Have I mentioned how happy I am that spring has arrived?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Reactor Number 4Things that change your life!
Having lived 14 of the past 17 years abroad has changed my life in many ways. My thinking has changed and my expectations from fellow humans has changed. On Friday, April 10--Good Friday--I visited Chernobyl and the surrounding area. I had wanted to go for a long time and finally had the opportunity to go. Wow! What a sad sad site. I learn more and more about the human toll and the impact it had on regular Ukrainians daily.
I learned from a friend today that the woman who was the head of the school in Pripyat, the city where many of the Chernobyl power plant workers and their families lived, was threatened by the Communist party head because she refused to let the children play outside just hours after the disaster. Her husband was an engineer at the plant--in Reactor 4--when the accident happened and he told his family immediately. Armed with that knowledge, she was trying to protect the children--and was accused by the Party heads of spreading rumors and causing panic. She and her family left Pripyat four days after the disaster.
The city of Pripyat is abandoned and desolate. It is a ghost town that has so many stories. We weren't allowed to spend more than 15 minutes in the town, but that was enough time to imagine what life should be like. We were there on a gorgeous spring day. I imagined mothers walking their children down the street--the Ferris wheel spinning--and little old ladies and men sitting on the benches in the sun watching the world go by. The empty apartments and homes break your heart when you realize that their former occupants were told to pack what they needed for a couple of days and leave! They intended on coming back! But never did--never could. The buildings have been sitting empty for 23 years and are not structurally sound anymore. What stories lie behind the broken windows and crumbling walls.
This trip changed me. I can't articulate all the ways, but I can say that it did indeed change me. The people of Ukraine have been through a lot in recent history. They have tolerated a lot. When I talk to friends, I see resiliance in them--hidden beneath their mistrust for their government and its leaders. They have no choice but to look forward. Things can only get better--right?
Here are some of the pictures I took. There are more on my Picasa album page (link to the right).
This couch, or what's left of it, was in front of the hotel.
In the desolate town of Pripyat, this willow tree is blooming.
Old signage...
I learned from a friend today that the woman who was the head of the school in Pripyat, the city where many of the Chernobyl power plant workers and their families lived, was threatened by the Communist party head because she refused to let the children play outside just hours after the disaster. Her husband was an engineer at the plant--in Reactor 4--when the accident happened and he told his family immediately. Armed with that knowledge, she was trying to protect the children--and was accused by the Party heads of spreading rumors and causing panic. She and her family left Pripyat four days after the disaster.
The city of Pripyat is abandoned and desolate. It is a ghost town that has so many stories. We weren't allowed to spend more than 15 minutes in the town, but that was enough time to imagine what life should be like. We were there on a gorgeous spring day. I imagined mothers walking their children down the street--the Ferris wheel spinning--and little old ladies and men sitting on the benches in the sun watching the world go by. The empty apartments and homes break your heart when you realize that their former occupants were told to pack what they needed for a couple of days and leave! They intended on coming back! But never did--never could. The buildings have been sitting empty for 23 years and are not structurally sound anymore. What stories lie behind the broken windows and crumbling walls.
This trip changed me. I can't articulate all the ways, but I can say that it did indeed change me. The people of Ukraine have been through a lot in recent history. They have tolerated a lot. When I talk to friends, I see resiliance in them--hidden beneath their mistrust for their government and its leaders. They have no choice but to look forward. Things can only get better--right?
Here are some of the pictures I took. There are more on my Picasa album page (link to the right).
This couch, or what's left of it, was in front of the hotel.
In the desolate town of Pripyat, this willow tree is blooming.
Old signage...
Sunday, April 05, 2009
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