An Average Day in Bar

Well, Roma and I have officially reached the half-way point of our time here in Ukraine. We've been in Bar for a month and have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, making new friends and spending time with family. While there have been lots of fun events -- reunions, birthdays, shashleeks, holidays -- most days are just, well, average days. But what, you ask, does an average day look like for two people with no jobs on an extended vacation in a little town of 18,000? Allow me to enlighten you:

Our alarm goes off at 7:15 AM. We roll over in bed and groggily ask each other: Are we going to run today? Four out of seven days, the answer is yes because really, what else do we have to do? We run early because A) we like to get it out of the way, B) it gets really hot late morning/early afternoon and C) by late afternoon thunderstorms have been rolling in and it's just too wet and muddy (to run in my white shoes).

So we get up, get dressed and walk across the street to the soccer stadium. I run 8 laps (approximately 2 miles) and Roma runs 9 or 10. (Mind you, he runs his 10 faster than I run my eight but, whatever-- slow and steady wins the race, dude.) Running laps around a soccer field is not my ideal way to run, but it's the only realistic option we have. Were we to run down the street or along the river, people would surely think we were nuts. And while I don't really care what people think about us, I don't want Roma's parent's to have to listen to people's idle talk.

So we run the stadium.

We are not the only ones who run in the morning. There are always two other people running with us. One is a man, probably about 45, who arrives by bicycle and runs in blue sports pants and black canvas shoes. The other is a woman, probably about 40, who arrives on foot. She's always wearing a combination of teal clothing, has perfect makeup and is doused in perfume. I can smell her a quarter mile back and believe me, her fumes alone are inspiration to pick up the pace.

Below is a picture of the stadium. Roma's family's apartment is the brick building a little left of center, beyond the field:

After we run, we come home and I drink a couple cups of coffee. We check email. Invariably nobody writes me (thanks guys). We eat breakfast-- usually borshch. We take showers and then we'll go to the bazaar on some errand. (Milk, cheese, meat, sugar, fish-- whatever Mama needs or Roma is craving.) While at the bazaar, we'll stop and chat with Sasha for a bit and then return home. We eat lunch. Roma watches TV and I read my book. (Currently The Brother's Karamozov). I've taken to drinking tea in the afternoons. So I will make tea and read in the living room and then, after finishing my tea, I will announce to all concerned parties that I will be reading in the bedroom, which is code for: I'm going to go take a nap.

After my afternoon siesta, Roma and I will go out walking with Oksana and this little rascal:

She has completely recovered from her strange rash and is back to terrorizing the apartment. She loves her Grandpa and her Uncle the most out of everybody in the house. I don't really blame her. I love her Uncle the most too.

After walking for awhile with Veronika and Oksana, Roma and I will meet up with Sasha at his place of business. We'll visit with Sasha and because Sasha's store is located in the same building where Roma's parent's work, we'll go and visit with them too. Afterwards, we'll usually head to one of the local beer patios and grab a beer. Sasha and Roma always eat dried, salted fish with their beer. I don't go in for the dried fish, not because it isn't tasty; but, because frankly, it's too hands on of a snack for me.

Dima will often join us. He is an endless source of entertainment. He's recently been wearing a shirt that totally cracks me up. Um...I must have missed the episode when Spiderman was a guest on Sesame Street...

On days that we don't go drink beer with friends, Roma and I will go in the evening and play basketball. There haven't been that many opportunities to play lately because the weather has been so bad and summer open gym is held outside. There have been horrible floods in Western Ukraine because of all the rain we've gotten. The fear is that the rain won't let up and the crops will become saturated. Then everybody will be in trouble.

Anyways, that's pretty much an average day for us. Running, walking around town, meeting up with friends, reading...nothing too crazy and yet, the time flies by. Before we know it, we'll be headed back to the states; however, for now, I'll be reading in the bedroom ;)