Prague - September 2005

After spending a week in Ukraine, I moved on to the Czech Republic. And I loved Prague. You know, I always heard people say that they love Prague, but no one ever told me why. Well, here's my reason for loving Prague: The city is gorgeous, and here's not that much to do. There are quirky little museums, a castle, a couple typical European cathedrals, but nothing that you can't get through in a day. The rest of the time, you are free to sit back at an outdoor cafe and people-watch in the beautiful setting of Old Towne Square. Prague is probably the most romantic city I've been to - though Paris would be a pretty close second. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of an "anniversary trip."

Ukraine - September 2005

In early September, I had a business trip that took me (and my friend and co-worker, Cori) to Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

As you may know, Ukraine was once a republic of the Soviet Union. Since gaining its independence from communinist rule, the country has experienced severe social problems that have impacted a whole new generation of young people who are growing up in orphanages, in broken homes, among alcoholism and drug abuse. Many of these children are now growing up as alcoholics/addicts themselves - many living on the street and turning to crime and prostitution as a means of survival. As a result, Ukraine is quickly emerging as having one of the fastest growing rate of HIV infection in the world.

While in Ukraine, we met with more than 30 organizations that are working to improve conditions for children in that country. One organization that we visited cares for orphans in a hospital outside of Kiev. Cori (left) and I had a great time playing with the babies, but it was a little heart-breaking, too.

Many of us watched as Ukraine experienced an amazingly peaceful change of power last fall, the Orange Revolution. More than 1 million Ukrainians camped out in the Kiev's main square in protest to rigged elections. And it worked! Ghandi would be so proud. The hotel that Cori and I stayed in (though pretty spartan!) was located right on the square, as shown in this picture. (It was the end of the week, so we weren't taking very pretty pictures at that point.)