• Arrival.
  Maybe you will arrive at a gate, or perhaps you will have a parking spot on the tarmac and be brought in by bus. Gate: follow the crowds walking in and then down some steps to the passport area. Bus: follow the crowd in the door to the passport area.

• Buy your Medical Insurance at the window to the right.
  It is directly opposite of the passport booths. Last time my groupies waited at passport and they sent us back to the medical insurance. I thought we could sneak in without buying it. No luck. I believe it will cost between $10 and $20 for a two to three week stay. This is just Ukraine saying that if you needed to be treated in one of their facilities that you have their medical insurance to pay for it.

• Go to the passport booths.
  You can't miss them. The ones on the far left are for Ukrainian citizens. The ones to the right of those are for Americans. Show your passport. The officer will punch stuff into a computer and hand you a little piece of paper that looks like it has a lot of advertisements on it. It is not junk, it has important information printed in one area on it for your departure from Ukraine. Save this piece of paper!!!!

• Go into the luggage area.
  Have spouse wait a turn style. Other spouse go out the door to the right. First you will see a luggage x-ray machine to your right, beyond that is a small window with cyrillic saying Balyoot. That means Exchange. Change about $20.00. Take the gryvna back through the doors to the luggage area and to the right is the guy Victoria so lovingly describes in her story on her web page. Anyhow, hold your fingers up as to how many carts you want. I think they are like 5 gryvna per, but I can't remember. Pay him. He will pull out carts for you. I can do two very large suitcases and all my carry on stuff on one. My husband can do 4 large suitcases, because he is mighty man.

• While all this is going on, someone should go to a little counter next to where the luggage cart guy is.
  There you will find declaration forms. There should be some in English, so look carefully. Sometimes they run out. But you must fill this out, because you all cannot go through the green line. That is for people with less than $2,000.00. Declare your US money. Don't worry about the gryvna you just changed. Declare all gold, jewlery of value and camera equipment. Sign the form.

• Get on the line of people going through the Red line.
  Pass your bags through the metal detector.

• Get bags back on cart proceed to customs desk which you can't miss.
  Be patient. Be very respectful and answer all questions. The inspector will eventually write on your form and make markings so that you can't add anything to it that might be of value that you buy in Ukraine. Keep this form with that other little piece of paper and do not alter or lose them.

• Go out the doors to the waiting area.
  

• Do not speak with anyone other than your translation people.
  They will know what you look like from your passport photos from when they did translations. They will call out your name or have a sign. Do not go with anyone or give them any info on who you are. Say that you have a ride "spaceeba (thankyou)." Or just keep saying "Nyet, spaceeba" (no thankyou) until you find your translator.

• If for some unforseen reason he is not there...
  wait in the chairs and keep saying "nyet spaceeba" to anyone trying to offer you a ride or anything else. Your translator will find you.

After all this he will take you to where you are staying and orient you to what will be going on and a little bit about Kiev. Don't be afraid to ask questions and/or directions to get food, etc. With the money you have changed you will be able to buy some snacks and drinks for your room for your first night. Ask your translator where he suggests you change money.

Best wishes to everyone traveling soon.

Ann