I lived in Ukraine from 2017 to 2018. I posted on my blog about training with professional dance ensembles, the Ukrainian lifestyle, and places I visited. My one year in Ukraine has provided me with a lifetime of stories — and then some.
Since returning to Canada, I continue to post on my blog about my experience in Ukraine and about the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter to get the posts straight to your inbox.
Since moving to Ukraine, I've been keeping a journal. I try to write in it every day, even if it's just a couple lines, about what I did, what I learned, who I met, how I felt, and so on. I wrote seven pages about my last night in Lutsk, the evening of our farewell dinner. Seven pages. About one night. I think that's an indication of how many memories I made in my two months there.
Read MorePeople jump up at a willow tree in a public square, grabbing low hanging branches to be blessed in church.
A boy laughs and runs around his grandma, trying to hit his dad with pussy willows.
Hundreds of people gather, ladies with their heads covered in scarves, waiting for their turn to go into church.
These are just a few scenes from Easter in Ukraine. I saw some Easter celebrations in Lutsk, like Palm Sunday and a large pysanky display, but I went to Lviv for Orthodox Easter weekend (April 7 to 9). Cobblestone Freeway Tours had a couple things planned for us girls, and my parents joined too.
Read MoreChernivtsi felt like home.
I've had the feeling a few times while living in Ukraine, like the time we hosted the Virsky Studio dancers over for Canadian Thanksgiving in Kyiv or when my sister came to visit in Lviv or even any day I have a fully stocked fridge (OK, maybe not fully but more so than usual) after grocery shopping.
One reason I felt at home was because of the people, most notably the Bukovyna State Ensemble of Song and Dance. Another reason is because so many Canadians are from the Bukovynian region, which Chernivtsi is in.
Read MoreTo say the least, it's a dream come true.
Dances from the Bukovyna region have always been a favourite of mine. I love the stamps and the music and the costumes. So when I found out I'd get to dance with the Bukovyna State Ensemble of Song and Dance for a couple months, I was pretty darn excited.
Read MoreThe time was 9:30 a.m. The place was the side of the road outside the village Vashkivtsi. The obstacle was a group of people in costumes blocking our van, demanding money.
We obliged, they threw wheat in our van for good luck, we got out of the van for a shot of horilka (vodka), then we carried on.
Read MoreAfter weeks of festivities, the holiday season is officially over in Ukraine.
My celebrations started with St. Andrews Day (Dec. 13) at Shevchenkivs'kyi Hai and ended with the feast of Epiphany/Jordan (Jan. 19) at a new dance friend's home with her family.
Read MoreJust as I was starting to feel comfortable in Kyiv, more into a routine, I moved. Two Sundays ago, my roommate and I sat on our couch to thank our apartment for the shelter it provided and the good times we had. (Kyrylo, someone helping organize our year in Ukraine, said it's a Ukrainian tradition to thank your home).
Though I was sad to leave, I am happy to be in Lviv, the city that made me fall in love with this country three years ago.
Read MoreI’ve danced on many memorable floors.
In Hungary, there was the stage made of rotting wood, the holes hidden by fallen leaves and twigs.
In Croatia, there was the concrete stage we danced on while it was pouring rain. And then it started storming, the lightning striking as we hit a pose.
In Ukraine, just a couple months ago, I danced on a raked stage, meaning it inclined toward the back of the stage so the audience had a better view (but the dancers had a harder time).
Read MoreI'm still standing.
It's been a month since I started training with the Virsky studio group, and nearly two months since my Ukraine adventure started.
After one month of dancing six days a week for three hours a day — that's right, 18 hours per week — my body's not broken yet. Coming from dancing up to only six hours per week back home, I was worried about how I'd react to 18 per week. But so far so good.
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