Back to Kyiv

​Back to Kyiv

After we finished our last clinic in Cherkasy, we returned to Kyiv.  With a long morning clinic and taking our lunch, we got on the road by mid afternoon,  By the time we approached Kyiv, it was quite dark.  Not only was this past sunset (4:00 PM) but all the city lights were off..  You had many buildings lit by generators and most of the safety circuits (streetlights, stop lights) powered but It is still strange to see so many dark buildings. 

Still, most people go about their business in what is their new normal.  Electricity can be off for up 12 hours, but many have storage batteries which they can use when the power is off.  It just involves planning for when to charge the batteries and when to use them.

Water supply has been disrupted the whole time we have been in Ukraine and that is the case in Kyiv.  The water comes out from the tap, however it isn’t fit for drinking.  Any time the water pressure drops to a certain pressure, the pipes will have a back flow from the ground water into the pipes.  You can usually tell by the smell of the water,  You can use it for washing and bathing, but not for drinking, brushing your teeth or anything which brings the water into your body.

Soon after we arrived in Kyiv, we were off for Krakow, Poland by the overnight train.  Most of us will fly home directly from Krakow but I will stop off in Munich for a few days with a very good friend who lives in Germany before I fly home.  I will post once more once I collect my reflections on this trip.  Thanks as always for following along with me.