Cabin Fever

Much can be said about “cabin fever.” We lived it for six years in Fairbanks, Alaska, and in much, much larger living quarters. Being cramped in a small living space does tend to drive one just a little stir crazy at times.

We, of course are at the mercy of our hosts as far as appointments are concerned. Alyona is rather industrious in handling much of our paperwork without us, but there has been that one time when she needed us to sign documents. But I digress from this story line…

Time to escape… Not exactly sure where we want to go, but just go… somewhere… anywhere but the room; after all, even caged birds need to spread their wings once in a while. Unfortunately our primary mode of transportation is bipedal (our own two feet); perhaps it is fortunate, because we can see and appreciate more.

Ed told us of a park near by that is great just to get out, walk, meditate, and enjoy the scenery. Granted Ukraine in December is probably not much to look at since most of the foliage is gone. For a city (Odessa) that is about the same latitude of Bismark, North Dakota or Duluth, Minnesota, it is unseasonably warm for late November/early December with temperatures in the mid 50’s

It is a beautiful park, well kept, and busy for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Parents walking with infants in strollers, elderly couples holding hands, young people singing/dancing for loose change in the pockets of passers-by, and the list goes on. We walk for exercise, for fresh air, and for scenery… Have we found what we are looking for? A longing for a much simpler life away from the constant drone of work or instant gratification from TV, video games, and fast food ( a cruel irony since they have McDonald‘s here)? Maybe we have found it, but this is temporary…

Sunday afternoon also finds the sidewalks full of street vendors, exactly like those in the states, with various crafts, souvenirs, etc. Language barrier? Yes & no… The people at some of the tables could speak English quite well and were able to effectively explain their crafts. Very nice, and not real expensive, so we did manage to pick up a couple things.

Cabin fever can hit us in so many different ways. The obvious manner in which we are cooped up in our apartment, and can actually expand to the point where one is in a city of over 1,000,000 people and “there’s nothing to do”. The best way we found to avoid, or at least reduce the effects of it, is to actually find something to do, whether it be read a book, do a crossword, or take a walk around the block. It may not change your surroundings, but you may just find something new in them.