What do you get when you take 26 people from all walks of life that are willing to do anything, even travel for 45 hours through treacherous conditions all in the name of freedom and democracy? You get the beginning of my adventure to be an observer for the elections in Ukraine on Dec. 26, 2004.

My name is Lida Preyma, and I ran as a Conservative candidate in the last federal election. My family on both sides is Ukrainian. My father's family came to Canada with the first wave of immigrants and my mother's family escaped the Second World War.

Ukraine is a country that has been occupied by different countries throughout history and that is partly why this democratic movement is so important. The people of Ukraine have spoken and they feel they have been robbed of their right to choose their leader and have decided to stand up for what they believe in. Real democracy can only exist when the real will of the people prevails through free and fair elections. More importantly, democracy is about having a choice.

On Monday Dec. 20, 2004, 26 people from all different backgrounds, some knowing each other, most who didn't, got on a plane bound for Warsaw where they would transfer to a flight to Kyiv. After a short delay on the ground and then another sitting on the plane, we're off.

I'm excited about the part I am going to play in history – in the peaceful spreading of world peace, stability and democracy. It is Christmas after all.

I've put in a request to be sent to Odessa during the election, but I won't know which region I'll be sent to until I get there. Odessa was split rather evenly in the previous election. It's a port city where people are used to strangers among them but the crime rate is also quite high. The signs are all in Ukrainian but people mostly speak Russian so the language may be a bit of a challenge because although Ukrainian and Russian are similar, they are sufficiently different to make it hard to communicate.

On the plane, I am seated next to two gentlemen, Peter and Waldemar. They are both Polish who have moved to Canada and are going back to Poland for the Christmas holidays. We spoke about the importance of these elections and how proud they both were that Poland and Ukraine, after a tumultuous history, have finally come together to stand in solidarity.

They are optimistic about the upcoming elections that are so important to the entire region because they see the help that has come from around the world. Their own country is sending 1000 observers.

As we land in Warsaw we all note how foggy it is, but little do we know that eventually this fog becomes our nemesis. It becomes so heavy that after sitting in the airport for six hours, all already exhausted from the overnight flight and six hour time difference, we are told that our flight, along with the one following, are cancelled. We were offered a hotel for the night and to be potentially squeezed on a flight the next day, if the fog lifts. But the next flight is already oversold and we're told that no one will be flying until the fog lifts, which could be Friday.

Our only option is a train from Warsaw to Kyiv that will take 18 hours if we wanted to ensure we arrived the next day. We retrieved our bags and headed to the train station where we had to purchase all the supplies necessary for the trip as there was no restaurant car and nothing could be purchased onboard.

The next 18 hours, notwithstanding the last 24, proved to be a bonding experience like no other. Most of us were up through the night, since our internal clocks hadn't switched over. So we passed the time by getting to know each other, singing – a Ukrainian tradition while doing anything, and having some really interesting conversations about what we could potentially expect over the coming days.

Think the Cold War is over? Well, not when it comes to infrastructure. When we reached the Ukrainian border at about 5:30 in the morning, not only did we have to go through Polish and Ukrainian Customs, we also had to wait for the train to change its wheels.

Back in Stalin's day, he made sure that the train tracks in the USSR were sized differently from the rest of Europe to ensure that no troops or supplies could enter the region by train. The hour long process itself is quite interesting, as each car not only has to be raised, but laterally moved to another track where the proper wheels are waiting.

With the turbulence of the ride increasing after we crossed the border, the Warsaw pact, as we have named our group, slowly settles into what will most likely be a rather short sleep.

Thursday, Dec., 23 -- Getting to Odessa

After being up for most of the night trying to acquaint ourselves with the Constitution and the rights of the Observers (things we'd missed in the training session while we were on the train), we hopped on a bus bound for Odessa.

We arrived after an eight-hour trip – is that all? – and headed straight to another training session. I'm glad we had the extra session because I feel that I haven't effectively learned how to cheat yet! But as an observer, you must know how to cheat in order to know what you're looking for.

Our trainers have been observers for the previous two elections when the corruption was quite obvious. They've seen first hand what people not only attempt to do but actually get away with.

People can register for home voting here if they are sick or can't make it to the polling station because of a disability. Someone will come to their home with a ballot box so they can cast their vote. This is also done in hospitals and in jails where one candidate had 100 per cent of the votes.

Dots have been put into the middle of the voting circle and if the X marks the candidate where the dot was then the ballot is valid. If the vote was for the other candidate then the ballot is considered spoiled. Make no mistake, the corruption and cheating that has taken place in the past has been calculated and meticulous.

Friday, Dec. 24 -- The Rally

We all managed to get some sleep for the first time last night but were still up quite early to continue our training sessions. In the afternoon we take a break for a couple of hours in order to see some of the city before the evening session. Unfortunately, we chose a fabulous restaurant for lunch, which in true Ukrainian style takes its time.

