The Ghana Train

Monday October 26,2009
My last day in Kiev was spend going out of town to the Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture. What a title. As has been done in many countries, model examples of homes from different regions of the country have been collected on this spacious area so people can come and see what the different homestead looked like in the past, albeit some are still currently in use as well. In addition to houses, they have collected a lot of windmills and also churches from the small various villages.
It was quite a nice day and there were many locals visiting as well and picnicking there, flying kites, riding horses and enjoying the fine weather. We walked down the hill to the first village and the Good Friday church. In general, the houses are small and whitewashed with thatch roofs. Often there would be a pigpen/chicken coop combination animal hut in the yard or a small roof covering the entrance to a root cellar. Many of the houses are now serving as shops selling the local handicrafts like embroidered scarves, some painted plates and spoons, some ceramics and some of the blouses and skirts the women wore.

bee hives and resurrection church
We visited four of the villages and then had to wind our way back out of the park. Their collection of windmills is quite nice but some look to be about ready to fall apart. That's probably the shape they were in when collected. As we are walking out of the park, an ultra light buzzed us and buzzed the field. I think he did a touch and go because he was back in the air shortly and buzzing away from the park.
The plan was to take me to the train after the park. I am riding from 5:30 until 11:30 to reach Kharkov, the next stop on my journey. As I have very uneasy feelings about former Soviet trains, I had insisted that my driver not leave until I was on my train and in my seat. We got to the train station about 4:30 and I went over to McDonald’s to get my dinner. Poo, McDonald’s isn’t even built yet but there was McFoxy. McFoxy sells chicken sandwiches and French fries. I was able to pantomime and point to get one of each and then back to the train station to find my train.

root cellar
My driver led the way down the stairs and past several cars to find mine. I was the first one in my compartment. A Ukrainian couple came in a few minutes later. Finally just as the train was about to leave, a joyous, boisterous, and loud crowd of young people from Ghana came into my compartment. There were 4 and I get 3 in my part.
Train pulls out of the station and the first thing they do is pull out a computer and turn on the music. Next they turn on both TV’s but at least they put them on the same station. So a kind of reggae music and an Ukrainian movie are now competing with each other for noise plus all three are having a grand old time recalling the weeks’ events. Finally the train has been moving for maybe ½ hour or so, we’ve surrendered our tickets to the conductor, the snack man and tea man have been by at least once and the Ghana crowd has had some dinner and gotten mellow. The computer is losing power so it gets put away and all three pull out their IPods and plug in to listen.

windmill silhouette
By now, I’m listening to my IPod as well. The movie is still playing but it is replaced by an Ukrainian band covering old classic rock. The trio from Ghana are friendly but so into their music. So now I have Ukrainian want to be rockers and three young Ghanans who are each singing out loud to their IPods and not a one have the same playlist. Occasionally they switch IPods and the singing starts anew with 4 songs still going on at once. What a cacophony but it was fun to see them enjoy themselves so much. They are actually in the Ukraine studying but I never did find out studying what as they all starting singing again. How nice to be serenaded down the line from Kiev to Kharkov.