Lviv Chocolate is cup licking good!

 Today was our last full day in Kiev, and I sound sad in saying that I'm very happy that it's our last night. Though I've found the people to be kind and the city to be great and filled with life, I don't want to be around when a protest is going on. I can't believe that in this one week, 100 people have died. Anyway, I thought I'd post a picture of our subway station sign. They finally turned the subways back on so we could leave our neighborhood! I've been feeling really isolated here, not being able to communicate with anyone unless I'm miming….(glad that mime class finally came in handy) I can't read anything. While Lainey can read stuff, apparently in Russian class, the books and words are all written with accents to tell you where the emphasis is in the word. But in Ukrainian, they don't do that. So Lainey ended up butchering a lot of words, but I didn't care. More power to her!

Dasha, our contact and dear friend here suggested we try Lviv Handmade chocolates for a snack. We weren't particularly hungry, but once we stepped inside, the intoxicating chocolate smell MADE us eat! Not kidding! Half of us ordered cakes or coffee, while Marcus, Jonathan, and I ordered "melted chocolate" with fruits to dip in. The waiter asked us if we wanted white, dark, or milk chocolate. It was SO good. I even picked up a few bars all for Aaron that I won't even dare eat because the flavors are so crazy, like anise, or chili. 

Marcus liked his so much that he licked his cup clean. He looks like he's in a chocolate daze!

 We then continued back up the road we walked the first day we arrived here, up towards St. Andrew's church to do some photos and promos for the episode intro. I found this fun little swing of a branch. (Though I was told that I might break it!)

I haven't shown much of the beauty of the city and I think it has something to do with the fact that it's freaking COLD outside! But here's an example; an unassuming door painted in my favorite colors. I really do hope that if I come back, it's at a warmer time in the year as I think wearing skirts and shorts would be sublime!

 It was a cloudy day, but beautiful still. Here's more of the church! It was closed today (thank goodness we went during the weekend so we could see the inside)

 I absolutely love the domes on top. The gem turquoise against the aqua just made it SHINE for me! Also, I'm digging the gold accents. I'm more of a silver girl and I just thought this was breathtaking.

We also went back to the sculpture garden to do a walking segment and go at a lighter part of the day since the last time we were there, it was nearly dusk. We did some lindy in the park and I finally got to do some lifts! (YEAH! So excited as I've wanted to learn them for a long time and no one seems to be teaching them in my area when I'm available EVER) Ben was my partner and he lifted me with ease and lucky for us, it was warm enough that we could dance in sweaters and t shirts. 

It was really nice to get out of the apartment! I couldn't handle much more of being cooped up in our neighborhood. It also doesn't help that the mall has been closed so we can't escape!

 On the way back home, we walked to the funicular and accidentally got really close to St. Michael's Church which Ben, myself, and Marcus were not happy about. Why you ask? Oh, maybe because it was being used a the rebel hospital/morgue. Walking in our big group, we look like we don't belong. We were once again being watched by the locals. We hurried very fast to the funicular to get the heck out of there. Once on the subway, we could breathe. Marcus wanted to smell some lady's fur coat. Or was he wanting to take a nap in it?

 The boys were all happy to be out too. See? Tomorrow we have Dasha over for a while before heading to the airport for Barcelona! It's been unreal, Kiev!

Doing Intros, Dancing, and Ironing our Dinner

 Today we woke up and were ready to shoot at 10 AM. We checked online to see what was happening in Kiev and from last night, they were still on for their truce. Unfortunately, during the day, gunfire broke out and it ended up being a super violent day with something like 60 people died just today! Yikes! Since we are still about a 40 minute walk from the action, we figured we'd start doing the intros for the city. Ben's position was right in front of this HUGE VAGINA! Just kidding, but I bet you can't see it as anything other than that now. Lainey had some fun intro outtakes on a playground, and by the time it got to mine, it was freezing a super windy but the show must go on!

