Week 1: The Way Home

One of the children Social Patrol found.

Good day!!!

This is my first blog post! I know Chelsea has had many, many thoughts about our time in Ukraine, and I feel bad for not sharing mine earlier. She's so sweet and retains information so well! I wish I could remember as much as she does. Nevertheless, I generally don't have much to say, but I have definitely been thinking a lot for the past few days.

We have been in Ukraine for one week, and I must admit my first reaction of the country was less than stellar. The first few days I was struggling with the time zone difference, homesickness (I haven't seen my family since December), and a lack of understanding of the language. However, after having been here for one week, I have realized that it is a very pleasant country. I am absolutely glad that I came on this trip with Chelsea!!! I realized that I needed some time to adjust, and the people here have made that transition possible. Our tour guide, Iryna, is an amazing person (and cook!); Rosie, the volunteer from England, helped us a lot with translation; and the workers at The Way Home have acted very friendly towards us!

In addition to these amazing people, we have met other visitors in the past two days. Yesterday we met Alex, who works as a news anchor for a popular television station in Russia. He was here filming footage for a particular talk show. Today, we met Gary, a man from Dallas, Texas who plans on staying here for a couple of months to work with the kids. Actually, he came last year when Ethan was volunteering at The Way Home, so it was great to get the chance to meet him!

Lastly, tomorrow is our last day working at The Way Home. It is a great place, and they're certainly doing much better than they were a couple of years ago. As a result, it seems that they don't need our physical presence as much. However, the donation from FCEE came with perfect timing: They were running out of funds for their annual camping trip, and had to cut a lot of corners as a result. FCEE's donation will help cover those costs, so they can provide a full camping experience for the children regardless!!! I'm also excited to present the donation to the family orphanage on Monday, since they are not aware of it, and Chelsea told me that it will greatly benefit them.

Before I leave, I want to say that, usually, I don't have much to say (it's in my demeanor). However, I have assumed the role of a photographer for this trip, and I have plenty of images of our time here! This will greatly help spread the word about our organization, in and out of campus. I have some projects for the next couple of weeks. First, I will create an official logo for FCEE. Second, I will update our blog more often and link it to the website. Third, I will finalize our website and link the pages of the organizations we have worked with. Fourth, Chelsea and I will put together a book with stories and pictures of the children we have met during our stay here. Lastly, I will work on overhauling our PR strategy to raise awareness on campus and the community. All of this should be done before the summer ends!!

Until later,
Alex

Alex quote of the day: "We can add a caption...or bears."