Post Ukraine Blog :)

Well, I'm back in Bolton! :D
On reflection of the past ten days... i have no idea where to start! I originally wanted to post everything we'd done... but then i saw that everyone else had done that... so I've decided to just comment on my personal experience :)
 And still, i have no idea to start! It has been absolutely amazing! I have met some of the most passionate people in the world, it really was inspiring to see how everyone feels about the YMCA and the evidence of what everyone had done to help young people and there community was astounding.
 As i stated in my last blog, it does make you feel slightly humbled, to see people be that passionate about something that nobody else believes in really is incredible! Especially when, in England, we receive so much support from the council, communities and each other.
 I've also returned home with some brilliant ideas! For example, the youth club we visited in Donetsk left me making a mental list of all the things i wanted to steal for Bolton's youth club! (But the whole point in the week was to share ideas.... right? :))
 The cultural differences really made me think as well, the list of similarities between our culture and that of Ukraine's was incredibly small. As this was the first time i have been abroad in years it was quite a shock to the system at first! I did adapt after a few days, but it was still quite a shock! Also, i learnt that no matter how much you smile, put your thumbs up and say 'thankyou', people who speak Russian still wont understand, and that it's better to learn 'thankyou' in Russian (which i eventually did :))
 One of the things that really fascinated me was how many residents in most of the towns we visited were miners (in any place we visited, it was well in to the thousands). I thought it was brilliant due to how much of a community mining had established. After visiting the football stadium in Donetsk and learning how the colour scheme symbolised the miners (the black was the miners mining, in the dark all day, covered in coal dust, and the orange symbolised the sun and light at the end of the day when they visited the mine). I really thought the whole thing was brilliant! We were also all each given a piece of coal from one the mines we visited (which i loved). When i got home it was pointed out to me that you can buy bags of the stuff, but then i explained that with me visiting the mine and understanding the cultural history it wasn't exactly just a piece of coal!
 On that note, i have to go meet my dad for a coffee, as all of my friends and family are acting more like I've been gone for six months than ten days! It is great to be feeling the love off everyone though :)
 Also, to anyone that's reading this who has never been to Ukraine, I'd strongly recommend it! It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking and you'll get an experience there like no other!
 Finally, if anyone who attended the trip reads this, i just want to say thank you for making my experience so wonderful, you were all brilliantly welcoming and did make us all feel like a little YMCA family :)
 Thank you YMCA, i owe you a million!!!!
 Beth x