Two down, one to go
Today is Friday. Friday May 9th. May 9th is a national holiday in Ukraine, celebrating the end of WWII. As of yesterday, I was to have the day off. Then I had an Office Space moment, and lo an behold…
Here I am. At work. On what is probably one of the biggest holidays of the year here. Why? Because I work in support. People have to have their problems solved 24/7. Problems don’t take time off, you know.
Yes, there is a big difference between “I am going to Lviv on vacation” and “I am going to Lviv to work.” Is this the kind of place I might come back to on vacation? Possibly. Not likely, though. I think I’d rather go to southern Utah or visit friends in Kentucky, California, New Mexico, or Massachusettes (did I miss anyone?). Lviv is interesting, but there are only so many old buildings I can look at before I feel like I’ve seen them all. And I think last night, while walking around the “Center” (of town, yes, very original), I hit that point.
Unfortunately, I have a weekend ahead of me, where I am expected by my hosts to be overjoyed at the prospect of spending my days tromping around town. They say the weather might be bad, though… I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about the possibility of a downpour!
Does that make me a party pooper? I hope not. For me, it’s really a matter of timing. A week before I got on my first plane to Novosibirsk, I was driving a rental truck 2/3 (3/4?) of the way across the US. A week after I get off my last plane, I will be recovering from surgery. Squishing this business trip in between two major life events may not have been the best of ideas.
But then again, it might have been brilliant. Since arriving in Lviv, I have had little to do. Work here does not even come close to rivaling the usual this must get done right this second or someone will have a coronary pace of US business. I am tired by the end f the day, but that’s mainly because my job is to sit around and answer a barrage of questions about the product I normally support. Soon, though, that will no longer be my line of work.
But I digress…
What I also do a lot of here is walk around. At least, it’s a lot of walking for me. On average, we’re talking 2-3 miles a day. And this weekend, it’s likely to be a lot more than that. And most people here walk fast (it’s the main mode of transportation), so by the time we get anywhere, I have worked up a nice sheen.
Not sweat. That would be unattractive.
I have a sheen. Kind of like a glow, but less motherly.
Another digression, I know. The point is that I have little to do outside of my eight hour shift (including lunch, mind you), except rest. And go for the occasional walk. I can’t really eat a lot, because food at the hotel I am staying in is damn expensive. Sure, the cafe down the street is dirt cheap. But I will have no idea what I am ordering (except borsch, which I thankfully enjoy).
So what can I say about my wide ranging trip? Not much, so far. Except business trips are less fun than I’d hoped, but not as much of a drag as they certainly could be.
I’ve got one last week to chill out here, and then it’s back to the firing line. Back to ohmygod this guy is freaking out because his ____ doesn’t _____. Used to be, that kind of thing would really get my blood going. Now, I find myself thinking, “Is this guy serious? He’s freaking out over this? What would he do if his house were on fire?”
Yeah. Time for a change of pace.

