Day Two: Saturday and Sunday - Kyiv and Cherkassy. The first half of the day was spent in rehearsal. Saturday's goal was to integrate our seven Ukrainian singers into the choir. They are all incredibly gifted singers and well-prepared (by our dear Serhiy Bilokin) and, though it was hard to believe we could sound better, they made us even better. Dennis Port led an efficient and fast-paced rehearsal, and was himself surprised at how quickly and seamlessly they became a part of us. It was delightful.
After lunch at Central Baptist Church (which feels like "home base" to me after so many years of events and staying there during visits to Ukraine), we boarded the bus for Cherkassy.

I slept through a good part of the bus ride (I really needed it; jetlag was calling) so I missed seeing some of the amazing Ukrainian countryside, but every time I woke up, I saw "the Ukrainian flag" - light blue on top (sky), bright yellow on the bottom, as the flax is once again in full bloom here. Now and then, it was punctuated by mile-long fields of sunflowers - still breathtaking even for the umpteenth time! We arrived around dinner time here in Cherkassy, and checked into the Hotel Dnipro. One of my first impressions was of the manicured lawn (it has just been mowed, and so that "fresh mown grass" smell greeted us when we stepped off the bus) and beautiful landscaping - this is a new Ukrainian trend which the aesthetic/visual part of me loves! It is a lovely and well-cared for hotel, and best of all - a window A/C unit in my room. Slava Bohu. Those of you who have had experiences in the summer here understand my joy. Cold water in the room refrigerator completed my joy. Having a bed to sleep on was really not necessary after these two amenities, but still appreciated.

This is my first time here in this city, where so many of our group have been regularly over the years. Dennis Port and several others of our group went out for dinner at the cafe Bottichelli, not far from our hotel. We were the guests of the Momot family from Zolontonosha. Lovely family, and I got to sit at the "kids" end of the table with my new friends Jarek (15) and Sophia (14). We had a great time speaking English with them - they speak well, which is not surprising for their age! Also enjoyed conversing with Serhiy Bilokin and with my pal DP who was also at our end of the table. Another first experience - the best and quickest WiFi I have ever experienced in a public place - nearly 15 Mbps download speed and a whopping 13 Mbps upload speed. How I wish this were true in the US!! The simple joys of life in the 21st century, unexpectedly in Ukraine! (I geeked out and did a Speed Test with my iPad) I know, I know....

Today, we participate in worship in church #1, and sing a mini concert followed by one of those much anticipated church lunches, always a joy. (and I do mean this sincerely) Another 5pm concert tonight in church #2, which will make for a very full and potentially fatiguing day. This will be completely balanced out by the joy of worship Ukrainian style, meeting new friends and believers, and singing with such a great choir as Evangelion. Part of what makes it great, beyond the musical acuity, is the one-heartedness that makes our sound and souls so unified. More later!

A New Day!

Well, I (and the entire rest of the group) made it safely to Ukraine, and we now begin our first official tour day today. After a long travel day yesterday - 15 hours or so, including an hour long bus tour of the Paris airport to get to my terminal for the flight to Kyiv, I arrived on time at Boryspil Airport, and was quite happy to see my gold suitcase waiting for me on the carousel! I was in Terminal F, which is one of the newest - not THE newest, that was just for the recent EuroCup participants. But, for those who remember the old Terminal B (for bleh!) it is an amazing upgrade, and makes arriving in Kyiv a completely new experience from "the old days." As I settled in to wait for the arrival of the rest of the group, I found a lovely Italian restaurant in the terminal where I enjoyed a cheese pizza and some beloved Nestea Peach Iced Tea over REAL ice. A small thing, maybe, but those of you who have been to Europe know how rare ice is here. It took a while to discover that another member of Evangelion, alto Kris Koenigsburg had been sitting in the same restaurant for a couple of hours about three tables away from me.... The funny thing is that we never knew the other was there until I posted about my pizza on Facebook. Free WiFi in the airport finally connected us! A new day in Ukraine, indeed!

The rest of the group trickled through the doorway from Passport Control, and eventually we all boarded an air conditioned bus (again, a new day!) for the Hotel Rus. After checking in to our rooms,  we enjoyed a lovely group dinner together in the hotel restaurant. What a great group of people this is. There we also met our Ukrainian singers who joined us for dinner. It was a wonderful reunion, as most of them are recent Christian Music Academy grads. It was wonderful to see them, and to once again greet Oleksandr "Sasha" Kreschuk, Vitaliy Bolgar, and Serhiy Bilokin, our Music in World Cultures (MIWC) ministry partners. Then, it was on to much needed sleep in an air conditioned room. Today we rehearse in Kyiv with our UKR singer contingent, then head for Cherkassy for the next two days. The adventures have just begin. Stay tuned! Slava Bohu.