Kat Rose - Blue Skies: A Travelers Journey of Discovery and Life in Ukraine

Blue
Skies

a travelers journey of
discovery and life in Ukraine

Kat Rose

Blue Skies

Copyright 2021 Kat Rose

Cover Design by C.S. Fritz

Formatting by Albatross Design Co.

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Convention. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, except for the brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereinafter invented, without permission of the author. Every effort has been made by the author to ensure that the information contained in this book was correct as of press time. The author hereby disclaims and does not assume liability for any injury, loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, regardless of whether any errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. This book reflects the authors present recollections of experiences over time. Some names and characteristics have been changed to protect individuals privacy, some events have been compressed, and some dialogue has been recreated based on the authors memory. The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only and does not represent professional travel, health and safety advice. Readers are encouraged to verify any information contained in this book prior to taking any action on the information.

For permission requests, please contact anewerkatintown@gmail.com

ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-7368271-0-9

To My Sweet Poppy and to the Best Guy.

Thank you both for teaching me that life is a beautiful journey.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Foreword

The pages of this book are a journey of my life in Ukraine. What I write on these pages is not the history of Ukraine that is outlined in a detailed textbook. It is not stories of Ukrainian and Russian languages in the framework of a studied linguist. It is not Ukraines latest news written by a professional journalist. It is not stories of cultural anthropology by a researcher who has dedicated his lifes work to the study of Ukrainian culture. There are other books about each of these topics and I encourage you to read them.

Blue Skies is a collection of short stories written from my perspective as a young American living, working, and traveling throughout the country. Its not every travelers experience or the experience of the people who live in Ukraine every day. It is my hope that these stories inspire personal reflection, travel to Ukraine, and international connection. Read between the lines and let the stories bring you a sense of hope, laughter, courage, and charity.

Thank you to my colleagues at Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, my students, my Fulbright cohort, the Ukraine Fulbright Commission, and others who made these stories come to life. Without your presence and encouragement, these stories would not have made it onto the following pages.

Introduction

Im glad youre here. Maybe youre a Fulbright colleague, a friend of mine, a family member, a blog reader, or a stranger interested in travel and Ukraine. Somehow youve found out about this book, and its a great joy to me that youve chosen to pick it up.

My name is Kat. Im a girl in my twenties, living in New Jersey and dreaming of the next place Ill call home. Im also the creator of the sustainable fashion and travel blog, A Newer Kat in Town . I started writing in 2015, after my first study abroad experience in the Czech Republic when I was nineteen. I was a miserable person back then. I only found joy in traveling. That led me to live in China in the summer of 2016, Italy for a year in 20162017, and Ukraine for the summers of 2018 and 2019. I traveled to thirty countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia throughout that time, each giving me their fix. Id like to believe Im a happier person now, but I suppose that depends.

I like to support my family, but I love to travel. I like to plan and have structure, but I love to dream. I like security, but I love to take risks and fall in love. My life is a dichotomy, two parallel lives vying for the same finite time: one wanting the comfort of home and the other wanting the joy of being on the road.

I am the youngest of my five sisters and six brothers. We are often referred to as cheaper by the dozen. My mother is thirty-one years younger than my father, who was seventy-one when I was born. My father attended Columbia University, and my mother never attended college. He and my mother traveled around Europe and North America for my fathers work and for the pure fun of seeing new places. My father was an engineer, a planner. My mother was a dreamer, a creative. Travel and do-it-yourself projects were always a big part of our lives. Maybe thats why I do what I do.

Ive dreamed of being a travel writer since that first summer in the Czech Republic in 2015. I loved writing articles on my blog about travel, but I knew I wanted to write a book someday. I didnt think it would be a book of short stories, and I didnt think it would be about Ukraine.

Im not Ukrainian-American. I didnt have Ukrainian connections before living there. I didnt study the Ukrainian language or Eastern European Studies in college. I encountered Ukraine as a volunteer at a small summer camp in a village in the western part of the country in 2018. I wanted to learn more about the language, the people, the war, and the culture, so I returned to Ukraine the following summer to the same summer camp and then as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in 20192020.

Ukraine is gritty, its undiscovered, its misunderstood, and its a gem in Eastern Europe. It has its faults and its difficulties due to war and ununified identity. Yet, it captures a traveler in its hospitality, culture, and sense of curiosity. The stories you read in this book will illustrate each of those elements woven throughout my coming-of-age story during my time as a Fulbrighter in Ukraine. I was not Ukrainian then, and I am not Ukrainian now, but my journey with Ukraine is a narrative Ill continue to celebrate, and Im happy that youre here to celebrate with me.

Falling in Love

On August 25, 2019, I moved to my fifth country: Ukraine. Chance had brought me here, but something else had kept me.

I fell in love.

I moved abroad for the first time when I was nineteen years old. I had been in an unhealthy relationship that had weighed me down for two years. When I arrived in my new city, I felt intense freedom and independence for the first time in years. I moved into my first apartment, made new friends, and traveled to different places around the world. I fell out of love with the person holding me back and into love with the newness of traveling.

When you go through a breakup, its easy to wonder how life will move forward without that person. You see things that remind you of him or her. You wonder if you couldve changed the outcome or if the situation was different, maybe youd still be together. And sometimes, youre so clouded that you lose sight of who you are.

Traveling took all of that away from me. Booking the next trip became my fix. When I visited a new place, I was confident in who I was. I was filled with faith, curiosity, excitement, and purpose. I was happy.