Blisters Well Loved

Truth be told I shouldn't actually have these blisters. They are dance shoe blisters. I only danced for 2 hours. That's nothing.

Right now it's everything.

In the process of finding myself again I went to a monthly contra dance. I used to dance at least once every week. I used to think, if I could be anything I'd be a professional contra dancer (no, that doesn't exist). I used to travel to contra dance weekends and dance 8 hours a day for 3 days straight. Blisters weren't a thing.

A couple of years ago I made some choices that led me down a path I thought would still include contra dancing, but instead left it out. For excuses, for finances, for fun, for whatever, contra dancing just never really happened. Literally, it's been years.

It's sometimes amazing to look back and wonder how much time got past you. How did you let something so vital and beautiful out of your life for so long? I had my reasons, albeit, in hindsight, not good ones.

So tonight, I put on my dancing shoes and headed out on the floor. My shoes haven't been worn in so long the sole is actually cracked from the bottom through to the inside and I didn't know it. The elastic is so stretched out in the ankle buckle the tightest fit is no longer snug. A feeling of shock, horror, unsatisfaction with my life and decisions swept over me when I took out my dance shoes to put them on. How could I let one of the most beautiful parts of my life skip away so effortlessly?

I don't have an answer to share, but I do have a wonderful story of dance and the joy it brings and the joy it shares.

At the contra dance, there weren't many people. I was the 32nd person to show up and I was a half hour late because I got lost. (Yes I have Google maps. No, my phone is not functioning well enough to use it within a 5 minute window).

I brought my usual joy and love of dance and nothing else. I had never danced with anyone at the dance before. I hadn't danced contra in years so my confidence level was really low. After the first dance, it was coming back. My feet knew all the right moves even if my brain couldn't recall all the correct names.

People asked me where I learned to dance, how I learned to dance, and how long I'd been dancing. It blew me away.

There was an uneven number of men to women so I mustered my courage and took on the lead role, a role I was even less confident in and had danced even less in the years I danced contra consistenly. Despite the minor hiccups I noticed, my follows were happy and enthusiastic. After two dances as a lead, a young woman who wanted to learn to lead but was inexperienced and hesitant to do so agreed to lead me. After our dance I was showing her a safe way to spin a follow and as I looked out of the corner of my eye, nearly half the dancers had gathered to listen to my instruction. Again, I was blown away (in a good way).

I got ready to dance as a follow yet again and the gentleman in my square stopped to ask me how I did a particular move. Swings I have done and seen for many years and just did naturally were brand new to the group both as a lead and a follow. I got to show him how to do a simple yet beautiful swing just slightly different than the traditional.

There were two waltzes at the break and end of the dance. I typically don't like a boring waltz but it had been more years than missing contra that I had led a waltz. I didn't want to follow and I did want to waltz so that left me only the option of facing my fear head on and asking a lady to follow my lead. Both of the women I danced with told me they were very happy but what struck me most was the last waltz. The lady said she used to dance all the time and from physical complications hadn't danced in awhile. The waltz moves I did were only ones I've watched others do on the dancefloor and either asked how to do them or just picked them up by watching. But she was amazed and had so much fun. Watching her joy made my night.

I usually cause quite a ruckus when I mess around at contra dances. I kept it extremely tidy at this one, and even the teeny bit of fun I did have was looked down upon by at least one person. There's always one right?

But even with the negative looks and lack of looks or acknowledgment toward me, nothing could change the amazing energy of joy and gratitude I felt from having touched the lives of so many in a positive way. And not just for one dance, but for many to come. The moves I taught, and the tips I showed will be remembered and used to make the dance floor a more wonderful place.

What more could any "professional" contra dancer ask for? Maybe some more well loved blisters.

A Week in a Dead Lady's Home

My vision of typical trips are usually fairly planned: housing, activities, flights, even meals.

My immediate family not so much. Get in the car. Start driving. See what happens.

I'm not usually around for such road trips, but this last one I was the chauffeur. Knowing I don't sleep well, if at all, in a bed right next to my parents, I opted to try to call ahead for a couch at our destination.

I got a lot more than I bargained for!!

My family is friends with the people I called for a couch; pretty good friends I would say. So they did what good friends do: offer the dead lady's house down the street so we can all sleep for free.

Now on the outset this actually sounded like a good deal: a fully furnished house with a couple of rooms so we can sleep peacefully, cook, and live comfortably. The lady hadn't been dead that long so how bad could it be?

