Tanya first saw me while standing behind me as I was attempting to find out how to buy a train ticket from Warsaw to Kiev. I was trying English ( no good ) a few words in Russian, even tried saying "thank you" the only Polish word I knew. The clerk did his best, he said Kiev, I said yes, then things stalled. I did not know if there was a train for sure, what it would cost, how I would find the correct platform. Then Tanya came to the rescue, she bought her ticket to Kiev and helped me to get mine. She spoke English fairly well and suggested we travel together, I watched her luggage and she went off to buy some food and drink for the 40 + hrs. journey. We were in a sleeper compartment with two men. It was all so new to me quite a train trip, we all had a good chat Tanya translated as the men did not understand English. Some time the following night the train went into a large warehouse, lots of hammering, outside dim lighting and large office type buildings painted with dark green paint. The whole train was jacked up and different axle assembly's were fitted because Russian train lines are wider apart than the European lines. Next came customs and security controls, stern faced uniformed officials checked eveyone and everything, I felt like I was in some movie just about to be discovered by the Secret Police. Coming from the West I found it a bit unsettling, were my papers in order were any items in my luggage contravening unknown to me any rules, or regulations.
However everthing was good to go. On arrival at Kiev rail station, Tanya helped me once more by telephoning a number I had for some local Chernobyl organisation in Kiev. She told me that someone would come and collect me from the booking hall,after she took me there we said our goodbyes as she was travelling on to Oddesa. On my first journey to Ukraine to meet a young woman who was so helpfull was really great. In future years I met many kind Ukrainian and Russian people.
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