Preperation
VISA
I used travel agency to deal with the Ukrainian embassy on the visa issue. Basically, I filled an easy form and handed a letter from the Drs in Kiev sent by an e-mail. After 3 weeks, I was able to obtain the visa with no problem.
Bank & Money
I decided to prepare USD 25,000 in total to bring in Kiev. 21,000 for the operation and 4,000 for extra. For the benefit of easiness, safety, and cost, I decided to transfer the money to their account after I had full explanation of the surgery and physical examination in Kiev. The actual money that I brought with me was 500 USD in Travelor check and 400 USD in cash.
What I brought specifically for this trip
Pain killer (Ibuprofen ;recommendation of previous patient), Tone phone(recommendation of a previous patient; I will leave this when I leave this country), Sleeping pills (I have never used them in the past), oral antihistamine and steroid ointment to deal with anykind of allergy
What I should have brought
Russian or Ukrainian dictionary and other studying materials (I should have guessed it is difficult to get these. Books sold are mostly for Ukrainian to learn English which is not very useful)
Short pants. At least 2.
Small towels at least 3.
Plans
2001
10/13 Start communicating with doctors
12/5 Obtain Ukranian VISA
2002
2/15 Arrive in Kiev
2/18 Examination
2/21 Operation
April-May go home
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![](/images/crutches.jpg)
Crutches
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