Our now five year old son, Aiden accompanied us to Ukraine. He loved it and there was not a moment that we wished that we had left him behind. He asks almost daily about going back to Ukraine. I ask him what he liked about it. He says he liked the apartment. I liked the apartment too. It had good bones, and I feel as though it had some stories to tell. We spent five weeks, give or take a few days, in that one-bedroom apartment. I think I liked experiencing the basics of life in that one-bedroom apartment. It had a very slow washing machine, and no dryer. We didn't miss the dryer. We didn't miss an oversized refrigerator and freezer stuffed full of food. We didn't miss too many clothes from which to chose to wear that day. We did not miss the excesses we live with on a daily basis. I surely don't want to say that life was simpler because I can see many obstacles to overcome living in Ukraine. Yet too many choices can also disturb the mind.
I am sorry we won't spend a great deal of time in Kyrgyzstan when our time comes.
2 years ago
5 comments:
It is interesting when we're "forced" into circumstances that simplify our lives and we discover there's a real joy to living that way. I agree that the apartment in Kiev was quite comfortable, yet I probably wouldn't have thought so with my typical US mindset.
Thanks for sharing your reflections.
That's great that he still remembers and wants to go back. You may have created a serious world traveller with that young experience. I do agree too that we all should work on trying to simplify. It's so hard to do. I have an overload of clothes I can't seem to part with and a garage filled with STUFF that we need to get rid of. September is going to be a productive month for me tackling those areas!
Do you know about what time frame you are looking at?
Rita-
I have to agree with you 100%... its funny how out of the blue we get this "Ukraine moment".. one where we remember how easy some things were during our trip... like clothes and food and having little space to worry about messing up! I love my dryer - but I did without it for a month - but was soooo thankful to see it when I got home. I wish many times over that I could make my life that simple here - but its probably more work than I am willing to do right now! haha!
I can't wait to see when you will have more news about this trip!
Amy
We have 3 adopted kiddos and working on #4 and #5, and we have taken our kids back each time...and never regretted it for a second! We have always viewed it as "indoor camping" and had a blast each time, and can't wait for this final trip next year. Funny how easily you can slip into a different lifestyle if you let go of your expectations. Yes we have heated water on the stove for baths, washed our clothes in the tub, wandered wonderfully different streets...and had some of the best uninterrupted family time of our lives!
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