Victory Day

This was by far the best Victory Day I have ever been a part of. Nearly the whole city of Chernihiv was out for the parade and in support of those who gave their lives fighting. The whole day was bursting with emotion and it showed. There is a genetic sadness that comes from generations of hardship and struggle. I saw numerous people in tears but there was also a remarkable amount of pride in having overcome difficulties while maintaining their Ukrainian traditions. On Victory Day it's tradition to give flowers to veterans and I am so happy I took part in this tradition. The look on his face was unforgettable and it will stay with me forever. I am so thankful to be living in Ukraine and that my training coincides with the Spring festivities. 

One aspect of victory day that is a departure from the typical stoic Ukrainian behavior is that everyone pretty much has free reign to approach veterans and ask to hear their stories. At one point in the day I decided to wander off on my own and I ended up in the park that surrounds the monastery and Anthony caves. I was walking around enjoying the beautiful scenery when I noticed an older gentlemen selling icons outside. He was wearing a USS Midway hat so I decided to approach him. At first I thought he might have been American but that idea went out the window as soon as we started talking. He was a soldier with the Soviet Union and said his fleet had joined up with American sailors and they had traveled together quite a bit. We did our best to communicate in my broken Russian and his less than stellar English. I have been made a believer that if people are willing to put in some effort than even with basic language skills, quite a bit can be shared. Days like these make all the BS of training melt into the background and reaffirm why I made the decision to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I took a ton of photos but I'm only posting my favorites

The flowers I gave out during the parade. We originally only wanted 3 but the Baba selling them was one heck of a salesman. Just FYI, these cost 1 UAH per flower which comes out to about 12 cents a piece.

The parade begins downtown and everyone joins in. The parade ends at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier (below), about a mile down the road, and festivities continue there.

These guys marching in formation with their platoon was pretty intimidating. 

Awesome veteran I met in front of the monastery

My buddy made fun of me because I take pictures of every church we walk by but they are everywhere and I think they're beautiful.

Ukrainians really know how to picnic. Hanging out by the river with good food and great friends is the only way to spend an afternoon. I have about 100 mosquito bites to show for it but I would go back in a heartbeat.

Our awesome Ukrainian friends

This special forces guy was scary good at throwing his shovel tomahawk style. 

My photo editing software is being finicky at the moment so I wasn't able to crop this one. I liked it so much that I thought I would still share it and I will fix it when I can. If you can't tell, those are fireworks behind one of the cathedrals in town.