Location: Kiev, Ukraine

We made it. Oh my gosh we made it! I had the bright idea before leaving Canada to try and reset my sleep schedule so that the time change wouldn’t hit me so hard when we arrived… I have slept a grand total of 5 hours in 2 days. I keep losing my train of thought and falling asleep midway through a conversation.

Land and I sat together in the very last row of the plane to Munich, where we chatted, watched movies and made plans for the trip. At one point we ordered coffee and baileys, partly for the celebration and partly to make us a little sleepy.

We had another 6 hour layover so we spent a good portion of it reading stories to each other online, laughing at puns, and watching planes land from comfy seats in the very back corner of the airport. Everyone kept asking about the helmet Land is carrying around like a purse (for real though), and it’s been entertaining to see people’s incredulous reactions when they find out what it’s for, and then again when they realize that I’m fighting as well.

After a German dinner in the Munich airport we boarded the last plane, with plans to tape our eyes open so we wouldn’t fall asleep. Ian literally had to poke me in the shoulder to wake me up a few times.

At last we made it to Kiev! Good news and bad news. Bad news is our weapons bag didn’t show up, so fingers crossed that it does before the tournament or we’ll all be buying a bunch of new swords and axes and falchions. The good news is that Igor and Galyna (Ukrainian armorers who came to Whitehorse to train us last summer) came to meet us at the airport! Two other Canadian fighters who arrived early, Richard and Mack, also came to pick us up.

And then we got promptly stuck in the airport parking lot. We had to call Igor to help us translate to the guys at the kiosk, since all 5 of us combined couldn’t figure out a lick of Ukrainian. After a 10 car pile-up we eventually got out… then got a real taste of the jerky, confusing, no holds barred driving “rules” in Ukraine. I use the word ‘rules’ lightly. It’s like guidelines, at best. There are intersections within intersections and full speed highways that just end. Oh good.

After literally elevator vs foot racing up 6 flights of stairs, finding out we were in the wrong building, racing up another 6 stories in the right building and calling the landlord WE MADE IT.

I’m sitting in a cozy nook in our giant top floor apartment writing this blog, while Ukrainian news plays in the background, and I couldn’t be happier.

Big plans for tomorrow. I can’t wait!

S

#yxygirlsgohereandthere

P.s. Cyrillic though?!?!