On the way home, we saw that a car near our place had its front tire totally shredded. Not sure if this was normal or if it was done by a rebel. Either way, by the time we came back around dinner, the car and its front wheel was gone. We went to the mall to pick up more spoils and also to recreate an event from yesterday (the protester parade) but when we got there, the mall had been closed and had security guards near the entrances. Also, the KFC was not letting anyone in….yikes! We then headed to the local market which was FILLED with people getting supplies. Legit supplies. The meat was all sold out. Lucky for us, we got some sausages, salad, and food for the next 48 hours. On the way to the market we actually saw men carrying tires from an auto repair shop and stacking them into a van. Don't worry, I didn't stop and gawk. We kept our heads down and kept walking. I got these shots (thank you very much) by having my phone out by my side and just pushing the volume buttons. I can't believe they turned out so good.

Pretty intense. I am almost 100% sure they're going to the square to be burned. It's not looking like it will end anytime soon. After we got back home, we split up (boys and girls) to rehearse our separate dance moves. I felt much better afterwards and was able to do my interview for the day, talking about seeing the tires. 

For dinner, we had to be really resourceful. We had bread and cheese from yesterday, but since we have no gas, we couldn't use the oven or stove. We DID however, have an iron! Presto, we made grilled cheese. Don't worry, I cleaned the iron. It was another nice family dinner. We drank more vodka, ate chocolate, and watched more friends! We called the embassy to make sure that we can stay here until Saturday and while they said they wouldn't suggest against it, they said as long as we're cautious, we should be fine. We looked at flights through our airline and the earliest one leaves Saturday so we're going as soon as we can. Pretty crazy for the first episode I'm a part of. 

Oh, by the way. The cast gave me a nickname; mouth! And no, it's not sexual. It's because I talk so LOUD! Mix that with Lainey who is named Decibels and you've got a pretty disastrous combo for your eardrums!

A day of staying in

Kiev is getting more and more out of hand. The rebels are getting more and more restless everyday. It doesn't really come to our neighborhood, but we are experiencing more stores being closed and people are going from point A to point B without dawdling. We went back to the mall and did some shooting and got some more supplies. I finally bought shampoo. I couldn't take it anymore. (Something to remember the next time) The boys had fun playing with the shopping cart and I even got to use some French in the store (it was a french store) to find out what flavor of dumplings we were buying. 

Marcus took this photo of himself and I died seeing his arm coming through the parrot's head. So stupid! Gotta love Token! When we left the mall, we immediately went back in, as we saw a protest walking by and we did NOT want to get stuck in it. We regrouped back inside where it was safe, then when it was, we ducked out and went straight home to then talk about it one on one. Pretty surreal and while some would not want to be here, I'm really loving being somewhere so central in news right now. It makes our project seem even more urgent.

 Lainey and I made dinner for the family. We found out that our Air BnB place does not have gas in the stove so we can't make anything with pots or pans. We do however have a tea kettle so we can get boiling water, and a microwave, so we can continue to heat things up with that. We made potato vereniki and cherry for dessert by putting the frozen dumplings and then zapping them for 8 minutes. Jonathan made a salad with something that was apparently not a salad at all. Ben carved bread. We had a lot of fun taking a group photo together!

 We've been drinking a lot of vodka as there's nothing to do at night other than drink and watch tv. We actually downloaded the second season of friends and have been sitting together as a family to watch it.  I love these people and it's only day 5!

I got a microphone!

 This morning I actually had a call time! What what?! Since me and Ben are both new, we needed to do our own introductions. I was definitely cold and the sun was IN MY EYES but I was excited to start filming my close up work. I used the knowledge from my 1 film class to talk TO the camera and not PAST it. I felt good. I definitely made some mistakes, like saying that I was afraid of getting food poisoning "up the front and up the back." What does that even mean?!

We've been keeping an eye on the news about the rebellion and they keep getting worse. Being here at this time is definitely not the safest place but we're avoiding the square now that all shit has hit the fan. Right now in bed, the headlines say that at least 18 people are dead. Whoa! 

We went to the Virsky rehearsal for Hopak dancing. Wow, my mouth was agape the whole time. The women were beautiful and the men were leaping higher than my shoulders. So impressed. They were so accommodating in letting us crash their rehearsal just 2 weeks before their nation wide tour. We even got to learn some dance moves that were very hard. The girl track was significantly easier than the boys', but the floor was so warped and splintery that it was nearly impossible to turn, though Lainey did say that the lady teacher was at least happy with me because I was getting it??? (I wasn't getting it). 