Home for the week. Think I won't try to park the car in the garage...

Well, old lady smell aside, the house hadn't been lived in for years. I didn't realize that several years before she died, she'd moved out of the house into a facility elsewhere. With the house not occupied and cleaned only 3 or 4 times a year, it was a much different experience than expected. She also hadn't touched the house since it was built. It was amazing to walk in to another world. The dirt floor root cellar, the 6'garage ceiling, the settled and cracked and uneven floors, the "white" carpet in the bathroom, the orange carpet on the stairs, the two prong outlets on the walls preventing me from charging some of my devices, the kitchen faucet that shut off by moving the handle all the way to either side instead of straight down, the radio vs TV in the living room. Oh, and the snake skin casually hung on the garage wall!

Yes, I ducked every time I walked in to the garage! 

Fishing pole, fishing pole, grill brush, snakeskin...wait, what?!

There was white mold covering most of the hardwood doors and chairs so no closing the bathroom door! Fortunately the kitchen chairs were lacquered and didn't have the mold growing the rest of the wood around the house did so we had someplace to delicately sit.

The dust level was unreal. The house was due for it's tri-anuual cleaning so layers of dust covered everything. Because everything was so dusty and moldy, we chose to forego cooking and lived off of our travel food and our daily dinner out in town. So much for cooking.

Thankful it was free and I wasn't sleeping in a bed next to my parents, I unpacked the car cooler into the fridge (which had been plugged in that day), took off the top blanket on the bed gingerly and laid it aside, stripped the bed and "washed" the sheets in hot water but without soap, and chose not to unpack my backpack, but to instead live out of it for the week to try to keep everything in it a little cleaner.

That first night was a long one. Sleeping on an ancient, rock hard, and seemingly smaller than twin size bed with a pillow full of unknowns that rustled every time you moved made sleeping difficult. I also froze without the blanket :(  At least I got to listen to the chorus of coyotes, owls, crickets, and other creatures outside my window. That indeed was pleasant (I am a country girl after all).

The "doorway" to my room.
Note the "step" down even though the floor is supposed to be level.

The next morning, I awoke to discover the fridge doesn't actually get cold. My milk was spoiled and I was worried for the yogurt and cheese so I plugged the car cooler into the wall (thankfully it's a two prong cord) and put all the cold stuff back inside that was still salvageable. I also woke up sneezing constantly. I would barely get to the trash can to throw away the tissue before I needed the next one. By the end of the week my voice was croaking every morning and I had nasty sinus pressure along with the incessant sneezing.

The "fun" part of the adventure was the lack of cell service and wi-fi. Of course no dead lady's house will have wi-fi in it and we were out in the country (think gravel roads and a house every few miles) so no stealing wi-fi from the business next door or asking the neighbors to use theirs for the week. It was also non existent cell service in the house. It seemed that way in every house so this one was no exception. I use AT&T towers so expected service and totally received it...every time I stepped outside. Yes, if I actually set my phone against the window in the kitchen it would eventually pick up the signal, but I couldn't pick the phone up to use it and keep the signal.

Walking the country road to get some wi-fi!

I did sit on the front steps a little while, but the bugs!!!  Unmown grass and country life breed bugs and insects of many varieties and with no one living there to keep it in some form of check, every critter was moving in and I disturbed them stepping outside the front door. I actually got ants in my pants! :-O

So to say the least, I spent very little time outside to use my cell phone and had to go to the neighboring house (which luckily was only a half mile walk or so) to get some country wi-fi (read not Google Fiber) service.

Lots of wonderful visits happened and I enjoyed my time away from the house that week. I hope it's a long time, if ever again, in my future when I spend a week in a deserted dead lady's house.

Country Road, Take Me Home

Lustfully Wandering Seeming Aimlessly

Life has turned totally tipsy and not in that happy feeling after a couple of tequila shots way, but in that rather unnerving uh-oh, what is going to happen next kind of way.

A couple of years ago I decided to give landlubbering a try again and truth be told, I should have probably not been so foolish since I've learned my lesson before, but I plunged ahead regardless to prior knowledge. Accordingly, it didn't go so swimmingly well and I've been floundering around ever since.

