life. One reason I love it is that I love my Church, which is based in Ukraine. I know I'm going to a place I belong, so even if I feel extremely awkward at times, I know that it is still home.
By holding fast to my beliefs and religious practices, I can create a calming routine to help me anchor myself into each new place and experience. Relying on God as my steady anchor through it all will drive me closer to Him in our bond.
I do not know why I am not scared yet. I feel confident and brave, even though I don't particularly like even going out to the grocery store. I know it will just be the time to grow.
I've been working on Mango Languages for about an hour a day, and I'm getting my pronunciation patterns better. Once I'm feeling more confident, I'll go back to studying the grammar in my textbook.
I hardly think about this trip. I have been so immersed in living each day, that it hasn't always been on my mind. So many other things have! I spend more time thinking about God, prayer and my work. Sometimes, I forget that I am traveling soon at all.
But, as the time draws nearer, my excitement does too!
