Odessa Pre-Trip Post, By Jodi

There is nothing more exciting to me than getting a stamp in my passport! In twelve days I get to do just that! UD Hillel is going on Alternative Spring Break to Odessa, Ukraine. Woo hoo!! I love to travel. I love to see new places and meet new people. And that is exactly what we will be doing.

Everyone wants to know what you are doing for spring break. When I tell them I am going to Ukraine I always get the same answer….Why? When I tell them that I am going to Odessa to work in a community and meet fellow Jews they become jealous and really excited for me. It’s not everyday that a group of American students gets to go to Eastern Europe to work and interact with a Jewish community.

No one on our trip has ever been to Ukraine before. Obviously when you are about to travel someplace new you think about what you are expecting to see, smell, taste, etc. It will be very interesting to see how our pre-trip expectations differ from what we actually see and experience.

When I think of Eastern Europe the images in my mind are always gray. I think of rundown and deserted streets in poor villages. Maybe I have seen too many Holocaust movies. I also picture a country and a people trying to rebuild and revive itself after the fall of communism. I am looking forward to meeting the members of the Hillel in Odessa and learning about their Ukrainian brand of Judaism. I think different cultures and religions are very interesting and I look forward to learning about Ukrainian history, culture, and Judaism. –Jodi Suckle