About a year ago, in the midst of swimming headlong upstream, a most unique occurrence happened ~ I acquired a dog. I only acquired a dog in the sense that I now take care of it, but not in the traditional sense of choosing a dog, wanting a dog, nor looking for a dog and dog ownership. This dog decided it was in his best interest that I be the one and only human on planet earth worth his constant attention. Now this little guy is great, fantastic, a joy to play with, and very well trained. However, he's also extremely, highly, completely, utterly, and totally dependent on my existence. What does one do on land with a dog such as this: a dog that could care less about food, toys, treats, the rest of the human population unless I am visibly in the room and obviously staying there?

That's an honest question, as I have yet to find the answer.

So a year after acquiring said dog, I'm doing what all lost children do that have a new child and need help; I've moved in with the best built in baby sitter, Mamaw. How long will I stay? I don't know. Life is limbo.

What I do know is this:

• The last job I had on cruise ships no longer exists (again).
• My long time job (15 yrs) in the Arkansas symphony is teetering on non existent.
• I've got a dog with severe separation anxiety that hasn't improved with any method tried.
• I don't have a giant nest egg of funds to support myself indefinitely.

So, after pursuing a temporary job, a long term flexible job, and other random wandering ideas that have slammed shut rather effectively in my face, I've finally accepted my pre-term midlife crisis.

Since I was a child I have wanted nothing more than to play music for a living. I've done that successfully and unsuccessfully ever sense. The scene has changed and I've barely kept up with it until now. Fewer and fewer cruise ships want classical groups and the major one I worked for years ago, now tells the musicians what to play, when to play, and how to play the music. The following of supporters I amassed was from getting to know my audience each cruise, playing what they liked and how they liked it. Performing as a robot doesn't win the audience on cruises (as the reviews for the new groups have shown) nor is it a desirable way to work for me.

Symphony orchestra on land have been my bread and butter between cruise ship gigs. These orchestras are financially suffering like all the others, and the remedy for that is to hire more people locally even if they're not professional. It saves thousands of dollars to not pay mileage and hotel costs for so many musicians to travel in for the concert and rehearsal week. Unfortunately, I don't want to live in any of the cities that would require me to stay. Nor would the income generated by performing there support me in any way living locally instead of traveling from hotel room to hotel room (no rent to pay). So the job I've loved and had for so long is no longer really able to hire me except on occasion.

What in the world am I going to do?

With the support of friends and family, I've chosen to make a drastic change. I have no idea what the outcome will be and if I'll be successful, but I'm going to give it the best shot I can. 

From full time musician to travel writer and tour guide.

At the Beach!

Dali Museum Tour

Hard at work in a local coffee shop.

I've moved to Planet Ronda

Hello all my faithful readers. It's been a long time and I apologize. I've been working on a new venture that will hopefully lead to better and brighter things in my future.

I've started a new website called Planet Ronda. There I'm posting shorter and more frequent blog posts. Check them out and let me know what you think.

In addition to the blog posts, I'm starting a new YouTube channel called Planet Ronda. Those videos are linked on my website and you can also just subscribe to Planet Ronda on YouTube for weekly videos.

It's been a lot of hard work and I'm trying to make a go of it to see if everyone out there really does want to read more and learn more of what goes on behind the scenes on Planet Ronda. If so, it should be a good future for me.

I welcome any and all ideas; both positive and negative criticism.

Thank you for all the wonderful times spent reading here at Blogger and I hope you all join me over on Planet Ronda real soon!

Cheers :)

Europe Trip 2016 ~ Last week in Malyn & Athens + Carnival Dream

This blog is scattered because I've been trying to write it for over two months in bits and pieces. Sometimes my writing just falls off the train and can't seem to get back on again.

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The end has arrived to my amazing and adventurous trip to Europe. It didn't end at all the way I expected but then, my plans are merely suggestions where my life is concerned.

After the Carnival cruise, I flew back to Kiev and headed home to Malyn for what was originally going to be a couple of weeks. When I arrived I learned my Ukrainian sister had moved out and it was much colder than I was anticipating. I enjoyed the last few days with my adopted family there, trying desperately to stay warm, and then headed to Athens for a surprise and impromptu week vacation. When I checked the weather while I was in Kiev, it was almost 80 degrees, but when I got here, so did late fall/winter. Instead of the shorts and t shirts I was hoping to wear, I did laundry and went back to the jeans and sweaters. Still, I wasn't wearing two of everything and wishing for my winter coat, gloves, and scarf. Athens was lovely again. I spent days enjoying delicious food and getting a chance to relax. Then one day after dinner, I returned to the condo to check my email and discovered I had an urgent request from Carnival for another cruise. Luckily I had everything with me....except the music.

