Camp Life In Skole

After 3 long, but exciting, weeks in Kyiv, I've finally begun my camp in a small town called Grebeniv, which if you can't find on a map, is near Skole.

The camp is set on the edge of the Carpathian mountains in Western Ukraine. The mountains aren't that big, but still enough to be surrounded by natural beauty 24 hours a day. A nearby creek gives the camp the constant sound of flowing water that only the screams of the children and the occasional passing train disrupts.

I spent almost all day outdoors, except for when it rains. When it rains, it's even more beautiful here. The lightning lights up the entire sky and the thunder is amazing as well. A couple nights ago, there was a thunderstorm at sunset. When it cleared up I went out and stood in the middle of the camp. To the left, there was a huge rainbow in the mountains surrounded by a purple and red sky. To my right, the sun set behind the mountains and gave off a bright yellow glow. All around me was the smell of trees and fresh rain. It was genuine moment of beauty and I thank Ukraine for letting me experience that.

The next most amazing part of this camp is the food. I get three meals a day of the best, healthiest food I've ever. Even when it looks gross it turns out to be delicious. I've stopped eating fast food, drinking coke or alcohol, or eating too much for that matter...except when I run to the store and buy chocolates :)

There are about 30 kids in the camp, ranging from about 10-16 years old, all with at least a basic understanding of english. There were two american interns here (one has left) and three ukrainian camp directors.

There are only two things I don't like about this place. The first is that I really have no one to talk to. Only one American is left, and although he is a good guy, we don't share much of the same interests. The rest are either children or camp directors. I love when I get a phone call from someone in Kyiv, it's just nice to talk with someone. The second thing is my internet. I went to L'viv one day and bought a mobile internet stick for $25. It kinda works, when I go sit in a field...but sometimes it works long enough in my room for me to talk with someone back home....or make a blog entry.

Speaking of L'viv, I got a day off to explore the city with the 2 Americans. It was amazing. Even more beautiful than Kyiv and much more Ukrainian, as opposed to the Russian-Ukrainian metropolis that it Kyiv. I hope to get tbe chance to go back for another day or two.

Also, found out I get to go back to Kyiv for 2 days before I fly back to Canada. Yay!