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December and January aren’t good months for blogging. Well, they’re probably not BAD months for blogging either, but in my case, those two months did not leave me any time to get in front of my computer keyboard and WRITE.
That said, I had the goal of adding something to my blog daily, so that means that – while I can’t go back – nothing stops me from doing exactly that from this day forward. After all, I consider myself a writer, and this is what writers do, right?
I have found a great packing list for women with “carry-on only” travel arrangements. You can download it, too, at Where with Elle. She has many other traveling tips on her website, so please go and visit!
I have decided that – except for my week in Kyiv – my itinerary will be extremely flexible. Unfortunately, the orcs (russia, for the uninitiated, with a small “r”) have not given up on their goal to bomb the living daylights out of residential/civil areas in cities like Odesa. I am ready to cut out that leg of my journey entirely, in favor of cities more to the West of Ukraine. I’ll watch the situation once I arrive in Ukraine. Fortunately, all my accommodation is booked so that I can cancel and rebook at will. I want to meet up with a doctor friend in Odesa, however, so there’s going to be a lot of thought going into the exact route that I will be taking.
My first hotel in Kyiv, as I may or may not have written before, canceled my booking. On the one hand, I am a bit disappointed, as I would have gotten 5* accommodation at a 3* price, but – as my mom says – things always work out for the good. My new hotel has a slightly more expensive nightly rate, but it is smack in the middle of Kyiv, right next to the university, and within walking distance from many places that I would love to see. It is also not far from the station, and also about a Kilometer (two big blocks) from the offices of my Ukrainian legal representative.
Roman (said legal representative) told me that I had booked into a great hotel, and also commented that the hotel is situated right on top of a fire station! No wonder some of the previous guests were complaining about the sirens. I don’t mind sirens – I sleep like the dead anyway – but I will have to find out where the closest shelters are wherever I am in Ukraine. I think there is an app for that. I shall just have to confirm with the locals.
I am grateful that I have been studying the Ukrainian language for the past year and a half. I am reasonably confident that I will be able to make myself understood and at least get directions to the nearest toilet, but I will have to brush up on those language skills if I want to “go local.” I still struggle with numbers. My tongue does not cooperate at all! I’ll make myself some flashcards to practice with while in transit. Hopefully, fellow travelers won’t think I am nuts! (They will probably either be practicing their own words and phrases or be helping me pronounce words correctly – I hope!)
Where I am on this journey… So far, I have done the following:
- Booked and paid for the flight tickets to Krakow and back
- Got prescriptions from my doctor for the chronic meds that I would need to take over and some just-in-case meds that I probably won’t need
- Booked and paid for train tickets from Kraków to Kyiv
- Went to HR to get a job confirmation letter. In duplicate!
- Borrowed a suitable travel case from my stepdad
- Arranged transport to and from the Airport
- Started collecting miscellaneous items on my packing list and packed them into a box
My immediate to-do’s are:
- Apply for a small personal loan/credit card for visa purposes
- Buy travel insurance to the value of 30k Euro (war insurance)
- Sort out an itinerary to satisfy the visa people
- Get walking fit!
- Purchase the train tickets from Kyiv to Kraków
- Set up appointments with the VISA people in Pretoria for both Ukraine and Poland (Ukraine first!)
- Pay the necessary fees
- Go see them and hold thumbs that the applications will be successful!
This is it for my “I am now here” post. I hope that when I write my next one, I shall have some progress to report. The wait has ended. It’s back to the “hurry up!”