Life Story: Music Acquisition.

When I got the email from Carnival, I had 3 days before I had to fly to the ship. Neither Earle nor I expected a contract on such short notice so soon so we had mailed our duo music binders back to my home. No one was there when the package arrived obviously and no one was going to be. So there was a FedEx package sitting on the front porch that we desperately needed but couldn't get. I called FedEx and told them the situation and asked if the next day they could pick up the package and send it two day shipping to Earle in the States since he was leaving a day after me. I spent over five hours on the phone with them, setting up an account, figuring out the shipping issues, and confirming the situation in the notes. Finally it worked and I breathed a sigh of relief that even though I hadn't slept that night and wouldn't get to sleep much the next, at least I'd get to sleep the third night before boarding the ship. About 12 hours later I checked the tracking number of the package and it said it wasn't readable. So I called up FedEx to see what was happening. Oh, they replied, no one was home so the driver didn't pick up the package. I wanted to scream. After all the notes I'd written in the order and the representative had written in my account, the driver didn't pick up the order. Now it was too late for the driver to go back and get it and have it delivered to Earle in time. The little sleep I thought I'd get that night just flew out the window. I spent that night downloading all the music again and sorting it into printing folders. The next morning I finished packing my bags (realized I hadn't showered in two days and since it had been cloudy the previous day the hot water tanks weren't charged so I had no hot water to shower that morning either) and took off for the airport. I had paid an extra $100 upgrade to bulkhead for the international flight so I could put up my feet and therefore be able to walk off the plane. My brother Murphy came along for the flight though an for the first time in my life that I was denied the privilege of putting up my feet. Instead, they gave me two of the pull out trays from the push carts and I stacked my book bag on top of that for a foot rest. After I got to my final destination it was almost 10 p.m. and I was exhausted because I hadn't slept on the connecting flight either. Once I arrived in New Orleans, I connected to the airport wifi (as I still didn't have US phone service), called Earle to check in, and went to the hotel I was assigned. As expected (not really), the hotel did not have my reservations so I spent an hour on hold with off hour assistance trying to get that sorted. They were very helpful and I got a reservation in the hotel for the night. Now it was time to print the music I had downloaded. I dropped my stuff off in the room and went to the business center. I was very fortunate that the night desk clerk was kind and helpful and gave me a couple reams of paper and a three whole punch, lots of paper clips, and rubber bands. It was unfortunate that the printer did not print double sided so I had a huge pile of music by the time I had finished that wasn't going to fit in any binder we had. But, I did finish by the next morning when I returned to the room, showered (finally) and drug my luggage back downstairs to wait for the shuttle to the ship. Music acquired!

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Weeks and weeks have gone by and I have started writing a sentence only to get distracted. Starting backwards, I'm writing quickly in the Miami airport waiting for my flight to Mahogany Bay, Jamaica where I'll board the Carnival Dream for a couple of weeks. I can't wait! Why?

Before this last week I spent an amazing three weeks aboard the Dream, performing, rehearsing, forming friendships, playing tourist, and living the usual no sleep life I live.

This last week I've been performing in the inaugural concert for the Arkansas Symphony. We played Mozart Symphony 35 (Haffner), Respighi Pines of Rome, Ruslan and Lyudmilla Overture, and my favorite, the Korngold violin concerto. The Sat. night concert was the best and the house was packed. It was wonderful to return and see my friends there and play in the new hall and be a part of something so big. Grateful I was able to participate!

I wasn't sure by playing in that ASO concert that I'd be able to return to the ship however. Of course I wanted to but it took a lot of work to make it happen. So thankful to say it did workout so I could return to the Dream.

The Dream is doing alternate 7 day routes including Cozumel, Jamaica, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Belize. Lots of sunshine. Lots of new friends. Lots of music. Lots of happiness :)

I apologize for the lack of pictures in the post. Wifi has been either ship wifi or 30 minute limit like I'm on now in the airport so the luxury to peruse through google photos, edit, and upload has not been available. I'll see what I can do in the near future. Hopefully I'll keep much better notes while I'm cruising to be able to share the silly stories that are almost daily events.

