THE CALL OF ABRAM

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)

I have left my country and my people in Estonia. In four days of travel, after 1600 kilometers I have come to the land of my Father - Ukraine. The house he is building in the village of Mehedovka is in a day's journey away. I have come to Cherkassy to leave Cherkassy, to go to Mehedovka, to leave Mehedovka and my Father's household.

07.07.07.

It was a sad day.

My Brother was the first one to go. We bowed and parted wishing one another a good journey. I wanted to cry. Thank you, Brother, I forgot to say! One day, do please join me!

My Mother was the second one I said good-bye to. Please forgive me Mother - I have not been a good daughter to you! I cried too, when you did not see.

Then I bowed to my house.

My Father was the one who guided me and Sue to the hitchhiking spot. Though we were to see each other in Ukraine, the sadness was overwhelming.

Then we started hitchhiking and in the third car I said good bye to Estonia and Estonian language. With five decent rides we arrived to Kaunas. Lithuania was flooded. We put up our tent in, what seemed to us, a dry room underneath some fur trees.

JULY 8, 2007

The Road was testing us!

Would you give up, the Road asked,

if the floor of your tent was soaking?
if you found your backpack in a puddle and all the things wet?
if the thermos with tea was leaking into your bag?
if it were raining hard and you would have to walk for hours?
and your bag was heavy, and your feet were wet - would you still walk?
if you discovered you forgot your health insurance papers at home?
if you would be standing in the rain for hours feeling cold and no cars would stop?
if everyone would be looking strangely at you as if you were doing something wrong - would you be strong enough to continue without any regret that you ever started this? Would you?

Despite this we continued to smile and from time-to time say: Hey, it could be much worse!, It is summer rain, and not a snow storm!, The puddles in my shoes are warm puddles!, Walking in the Sun could be more unpleasant!, We have a place to go to in Minsk and we can dry our things!, We are moving South!, etc.

And then we were rewarded! The ride we hitched promised to take us just 20 km from the Belorussian border, but hearing of our world trip the couple decided otherwise. Despite letting us soak under the endless rain they brought us to Minsk - the capital of Belarus, which for them meant 260 extra km (with the return journey). To top that they gave us fresh fruit and some money for the subway tickets.

We met Aleks - a 21 y-o Sue's friend who intended to study in Estonia. Aleks brought us to his grandmother's place where we were to have a room, food and talks.
Eugenia Maksimovna was born in 1925. At the age of 16 she had spent three years in German concentration camps, had been saved by the English soldiers then brought back by the Russians. When you have Peace, you do not need much more, said Eugenia Maksimovna, Young people do not understand it! They want so many things of matter and are always unsatisfied with life!

JULY 9, 2007

Minsk had a very pro-communism view especially in its heraldic symbols displayed everywhere. The new national emblem and flag had just the hammer and sickle missing. Even the red star was there on the coat of arms!
Unlike in Estonia the town had kept the statue of Lenin standing proud in the city centre, also all old street names had remained.
I am not very much a politically thinking-acting person, but having Sue by my side who in Estonia was very much involved in the Free Belarus movement, I could not leave it unnoticed.
Aleks was a friendly and extremely attentive guide. We went for a boat-ride on the Svislach and for a picnic in the park. In the evening Aleks treated us to a Japanese animation film by Hayao Miyazaki "Spirited Away". According to some urban legend, Hayao Miyazaki came to Tallinn to draw our rooftops for this film.

July 10, 2007

If my Grandmother's birthday had something to do with it, I do not know...but that day was a present to us! We travelled altogether 810 km from Minsk to Cherkassy and ended up at my uncle's place. Above that each of the four cars treated us to lunch, coffee, ice-cream or crossing a border. I had not even noticed before our last ride that Father had added uncle's contacts in Cherkassy to the address of his house in the village. Completely unexpected turn of events!


22 years have passed since I was last in Ukraine. The Chernobil disaster cut me off my Ukrainian roots. Now I am back to recognise this land anew.