Quarantine and more

About the quarantine: Ukraine pretty much shut down at the first few cases of corona virus. Schools are closed. There are no planes or trains going. Other public transport is very limited (and this stops movement much more than it would in America). All stores except for grocery and pharmacy are closed, as are cafes, restaurants, anywhere that people would gather in groups of more than 10. However, people aren't panicking. I realised that a lot of this is very familiar. We've been through it before in all the turmoil of various events. I was talking to one of our neighbour babushki, and she said, "we're used to it," which confirmed what I had been feeling.

I went to church one time between the end of my own self-quarantine and the beginning of corona-quarantine. This week was at home again. Today was different, though. Instead of just watching online by myself, my whole family was with me. Everyone else was watching from their homes, too. It was a 5-hour praise and worship marathon, not a regular live streamed service.

The past few Saturdays Will and I have sent out kids off to their activities and then gone out for coffee. Yesterday there weren't any activities, and we knew Will's favourite coffee shop was closed and others probably were, too. However, we decided to go by a coffee chain that I like. They are working in a no-contact fashion. Their entry is blocked on the inside by a table, but you can open the door, call out your order and set down your money. When it's ready, the girl inside--wearing a mask and gloves--sets your coffee on the table, steps back, and you open the door again to pick up your order. So we got coffee and walked around some more. Spring isn't cancelled.

Also, at least for Asya and Bogdan, they're content to be quarantined, since their friends live in the same house with us, and we have a great little yard to play in. For the older two, I'm requiring outside time every day, we're going on more walks to replace the exercise they usually get, and they're finding some new ways to connect to their friends with technology. Yesterday their church ministry group "met" on Viber. We also got lots of regular school done in the past week, since there wasn't anything else to do.

And not about the quarantine: our art school entered pictures in an international contest. You can see our kids' pictures if you put Хансакер in the search box on the gallery page (or click here). Bogdan and Raia were chosen to go into the next round! So, we've been working on arrangements for that. We had to mail their work, fill out forms, photograph documents, and now we'll be going to Lviv at the end of July or during fall break. It sounds like it will be really fun: an exhibit of the kids' work, excursions, master classes....

The photo shows Raia in the tree photographing the sunset, while a Monopoly game goes on below.