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After wifi and computer struggles of every shape and sort, I'm finally at a restaurant in NOLA finishing typing this entry so I can start on the next! Happy reading, happy traveling, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)

Carnival Cruise Week ~ Bermuda

What a crazy and amazing week it's been Oct. 1-8, 2016.  Note: I completely failed at taking pictures due to crazy business so pictures are fuzzy and copied from Google except for the towel animals :-p

In true cruise ship fashion, my cello/violin duo, Sound Harbor, got a contract offer for one week with only a week before embarking the ship. Long nights of overseas communication resulted in one week on the Carnival Sunshine. Flights were received the day before and on the way back Earle received his flight the day we left the ship while we were on the way to the airport thank to the help of our on board friends! Nothing like last minute....

Ship was complete with outdoor stadium theater lounge seating, three water slides, a ropes course, a mini golf course, basketball court, and more. 

Pre contract excited/exhausted selfie. I had just flown from Kiev and Earle didn't sleep the night before....not that you could tell lol!!

I flew from Kiev to Vienna to JFK and spent the night in a nice Raddisson hotel room. The next morning I joined the bus to the port an hour away and waited several hours for Earle's flight to arrive and for him to get to the port. I'm glad I did because there was no crew when he arrived other than me waiting for him and this was Earle's very first time on a ship ever!!  We went through the security and got on the ship. Last time I did this I didn't have a room until night time. This cruise it was better by a few hours lol. A lot better!!  I was given a nice guest passenger cabin for the entire week....even though I didn't actually get my room until early evening (last time it was almost midnight). Boy was that cabin nice :)  What a treat from the usual bunk bed shoe box I was expecting. Earle was also given his own passenger cabin although on a lower deck so not as nice. The stewards were fantastic and gave me towel animals and turn down service every day! My favorite towel "animal" was the very last night when they had made a heart for me <3<3<3

With Carnival Sunshine with LOVE

Puppy Cuteness <3

We sailed to Bermuda for two overnights! That was a first for me. I've never overnighted in a port more than one night. I was so excited since I had just been to Bermuda in May and remembered a little of my way around. Turned out I was so busy that the first evening was the only time I left the ship. That, and instead of docking in Hamilton, the ship docked at the furthermost point on the west/north tip of the island. Walked around the area for a couple of hours failing to find free wifi, but seeing the usual Diamond's International and tourist shops/bars. The next day Earle and I ended up practicing all day instead of going into Hamilton. The last day we were supposed to leave Bermuda at 5 pm but with the hurricane picking up velocity, we left at noon so we didn't get off the ship that day either. The ship was plenty big enough to keep us occupied however. Even after a week we didn't see all the music bands and only saw one and a half production shows and hadn't even walked to every deck area. We did walk and walk and walk though up and down the stairs with our instruments and our stands and chairs. Come to find out, Carnival Sunshine doesn't have stage hands so we (mostly Earle) had to haul all our stuff around from each location all day. Several days we played in three different places so we were always moving stuff and at the end of the night it had to be moved to our cabins so no one else would decide to use it.

This is the best picture I could find of the entirety of the Ocean Plaza. Standing from the pub in the corner looking across the Plaza to the Alchemy Bar on the far side. 

Carnival is very different from the other cruise lines I've worked for in the past. We didn't have a lounge and the first day we played in the atrium. I've played in atriums before but this one was a pillar of emptiness with a minuscule stage on the second level. No one could hear us and we couldn't hear ourselves. We did end up getting a microphone but to get the soft parts we played it was turned up so loud the feedback was extremely touchy and any other sound nearby was amplified within a 5 foot radius at least. We also played for tea time in the dining room twice. We enjoyed it the most even though there is no stage there so we just set up in a spot with a little extra space. The other venue we played in was called Ocean Plaza. It was an open venue with an enclosed pub at one corner and the "Alchemy Bar" at the other. The biggest difficulty was listening to the background music from the other bar while we were playing. It was still the best place for us as we could hear each other and people could sit and watch. We played all different times of day and for different hours. We even.....had a day off.... I say this whispering that it won't get taken away...   The second day off I've ever had in over 7 years of on and off cruising.

Fuzzy picture but the small outcropping on the right was our "stage". Our chairs stuck out into the stairway.

