I made it

Landed safely in Dnepro in less than 18 hours from taking off from Winnipeg Wednesday  afternoon.  I wasn't overly tired when I arrived,  but still jetlagged since it's my second night here and it's three am and I'm writing this post.

Ukrainian airlines from Toronto to Kiev was the old, tightly packed plane (the Crawfords had a new one one way) and the food was not great, but I had two checked bags free all the way from Winnipeg (a surprise when I checked in online with westjet,  I thought I'd have to pay for them to Toronto). I hunted the house Tuesday evening and found a beat up one wheeled suitcase in the basement,  so almost everything made the cut. I brought some things for next summer's youth institute,  plus everything Garry told me he forgot.

 Honestly,  my worst problem on the trip was before we left Winnipeg when the guy in the seat behind me was looking through his bag in the overhead bin dropped his cell phone on my forehead.  It's still a little sore.

Up to that point, I'd had a great day, I'd even had time to make sandwiches and box up lunches for the crew making corn silage in the muddy field before Micah and Crystal picked me up to go  to the airport.  We went out to their favorite sushi restaurant and made a quick stop at a thrift store (where I picked up the book I read on the flight) before they dropped me off. That's the other thing about the Ukrainian airlines flight, only a few TVs overhead showing old movies... I read or dozed on the overnight flight.

I arrived in Dnepro Thursday night Ukrainian time (only noon hour back in Manitoba). I had a connection from Kiev,  and didn't even have to pick up my bags, just go through passport control,  out and upstairs and through security to the domestic flights waiting room.

We relaxed Friday morning at the hotel Garry had booked near the airport before coming home by noon and unpacking my suitcases.  Garry actually went over to the barn and changed the inflations right away (the rubber liners for the milking machines) as it was one of the things that he'd forgotten to put in his luggage. 

Friday evening we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with the Crawfords and our Zaporosia missionary group at the Crawford's home.  Great food and friends and played a card game about planting beans until eight pm.

Today we are visiting one or three English classes in Dnepro.  Its also village day in Nikolaipolia,  Garry tells me the village is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding this year.