Day 6

Yesterday, I took the family to the local "mall" during one of the heaviest traffic times of the day. We walked and got to see more and more Ukrainians but some of them would easily fit in State side – I guess that is the western influence for you. It's obvious that we are spoiled when it comes to pollution control. It was actually difficult to breathe and your eyes burned after a while. The trolleys (electric) are jam packed with people and folks park just about anywhere they want. Today, we are going to Independence Square; where Ukraine's revolution began in 1989 when university students held a hunger strike. There are also some cathedrals to visit; though many of them were destroyed by Hitler (200 of 600 are left). We've been cooped up in our flat waiting for the next referral and it's time to check out Kiev. On the weekend, they close off traffic so we should have a good time. Yulia will call a cab for us and when we are ready to return to the flat, she'll call another cab for us. Jennifer is dying for an American coffee so I imagine we will have to visit the local McDonalds.

And visit the McDonalds we did; except, it wasn't like our McDonald's: no Thousand Island dressing, cucumbers in place of pickles, and a lot less grease. The Independence Square is surrounded by some amazing art work and buildings. The main strip is closed to traffic on the weekends. We enjoyed some ice cream and watching Ukrainian children sing in unison. Under the Square is an underground mall. Odd, the symbol of their revolution and independence is supported by capitalism. You could say that American capitalism is their foundation. We also visited a local park and one of the cathedrals. Unfortunately, it was about this time that I realized my wallet was missing. I only had about 800 grivnia's ($100) though but still, that's not junk change either. It wasn't that crowded so I think I really did lose it. I'm hoping that a nice person turns it into the Embassy. Who am I kidding? I was “pick-pocketed”.