Piece of Europe in Ukraine
Having jumped into a workweek immediately on arrival from Lviv I didn’t have time to make a record of the wonderful time I and my friends had there. It’s better late than never though, so here it is.
To put the story short, everything was just perfect and I got reassured in my opinion that if all Ukraine could become like Lviv we would proudly call our land Europe, not only geographically but also mentally and spiritually.
Positive impressions began just when we located our rented apartment. Half-blindly picked and booked over the Internet for less than modest price, it ended up to be roomy, tidy and situated in the old town, right in front of Potocki Palace (major tourist attraction). What a pleasure it was to come back home every evening to a place like that.
Then there was food, lots and lots of food. Local cafes and restaurants with their delicious cuisine, excellent service and cozy thematic interiors can actually lead one to obesity given that the average check is less than $10. I definitely gained a couple of kilos there.
Grounded in Seattle
As they say you never know what may happen to you in the next instance. Same with me, how on earth could I imagine myself being affected by the worst air travel disruption ever when I was peacefully packing my things to return home from the U.S.? However it’s also true that every (ash) cloud has a silver lining. So instead of getting frustrated and blaming nasty Icelandic volcano I resolved to use and enjoy this unexpected opportunity to extend my stay in Seattle. Not only did I spend more productive time working with American colleagues but also experienced Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Chinese and Mexican cuisine and of course attended the biggest local salsa party.
Before coming to Seattle I had an impression of it as a cool city with a massive artistic and alternative culture. That’s probably because I used to be a great fan of grunge music which basically originated here. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were the foundation of my music taste formation. And I should say what I’ve actually seen wasn’t at all disappointing. Walking through Capitol Hill district at night and seeing so many “creative” individuals, art shops, galleries and clubs with live music couldn’t leave any doubts about city’s “coolness”. But apart from that Seattle, as well as the areas surrounding it, is very neat, clean and green. So it’s not for nothing that Washington has its nickname “The Evergreen State”.
If You’re Going to San Francisco…
I’ve been so lazy about writing this “traveler’s records” post up until now. The laziness was probably caused by enjoyment of long-awaited vacation, or maybe just by excitement about being in the Bay Area.
The fun on my trip started back in Kyiv with the taxi ride. In the middle of Easter night I ordered a cab to pick me up from home and take to the airport. When I was getting inside a car I heard a song playing which was very unusual for taxi drivers in Kyiv. It sang: “If you’re going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…” I looked at the driver with amazement and told him about this incredible coincidence. You still don’t believe that universe knows everything? I do, for sure.
The long two-leg flight passed easy. Stopover in Amsterdam gave a chance to catch a glimpse of Netherlands and get evidence that I do want to visit Holland in future. I arrived in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon and was met by rain. Half an hour subway ride from the airport to downtown, walking a couple of blocks and I am in the modest hostel called Adelaide. The place is a bit old and worn-out but fresh free breakfasts and free Wi-Fi made my stay there pleasant.
My Personal Mission Statement
Since my first reading of “The 7 Habits” I’ve been possessed by the idea of creating my own personal mission statement. You know, that self-defined concise written expression of the purpose of one’s existence. And as it is obviously not the most trivial thing to do, I decided to approach it slowly and carefully.
First, I did a lot of reading on spiritual and personal development topics. In particular, following the chain of references by my favorite authors I discovered the works of Mahatma Gandhi and Dalai Lama which impressed me very deep and actually changed the way I see things in the world.
Then, little by little I started acquiring yet non-verbal feeling of what I definitely must reflect in my mission statement. The next step of choosing the right words was probably the most challenging one. To break it down I set up a couple of simple lists and over the course of several weeks had been accumulating items there. Among others, for example, I had the following lists:
- Qualities I want to possess throughout my life (e.g. calmness, integrity, kindness, etc.)
- Areas of life I want to focus on (e.g. family, friends, communities, work, etc.)
- What I want to do to myself (e.g. grow as a person, grow professionally, learn new skills, etc.)
- What I want to do to others (e.g. inspire, serve, make happy, etc.)
Self-Development Report 2009 and Goals 2010
The year 2009 is coming to an end. It’s hard to believe that it has been one whole decade since the millennium. The time does pass quickly and it’s true that the older we get the faster its pace seems to become. Caught in the minutiae of everyday life, we seldom get a chance to reflect on the big picture. That’s why New Year, being a tangible check point, gives us wonderful opportunity to think over what we’ve done during last year and set up our goals and resolutions for the next.
Described in one word, 2009 was the year of awareness for me. My sensation of life seems to have shaped itself to some definite and stable form. I was trying to spend every minute consciously, by doing good things that will have impact in a long run. During the year I gradually came the point where I feel ready to define my values and start developing my own personal mission statement (using Stephen Covey’s words). And even though I’m still thinking about exact wording, I know for sure that I want my life to be based on self-discipline, integrity, open-mindedness, non-complaining, and abundance mentality.
At this post I would like to report to my own self about the last year’s accomplishments along two different lines. First, I want to appraise how good I adhered to my plans and goals and then tell about the fascinating new things I experienced, learned and started during this year. Also I want to share some interesting personal statistics and of course, I’m going to set up some challenging and exciting goals for the year to come.