After dancing, we went to a traditional Ukrainian type restaurant that was decorated like a grandma's house during the communist era. We tried all kinds of traditional things, like dumplings with potatoes in them, pea pancakes, and black currant dumplings which were tart and delicious! And while we were sitting there, apparently shit went down at the square and the government stopped all metro service….so we walked all the way home.

The architecture is actually very pretty here, and I am sorry I haven't taken more pictures, but I never have a chance to take my camera out or my phone….I am relying a lot on the crew to do it honestly. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be better.

We went back to the mall for dinner. Nothing fancy, we just didn't want to cook. We walked around and the boys posed with this weird looking "Huff" the magic dragon….notice that he's copping a feel?

And of course, we couldn't go home without stopping back at the grocery store for more vodka. In this country, vodka is pretty cheap. I would go as far as to say that a shot of vodka is cheaper than a bottle of water. And they have a lot of it!

We all got to pose with vodka, minus Marcus. Sad face! I actually LOVE this picture as we're all different. And how uncharacteristic of Lainey to be chugging vodka! 

 And another one bites the dust with a prank. Lainey was the next to fall asleep in the middle of the communal area. We covered her in random shit, like crab chips (which we tried earlier and got some great near puking shots of Jonathan), empty beer bottles, and Chuck Norris! I am now really afraid to fall asleep in the living room as it's now happened to 3 different cast members.

Let's get the F**K out of here!

 Today our one plan was to see the square. We knew about the rebels and the occupation of Independance Square but not of how gristly a war can look, even if the war isn't a full on combat type of ordeal. We got off our subway and headed towards the stairs when lo and behold, the stairs were barricaded with barbed wire and tires. I could hear some Nationalist yelling things into a megaphone. Elaine was already on high alert at this point, the crew was respectful yet geeking out over how cool it was to be there, and I was beyond words. I couldn't even comprehend fully what I was seeing, but I did feel horrible. I was lumpy in my throat and was fighting back the urge to cry. It was truly moving to see it in person.

When we first ascended the stairs, our first thoughts were "whoa! we're IN the barricade!" We were all expecting to land on the outside, farther away from it all. But no, we were smack dab in the middle. The smell was a little gross, like pee and rotting trash. In the distance I noticed that the high walls of the inner barricade were made of huge bags of ice or snow and tires. Ben said that they use tires because they're easy to burn and make lots of smoke so snipers can't shoot properly. Yeah, with that note, I wanted to leave. There were many soldiers wearing masks taking note of our presence, so we were respectful and left. 

 Even the inside of the subways are barricaded. I noticed that most of the wheelchair accessible ramps were cut off with barbed wire. I guess it's to prevent anything with wheels from coming in. Foot traffic is still very strong during the day, and I even noticed that directly next to the square, a Mango clothing store was still open.

 None of the locals seemed at all phased by the barricade or rebels. I am sure they support the actions being made. Seeing the barricade from this side was less scary but probably more powerful so that we could see it without fear of getting in the way. There was singing being blasted throughout the area and a video of the singers on a huge jumbotron. They were singing National type songs, like "One More Day" from Les Mis. This whole experience was very moving and we all commented on how we couldn't really speak about it.

 The scariest part was that today was supposed to be the day that the government would give their word on whether or not the released protestors would be free from trial. If not, the rebels were planning to restorm City Hall like a scene from Braveheart! We definitely were not dumb enough to be there for that but it was important for us to see this.

 Brian and Markus got some good footage of us walking through the barricade, near it, being moved by it. I hope the footage is good.

 I couldn't believe how the walls were made. Look at all the park benches! Everywhere we went near the square, we were on high alert.

 And even a little farther away, we found some more stations for rebels. We just couldn't seem to get away from them today. We did stop into a beautiful church. It was very unassuming with very few pieces of stained glass on the outside, but upon entry, the paintings were gorgeous. Very geometric and flower like. Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures. We did some more B roll near here and then headed home.