The people were great and the ship was very relaxed for the most part. A couple of times something surprising happened. The most outstanding for me was returning from land to the ship when security asked me to remove my nice sandal flats. The floor was disgusting so I didn't want to put my feet back in my shoes. I was and still am quite miffed about this regulation. Otherwise, I learned that my dress casual is Carnival formal wear. I learned we're not supposed to eat in the Lido for breakfast or lunch although I did anyway and no one said anything. I learned nobody pays much attention to your sets. I learned no one cares much about the email verification protocol to eat in the specialty restaurants. Speaking of specialty restaurants....there was a nice Steakhouse, a sushi bar, Asian and Italian restaurants as well as two dining rooms. Earle and I tried each and every one. Our favorite was the Asian restaurant so we went twice. Steakhouse was ok and the rest not worth the bother. We found the crew bar which was at the front of the ship so had bow access but they'd turned the bow into a mini smoking lounge so I was highly disappointed. I walked out and walked back inside as fast as I could. One nice thing is that the bar isn't segregated as on other ships. Any crew member can come drink, play pool and video games or chit chat. That was awesome! I took Earle every night but one and helped intoxicate him every night as every good band leader should :-)

Absolutely delicious pork belly with gorgonzola cheese and some sort of bean curd and sauce. Unbelievable!

Other big favorite was the short rib. Melt in your mouth tastiness :-O

Even though it was only for a week, we made some quick friends that we are sad to leave and hope to see again. We had a good chat with ship management about the possible future of classical music for Carnival. Time will tell what happens. Playing as a duo is fun but exhausting. The repertoire that is available is small and mostly either bad arrangements or difficult concert pieces. Would be great to get back to string quartets or even trios. These ideas are possible over the next couple of years as I continue to work and move forward with a guest entertainer show I hope to make my career in the future.

For now, it's back to Kyiv to see my Ukrainian momma and sister for a week. Lots and lots of practice to do together while we still have the chance! 

Europe Trip 2016 ~ Ukraine (Kiev for 1 week), Greece (Athens for 1 week), Ukraine (Chernivtsi for 4 days)

This blog was originally going to be just the one week of Kiev but the three hours I'd scheduled to write the entry proved incapable to use for that purpose. The week I spent in Greece I barely slept, let alone had time to ponder my thoughts and travels in my blog. Upon returning from Greece my previous plans were pushed forward abruptly leaving me again without time to do anything but barely catch a ride to the next location.

NOW.... I finally have three hours, to myself, with wifi, and my computer, and a power outlet, and I'm half awake (which at this point is a bonus).

I'll do what I can to condense, yet not leave out exciting parts of what has been a crazy whirlwind of September.

Kiev first :)  My new friend, Melissa, whom I met in Prague when she accompanied a friend of mine from India to come dancing with me, flew to Kiev to visit! I absolutely love it when friends fly to me and I can play tour guide in a new city. Melissa is so much fun and full of life and verve it is a treat to dance and sing our way down the streets together. I invited other Ukrainian friends of mine to join us in Kiev and two of them got to come and experience the dynamic energy of Melissa and Ronda together!! lol

Before anyone joined us thought, Melissa and I visited a sculpture garden and tore the place apart with our laughter, enthusiasm, and creativity! Picking just a couple of pictures was really really hard!

That day was magical and fun beyond compare. We partied the whole night long and didn't even know it until it was daylight when we opened the door outside! Those are the best nights :)

One evening we went to the opera, The Barber of Seville. They sang it in Ukrainian without subtitles in English so even though I know the story, it wasn't really fun. Still, it was an absolute delight to go with all my friends!

Then we got to go sightseeing in the Motherland Statue. I'd been inside before but hadn't been all the way to the top! Turns out, you have to get in a harness and climb up crazy ladders and through tiny manholes and clip and unclip like you're rock climbing up a mountain! It was awesome!!!!

Obligatory Vibram picture :) before I climb down into the tunnel.

Literally got to stick my head entirely out of the top of the statue! At the top of KIEV!

