July 14, 2010

A quick post to update everyone until we return tomorrow night...

Today was fantastic! An incredible last full day in L'viv- we certainly made the most of it! VBS was a huge success today and a success overall- we had 23 children here to learn about "God Sending Us" through painting pictures, games, and 'sink or float' science excercises- and lots of smiles during snack time with apple smiles made out of apples (well we accidentally bought nectarines, woops!) and peanut butter and marshmallows.Many of the childrens' parents told us about what a great ministry the VBS program was, and hearing that was very rewarding to know that we had made such a difference for these children and the community!
Next was cleaning the student center- sweeping, organizing the slipper closet (Ukrainians are big on wearing slippers!) cleaning the stove (go Charlie!) and other various chores to help out. The cleaning eventually turned into a dance party, however the cleaning was successful and they are very appreciative of our efforts...despite the fact that the city turned off the water so we had an extremely litmited supply of water to clean with!!!
Following cleaning, we went to the home of one of our English Camp students, Marta, because her mother invited us over for some of the best food we've had all week!
 After lunch, the group split and half went to the market for some last minute shopping and the other half went back to the Hostel to get ready for our evening out- after getting ready we left for the L'viv Opera House, which is 115 years old...

We took some photos outside the Opera House (all dolled up) and then walked around inside too. The entire place was absolutely exquisite! After walking up and down the stairs- we finally got to our seats at the top and center of the theater. All 16 of us (the team, Yura, Maryanna, and Betty) were in one row and we sat patiently (starting to sweat in the lack of AC ) until the orchestra started. As the lights dimmed I (Camille) was busting at the seams with excitement and the rest of the team was pretty excited too!

The ballet was Giselle and according to Yura, it was performed by a local ballet company. After the opening, the story began and I look over... Glen was fast asleep, but to my astonishment... Charlie was actually awake! The first Act was not too impressive (in my opinion), but the girl who danced the role of Giselle did a phenominal job! She was the perfect size and she had incredible feet. Albert (the main male) looked JUST like Yura and the supporting male lead looked like Ilya. The male leads were not very impressive, but they did alright. Giselle kind of sorta looked like me and her main solo in Act I was just like the one I learned 2 years ago! At intermission- we all walked around to stretch our legs before the lights in the opera house started to blink (a sign to get back to our seats). The second act... wow! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time- it was incredible, and everything I had hoped for! The clapping at the end of the ballet was good... until it turned into this obnoxious clapping on beat (some kind of European tradition). I could not stop smiling when we left the theater and I certainly enjoyed explaining different "ballet-isms" to those in our team that were completely lost. It was nice to see some of the locals in a performance!

The Gorans were waiting right outside of the theater and we walked down to order some dinner (chicken or beef wraps). We ate them accompanied by a light beverage (coke, fanta, sprite, or water) in front of the outdoor stage. Fortunate for us- a silent film was being played (Charlie Chaplin hehehe). We slowly walked back to the student center/ hostel. Some of us stayed at the hostel in order to pack and get some rest but the rest of us went on an adventure! Julie, Kjersti, Charlie, Perry, Rhys, Yura, Volodya, Eric, and I went out in the park (in our fancy clothes). We got some ice cream and walked around the park (including the children's playground).

Overall- it was a good day to finish up Kid's Club (VBS), have an amazing meal, and watch a ballet. We will all miss this place so much, but it's nice to know that we have created friendships that will most certainly last a lifetime.

Thank you all for following us-

(by Julie and Camille)