Hello Everyone!


IF ANYONE SEES MY MOM OR DAD OR FAMILY TELL THEM I MISS THEM!


I keep trying to skype people, but the time difference is so challenging to figure out. Also, I don't have constant internet access right now, so I'm struggling. Definitely struggling.

Right now, I'm at Gloria Jeans in the Lviv city center. It is absolutely breathtaking. I could live here forever!


So anyway, yesterday Roman a guy from AIESEC showed me around Lviv and it was super super cool. He took me to the top of the city hall and I saw the most astonishing view of the city ever. I was nearly in tears.

Earlier in the day, I went to the Lviv airport to finally get my luggage back! I jumped for joy! YAY! But seriously when Ustyna and I (the girl I was staying with) went to the airport, I felt like I was in a bad area, but it was normal. The guy who gave me back my luggage was so scary though. I could have fainted.

Then I said bye to Ustyna and her family and moved to the flat where I stayed last night and will stay one more day. HERE IS WHERE THE AWESOME FUN BEGINS.

So, Ustyna took me there by bus, and I was thinking it would be close, but we kept going and going and going and going. I was like "WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?" Then we got off the bus and start walking to the flat. We walk past apartments/flats which literally look like they are straight out of the soviet union. I mean like old women with bubushkas (spelling?) and men sitting in the pubs, and little kids playing on broken old play grounds.

It became overwhelming. I sort of wanted to cry because guess what....this is as culture shocky as it gets. But it got EVEN better.

We got to the 3rd floor. to the flat. AND OMG the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life! Just crumbs everywhere. 3 beds, one of them broken, cockroaches in the kitchen, and when I opened the bathroom. I literally choked on the air.

The BATHROOM IS SO DISGUSTING!


There is water everywhere, and the rugs are all wet and moldy. The toilet looks like it came straight out of the movie saw, and there is some kind of red substance all over the sink. I was like seriously I am going to die....

But as Michelle as does, I told Ustyna it was fine, great!


However, the thought of me staying here alone just made my soul weep. It is a new, strange, creepy place...


Then later, as I was out inn Lviv with Roman, I jumped for joy when Ustyna called me and said a girl from Armenia would be staying with me! Yes! I wouldn't be alone.

So, Roman and I had to run back to the flat and take the bus there...to let Ustyna and Naira (the Armenian girl in). And of course, Naira freaked out about the disgustingness of the flat just like me. We had to sleep on the pull out couch because we only had one set of sheets, and we really dared not enter the bathroom.

Because of all this, we went to the supermarket because we were hungry, and I decided to invest in some cleaning products...so we went and I bought water, coke, yogurt, and some kind of granola bar thingy.


So, Naira and I got ready for bed, and after some long talks, we finally tried to sleep on our creaky sofa.

Then, around 3 am I keep getting these phone calls on my Ukrainian cell phone (which only costs $30 usd with everything included! I didn't want to answer because a couple days prior I kept getting creepy phone calls, and it was also a weird time to be calling. So it kept ringing...then after 30 mins I start to hear the doorbell and I'm freaking out thinking who the heck is here at 4 am. Then they start pounding. So Naira said we should check who it is. So I go, and I'm terrified, thinking its some soviet soliders here to kick me out of the country,or some crazy psycho ukrainian who had been following me. But I go to the door, and it is Olya! Oh Olya! I was so happy to see her. she was with Sammit, and intern from turkey, and she said he had to stay at the flat...

So, guess who was calling me! Olya! She had to use a different phone number from the one I knew because her sim card ran out of money. I felt so bad that I didn't answer my phone. God bless her heart! she had an exam today, and basically didn't go to sleep last night because of this.

So then it was Naira, Sammit, and I! So great:) I wasn't alone...


This morning Sammit made Naira and I breakfast, and I actually took a shower in the toxic waste zone of a bathroom...it was a very interesting experience.


Now I'm still in Lviv, and we are going to walk around, relax, and maybe do some shopping.


I love Ukraine,its kind of sad how majority of the population lives, but it makes me more proud and thankful of my home.



I am so elated that God has blessed this trip so far! and I hope to talk to my family soon:)


Stay classy everyone!


:)Michelley!