8 years of competitive swimming in Ukraine. I had a great swimming instructor who was like a second father to me. Every morning I would painfully wake up and go to the swimming pool before school when all the other kids were still sleeping… But in the end it was worth it. I feel 100 % comfortable in the water and was happy to pass the experience along to my students when I was working as a swimming instructor myself. Swimming is one of those things that everyone should put some effort into mastering it… Especially with all this Global Worming stuff happening… :)

5 years of ballroom dancing in Ukraine. Had fantastic teachers who were able to pass along the knowledge, teach all the right techniques and at the same time keep all of us interested and wanting to learn more. Took part in numerous competitions... Didn't have to wake up in the morning for this one, but all my evenings were busy with dancing classes. I also had an opportunity to pass my knowledge to my students when I was teaching ballroom dancing in Edmonton. I don’t dance nearly as much as I used to, but nevertheless still enjoy occasional night out at a good Latin club.

I simply love camping... gets you away from the everyday warries and puts you in completely different setting where the biggest warry is to sunten on your back or the stomach...

more description is coming soon...

There is something about driving that makes me relax and forget about worries of this life. I like driving anything and anywhere, but most of all I enjoy a highway trip on a bigger truck (the bigger the better).
I did quite a bit of tractor-trailer and tow-truck operating and enjoyed it to the fullest. There is something about the sound of the diesel engine and the whistling sound of a turbo, and the best part is when you look in your mirror and can hardly see the end of the trailer you are pulling.
Trucking is one of those jobs that most of your accomplishments go unnoticed. I think that is one of the reasons why the truck drivers always bug the living hell out of their friends and family with their truck and recovery stories. But from my own experience I know the urge to tell somebody about the time I almost flipped, or the time I had to pull the SUV out of the building, or that time when I picked up that creasy hitch-hiker, or the other time when I parked the Freightliner in Tim Horton’s parking lot and what was the reaction of all the customers. The list goes on, and it does not get any smaller as you keep driving. So sooner or later driver / operator has more stories to tell then he has time to tell them. But the positive side of this is that each of these situations in the end improves your mood and gives you this inner satisfaction which I wasn’t able to get from anything else.
Don’t take me wrong, there are bad things about trucking as well, but I will leave it up to someone else to describe. I still drive a truck once in a while during my spare time, and planning on doing so as long as I can.

Traveling is one other thing that I enjoy very much. I was fortunate to be borne in the family that has a passion for adventure and never afraid of going somewhere new and make it a great experience. I learned a lot from them about ways to enjoy my stay anywhere, how to pick out the things I enjoy and avoid stuff I don’t like. I cannot understand people who don’t enjoy traveling, but I guess everyone is in title to their way of life. I need to go somewhere far at least once a year, and by far I mostly mean another country, another continent and my favorite – the other side of the planet :). I can’t wait till the prices on the trips to space drop a bit so I can take a picture with Earth!!! I love traveling and that is all.