We also spent a day goofing off around a mall, playing air hockey, ping pong, getting a Dr. Fish treatment, experiencing a bus ride local style, and the world's deepest subway station. It was all in a all a very very full week! One very memorable note that put a damper on the high spirits was while we waited to get on the bus. Melissa was sitting on my lap and we were looking away from the side my purse was on. Even though it was zipped, a young gypsy kid took my wallet and got on a bus. Now this story would have probably ended poorly almost any other time as everything about me, my money and my identity were in my wallet. However, a Ukrainian lady sitting on the bench just a pillar away watched the kid take the wallet and when we didn't do anything, she asked us to check. We saw my wallet was missing and my Ukrainian friend Anton stopped the bus, the lady identified the gypsy child and my wallet was returned with just a few dollars missing that had paid for the bus. What struck me about this was that the lady was so kind to first speak up to us, and then to become involved and get on the bus to help us identify the kid. Then how the packed bus wasn't upset at us for holding them up, especially since it was obvious Melissa and I were foreigners. Everyone was very helpful, kind and patient, bus driver included. Afterward I found out the locals had encouraged Anton to take the kid out and "teach him a lesson" even though he didn't. Outside of this one experience (and even as a part of this experience), I have had nothing but the best of times with the people in Ukraine. No matter the city, the occupation, the circumstances, the language barrier, I've had overwhelming love shown to me here and I am so grateful! <3<3<3

After Melissa left, Anton and I and another friend I hadn't met yet hung out in Kiev. I introduced Anton to bowling and for the first time in my life I can remember I actually won a game of bowling!!

We also went to see the symphony play Beethoven 9 and went zip lining across the Dneiper River!!

Kiev was truly a week of feeling alive, whether through joy, fear, agony, or inspiration. It flew by and I didn't hardly realize it as I boarded the plane to Greece, that it was over.

Athens was waiting for me though. Adding another country to my list :) I've now been to Athens. Plans were to go further abroad a bit but sickness ruled the household for most of the week unfortunately. Despite coughs, colds, and a bunch of kleenex, a good time was had. The food in Athens is incredible. Most of those who spend much time with me know I eat "like a bird". But I gorged myself in Athens. I couldn't believe how much I ate and drank. Wow!! The city fit me well that way. Also, because dinner time starts around 9. If you get to a restaurant at 9p.m. there's a good chance you'll be the first there and it will up as the night continues. Now that is a schedule I can thrive on for sure!

Trying all the different kinds of Baklava!!!!!  None of them were bad lol  ;-)

Calamari cooked to perfection.

Eating authentic gyros in Greece for the first time. YUM

Unbelievable meal and this picture doesn't even have all the food that was served. I ate enough in one week in Athens to last me for a month haha!!!

I did go sightseeing one day when it wasn't raining and had enough energy. Here are a few of the pictures of the Acropolis.

Panorama of Athens with the Acropolis on the right.

Posing at an entrance.

An amphitheater (Roman I'm told), just outside the Acropolis. Looks like there was going to be an all guitar rehearsal or concert but I didn't stay .

Athens seems like a dream. It flew by so fast I remember it but it almost doesn't seem real. So many wonderful days and nights despite being sick. I'll never ever forget my first trip to Greece (Yes, I'm assuming there will be more) !!!  <3<3<3

At the end of the week in Greece I learned I needed to go to Chernivtsi Ukraine faster than planned by a day. Lucky for me I have the most amazing Ukrainian sister :) and she packed a bag for me and brought my violin to me in Kiev. After spending the day trying to book me train tickets, bus tickets, blabla car rides, and every other form of transportation other than flying for me while I spent the day flying from Greece, I ended up being shown wonderful hospitality by another Ukrainian family because nothing was available. I still remember that night/day and I'll never forget it (drinks all night/morning)! Not sure if I should hope it to be once in a life time or not haha!!  Since I couldn't get to Chernivtsi the day I needed to I lost one recording day, but when I arrived, the people were kind and flexible and we easily recorded two demos in 8 hours and had a fabulous time doing so. My quick trip to Chernivtsi was so delightful and even though I only packed for 2 days and ended up staying four so I didn't have enough clothes and the weather is getting cold so they're not warm enough, I still had such fun. I didn't go sightseeing except for a couple of hours to the University that is an UNESCO site. The people made the trip! Recording, video editing, and just enjoying laughing over bad English and Russian was a good time to have for all :)

I planned to stay in Chernivtsi even longer so I could see the town a bit, but plans have changed again :) Finally, after a year hiatus, I've been offered a job on a cruise ship. It's only a one week contract (the shortest ever in my career), but I'll take it! A new company and a new agent and a new musical partner to start a new journey! Now I travel fast back to Kiev, Malyn, Kiev, and off to NYC to catch the ship. Afterwards I will try to write another entry of my time onboard :)  My plans now are to return to Ukraine after the cruise. Yes, it's almost like I enjoy it here ;-) But who knows what will actually happen so just keep reading and enjoy the adventure along with me!