The sequence of events described in the previous post did not happen!  Yes, this is how an adventure begins!  The first leg of my trip was cancelled making me miss my connection in Washington, D.C.  I ended up flying to Chicago, then to Munich, and on to Kiev.  Though I traveled without benefit of the the company of other teachers, I did have Cynthia the bobcat.  Here are a few photos of Cynthia the bobcat occupying her time in the various airports.

                   Cynthia insisted on coffee during our 5 hour wait for a new flight out of Cincinnati!

She also read the NY Times cover to cover.  Note Cynthia's 'wings'!  The United/Lufthansa agent felt sorry for her because her initial flight was canceled!

In Munich, Cynthia tried a fancy coffee.

I arrived in Kiev at 4:30 in the afternoon where I was met by Iryna and driven to the Hotel Rus.  I had 15 minutes to get myself ready (after being awake and in the same clothes for almost 24 hours)!  We ate a traditional Easter meal full of pickled vegetables, meats, pancakes, homemade sausages, potatoes with mushrooms and onions, and borsht!  We started the meal with cake (yes, a tradition on Easter!) and boiled eggs with beets and horseradish!  We smashed our eggs into each other's eggs and tradition says if your egg remained unbroken, you will have a year of good luck!

We ended the meal with a sweet and a cognac toast!

A wonderful first day on this adventure!