Itinerary

Allow me to outline my adventure for you!

July 13, 2018

On July 13, 2018, I begin my journey! Early in the morning (about 5 a.m.) I will take a taxi to the Eugene airport, which will give me about two hours to get through security and make sure I'm in the right place and that there has been no flight change.

I fly out at 7:30 a.m from Eugene, via Delta.

I'll be stopping in Seattle, Tacoma airport and also Paris De Gaulle airport. 

I'll be spending almost exactly 11 hours in flight, 2 hours in Seattle and 2 hours in the airport in Paris (July 14) before flying to Croatia, a 2 hour flight which will take me to directly to Split.

July 14, 2018

I will arrive in Split, Croatia, on July 14 at 12:40 pm., after which I will take a shuttle to my hotel. This will be the first time in my life I have stayed in a 5 star resort, and it is right on the beach. I have chosen this for safety concerns and also because of its easy convenience to the beach- a short walk from their grounds.

My purpose of this stop in Croatia is manifold. I need a good rest to get over jet lag. I have a fascination with both the Adriatic Sea and with the religious sites in Croatia. I hope to experience both to the fullest amount possible, despite limitations, since I will only have  a day and a half to do that and I anticipate being very tired and jet-lagged during that time.

On day 1 in Croatia (07/14), I should have the late afternoon and early morning to explore the beach, possibly get a massage, rest in a hot tub and get a full night's sleep. 

July 15, 2018

I plan another beach trip in the early morning and then a trip (by shuttle) to certain special sites- Diocletian's palace and at least a couple of Cathedrals, during my second day. I won't sleep my second night in the hotel, unless I go to bed really early. I will need to take a shuttle to the airport early to take a 6:15 am, 45 minute flight to Zagreb. 

July 16, 2018

My plane takes off for Zagreb to Warsaw at noon. I doubt I will have time to explore Zagreb, although I have a 5 hour wait for the next plane to Warsaw at noon. It is possible that I could research in advance and choose one destination to visit and make it back to the airport in time, but I would need to be very careful to make sure it will fit well into my schedule if I choose to do that, if I do. 

From noon, I fly to Warsaw and spend two hours in the airport. I usually find airports very boring and confining, annoying and often over-stimulating, but it can also be fun to just walk around a foreign airport, just to take in the atmosphere.

Warsaw to Lviv takes only one hour, but two hours on the calendar, due to the time zone change. I'll be arriving in the airport in Lviv at 5:35 if all goes well, and I will be greeted by a member of the Catholic University in Lviv's Language School staff there and taken to the school.

When I arrive at the University, I will have time to settle into my private dorm room. I will get oriented and sleep, to overcome the remaining jet lag I will have. 

July 17, 2018

I will continue to rest and explore the school and to go to Liturgy that morning in their church at the school. 

July 18, 2018

All of the students will be given a formal orientation and we will be tested for what level of language learning we are on, and what class we will be part of. "A Level" is for beginners, "B Level" is for intermediates. A and B levels might be broken into A1/A2 and B1/B2, depending on the student needs. Currently, after studying for three years, I am still only A2 level, hoping very much to be ready for a B level class when I arrive, by studying really hard between now and then. In the afternoon, we leave as a group to travel to the Carpathian mountains.

July 18-June 30

July 18-June 30 is school, which is two full weeks of classroom education. We'll be spending the next two weeks in the Carpathians, at a nice resort there.

Every morning, I will have 4 hours of language class, lunch and then this will be followed by a cultural program. We will have extended "field trips" into special sights in the surrounding mountains, or workshops on Ukrainian cultural subjects, depending on the day. In the evening, I will have 1-2 hours of individual tutoring.

Most of the program is total immersion and it is intense. I want to move up a whole level while I'm there. I want to study hard but also explore the amazing cultural sites and beautiful natural landscapes.

Here is my class schedule for the two weeks. You should probably enlarge it to see the details.

June 30, 2018

At 3:45 p.m., I fly from Lviv to Warsaw. It's a one hour flight, but I'll arrive at exactly the same time, due to the time zone change. From there, I'll take a shuttle to the hotel near the airport where I'll be staying. I will either "pass out" from tiredness or decide to look around the city square, hopefully with a tour bus and not alone.

July 1, 2018

The following morning, as I wake up in Warsaw, I will have my pick of around a zillion churches offering Mass or Liturgy about every hour or two How do the priests do that?! There is high demand and these churches are everywhere. I can easily find a Mass or Liturgy that morning and make it back to the airport by around 10 am to take my flight out at noon. I could also do a vigil Mass or Liturgy the night before, and make all of this easier.

Next Phase: At noon, I'll be flying from Warsaw to Amsterdam to Salt Lake to Eugene. This will involve 14 hours total in the air and 5 hours in airports, making sure to make connections. NINETEEN hours of total travel time, and guess what? Due to the 11 hour time difference from Lviv to Eugene, I still arrive back in Eugene on the same day I started.

I will arrive in Eugene at 9:21 p.m. on July 1, and take a taxi back home to greet my sad little cat who has been missing me dearly. This will be Sunday night. I will have Monday and Tuesday to rest before starting work again, Wednesday-Saturday of that week.

Um, Wow, huh!

This trip includes 8 separate flights. If even one is cancelled or delayed, I may experience a "domino effect" which could impact the flights that follow it. I know in advance to be prepared to change my itinerary if difficulties unexpectedly arise.