The last part of our night was spent at that mall. We found a food court and Markus and I got McDonalds. I ordered potato wedges which were bomb and brie cheesy bites dipped in cranberry sauce which were ok. We did a little window shopping and then went to the grocery store where we stocked up on water, vodka, toilet paper….you know, the essentials! (BTW, today we went to a store where bottled water cost as much as a bottle of vodka. It is LITERALLY cheaper to buy vodka than water here!)

See? My McDonalds meal. I had to pay for ketchup (about $.50 US) and it all cost less than $10. 

At the apartment, everyone tries to make the other laugh harder and harder. Ben tried on his tuxedo pants from college. And yeah, they definitely don't fit!

Don't go near the Square!

Today was quite exciting, it being our first full day of exploring and getting to know one another. We decided to do some walking and sight seeing of the city for B roll. We stopped into a bomb bakery that made only cheesecakes and strudels. Each strudel could be eaten with various sauces like chocolate, vanilla, or berries. Mmm, everyone was happy with breakfast. 

We then walked up St. Andrew's ascent, a steep walkway/road that leads up to St. Andrew's church. Along the road, we went into a museum that told us the history of Ukraine and was filled with old pieces of vintage clothing (swoon) and even things like ripped paper ticket stubs from the theater. Also along the walk were many vendors selling antiques, vintage pieces, and junk. Fuzzy hats, hazy paraphernalia, jewelry….wait what?! Nazi paraphernalia?! Yes, they even had Nazi papers, like a soldier's birth certificate. It was a cool piece of history but there was no way in my good conscience that I could buy something like that!

 Finally, at the top of the hill, we reached the church. The camera crew set up a bunch of shots and we had to walk up and down the stairs over and over again in the cold, which sounds painful, and at the end my toes were very upset, but it's so fun to be a part of the project that I didn't mind that much. Also, Markus has a whole bag of starburst and I totally opened the bag and stole some.

The boys were also drooling over this candy/cookie seller while waiting for the camera equipment to be packed up. Isn't she beautiful? I am sure she was warmer than any of us!

 
The last thing we did today was go to the Sculpture alley. It's something that's listed on top 10 lists for visiting Kiev. Lainey and I screamed upon seeing the cats that we could climb into! And quite literally, you could climb into everything. They had a cat mouth bench and even an Alice in Wonderland themed play structure! We got some great shots for the show and got to mess around with each other.

We avoided going to the Red Square because by the time we were near, it was getting dark. Maybe tomorrow?

Boodma! Hey!

Lainey and I rode a red eye plane to get to Kiev. Boy we were tired! We met the camera crew and Jonathan in Zurich and then took a 2 hours flight all the way to the final destination. It was nice to meet everyone after only having skyped with them. I have a good feeling about this project. Anyway, after getting settled into our Air BNB place, we started walking on the street looking for something interesting and different….and we found it. Chicken parts, for sale….without ice…….ON THE STREET! Wha???? Yes, and and fish. Bizarre. I don't think I could eat it.

Jonathan had been in contact with a new lindy hopper here, Dasha. She took us to a Ukrainian folk restaurant. From the outside, it looks like Chili's!

But on the inside, a man dressed up in red cossacks and looks like santa claus greets you with homemade vodka. His whole job is to drink with you and get you to drink more. He was very good at this job and I'm sad to say that I had 6 shots! The boys were competing and I believe they had 14! The one thing I remember really well from the night is how they say "cheers" which is actually a chant!

Boodma, HEY! Boodma, HEY! Boodma, boodma, boodma, HEYHEYHEY! (then he'd say something about us drinking and good luck or good health. Honestly I wasn't paying attention because I was guzzling down cranberry or raspberry vodka)

 We also had some traditional dishes, like chicken kiev and borscht. I was surprised how much I liked borscht. I'm not sure I would order it in the states, but it was damn good and Aaron would be proud as I finished my whole bowl.

 The table also ordered salo, which translates to pork lard. We all liked the bacon part but I had no interest in eating the pure fat.

This was a great way to spend the first night. Everyone was totally loose after and we went dancing with Dasha. The scene is newer here, but everyone is very nice and happy to see us. We even had a jam.