We had some friends over for dinner that have been to Ukraine several times for mission trips. They are precious people and we were so blessed by their visit! They shared all kinds of advice and travel tips, as well as stories of their time in Ukraine. Thanks to all of our incredible blog friends and FRUA, we already knew so much of what they told us! :) We did learn something important I wanted to pass along. I asked them about the infamous train rides, particularly the bathrooms. 
As many others who have shared this experience, they described the "less than American" conditions of the bathroom. I have read of many ladies who rationed their fluid intake while on the train to avoid having to go! My friend and dinner guest, Jeannie Martin, had some great advice. The trick is to know what to expect and be prepared. Before entering, roll up your pant legs (this is very important because of what is sloshing around on the ground...eeoouuuuuu). Bring with you your own toilet paper and antibacterial wipes (so you can avoid the germ-ridden, difficult to operate faucet). Avoid touching the seat at all costs. For that matter, avoid touching anything. Also, keep bottled water with you at your bunk for the purpose of brushing your teeth and washing your face there, rather than the bathroom. I would add to this advice I heard from someone else - take baggies to put over your shoes when using the bathroom (this protects them from the sloshing mentioned earlier!).
I feel prepared and up for the challenge! Scott wants to fly instead. No big surprise there.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Always be Prepared!
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6 comments:
I know your precious little girl will be worth it, but imagine when she is a teenager, you can say, "Don't talk back to me! Have I ever told you about that train ride I had to take to get to you?!!?" HA!
Hi Julie,
This is Miche from the FRUA site. Thanks for posting on our site. Your boys are so cute! Their little sister will be lucky to have 2 brothers to protect her. We wish you much luck on your journey.
Regarding your question about burning DVDs to iPods: Scott found a software product called Cucusoft (there are others as well) that will do the conversion for you. I don't think he paid for the software - I think it was a free download. It's actually a 2 step process- first, we put the DVD into the computer and burn it onto the computer harddrive. Then, we copy it onto the iPod. The Cucusoft program does a nice job of facilitating the process.
I hope that works for you. Let me know if it doesn't, and I'll find some friends who are bigger geeks than us (haha!) who can help.
Miche
Eeeeeeoooouuu!!! Wow, thank you for this great advice! I had heard that the bathrooms on the train were bad... but I had NO idea!! Great tips, I will definately bring the TP, wipes & baggies. :)
Instead of the cute boots you purchased below maybe you need to take mud/rain boots on the train? YUCK! with some full hip waders/ Wouldn't that makea great impression! :) I think I'm with Scott on the flying thing! Airplane restrooms tend not to "slosh" eeewwweee!
I was one of those that limited my water intake and can honestly say I didn't miss it that much. Of course, we were traveling at night which made it a little easier. I never even looked in the bathrooms - Meshack told me not to bother. Since our ride was only eight hours I made it pretty easily. Still, like your husband, I'd rather fly back to Kiev! :)
I'm excited about riding one of the infamous trains in Ukraine. :)
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