Seeing the sights, alas, was not to be but we were pleasantly surprised with a change in venue for the evening session. There was going to be a Yushchenko rally/concert where Okean Eliz, a popular Ukrainian rock band, was going to be playing.

The point of the field trip was to give us a better idea of just how divided the region and especially the city was. Upon our arrival we walked straight in the Yanukovich crowd that had gathered on the outskirts of the park. People from each side were walking by each other calmly and peacefully, although chanting just a little louder as they got closer.

As we drew nearer to the stage area that was set up in the middle of the park we saw the sea of orange – flags, scarves, clothes, and cars draped in paraphernalia. The huge numbers of people that had gathered and who were patiently waiting for the rally to begin sang their songs and waved their flags in anticipation. Bohdan (a fellow observer) and I decided to head further into the crowd to really experience what everyone was feeling. The atmosphere really was electric, as people had headed straight to the park after work – the weekend had begun and the election was only two days away!

To a chanting crowd, the lead singer, along with some other well-known local people came on stage to address the crowd. After greeting the crowd, he invited all Yanukovich supporters to come in from the periphery and join in the concert. He said that the rest of the world thinks they are divided but in fact they all shared the same passion for Ukraine and they all loved their country and wanted nothing more than for it to be free.

Only a few of Yanukovich's supporters moved closer but they were greeting with open arms from the crowd who let them go straight into the middle. As the band played, the combination of flags was heart warming – this really is a city divided but one that seemed content to let each person have their own opinion.

The other heart-warming part of the rally was that while the crowd was overwhelmingly young – you could see teenagers with their parents, little old ladies going through the crowd in order to enjoy the concert as well, and a good combination of men and women. I think I was so surprised at the number of young people gathered because of the lack of enthusiasm from our young people in Canada as far as politics are concerned.

I realize that this is a generalization but as a candidate I know how hard it was to convince young Canadians to vote. But if you look at who started this Orange Revolution in Ukraine and who caught the attention of the world – it was the student group Pora who mobilized everyone and who organized the tent city and the communication. The passion from this entire country abounds and is infectious.

Saturday Dec. 25 -- Off to Kotovsk

An early morning meeting which stretches into the afternoon gives us a last chance to get suited up with equipment, get paired into teams and find out which polling region we'll be sent to.

We've had a few more people join the group – from Poland, the U.S. (including a former Congressman and former Senator), Britain (current MP), India, and Moldova. I'm paired with Ihor, a fellow Ukrainian from the U.S. We meet our Driver Viktor, our election specialist Alexander and our Kozak Vasyl.

The most amazing part of this team that's been built is the fact that Vasyl is a Kozak. If anyone knows the history of Ukraine, you'll understand the significance of having a Kozak be your bodyguard. His job was to keep me safe at all times. He not only opened the door for me everywhere we went, he followed close by and moved people back if he thought they were getting too close. We all pile into our Mitsubishi Gallant and head to the north of region – a trip that takes 4.5 hours through tremendously beautiful countryside.

We get to Kotovsk just in time to meet the head of the Territorial Electoral Commission (TEC) who welcomes us gladly, and tells us about a Constitutional Amendment that's just been passed earlier that day, but which can't come into law until it appears in a government publication which can't happen until Monday.

He also shows us around the building but tells us that the rest of the polling stations are now closed and he chats with us outside (in what felt like -40 degree weather) for awhile to let us know that he was an observer in the last round and told us about some of the problems he saw before.

They had 1300 people on a list in a polling station but when they overturned the voting box – they had a total of 1600 ballots – so not only did everyone show up (a participation rate most countries dream of) – but 300 extra ballots unexplainably also made their way in. He also told us that the entire region only had 186 absentee ballots which all had to go to one polling station.

After checking into the Sputnik Hotel, we finally get something to eat, as it's now 10:30 p.m. and start mapping out our route for Sunday. It's going to be a very long day.

Unfortunately, there's too much work to be done. Sleep doesn't come easy – especially since it's already 4 a.m. as I decide to re-read my notes one last time.

Election day is upon us! As a former candidate – I can honestly say – it's the day when you feel most helpless. Luckily, this time I can be of tremendous help!

Sunday, Dec. 26 - Election Day

 

I was awoken at 5:55 a.m. by a beeping sound from the loudspeaker in my room, which was followed by "Che Ne Vmerla Ukraina" which is the national anthem of Ukraine.  Frankly, I just wanted to roll over and say "just five more minutes" but when the national anthem comes on – you have to stand up!

 

After a very brief team meeting, we were off to witness the opening of the safe in the polling station that housed the absentee ballots.  Everything went off without a hitch and we sat through a meeting of the Electoral Commission for the polling station, where they read out the number of ballots they had and sealed the ballot boxes and got ready to open their doors.

 

We went on to a few more polling stations and each stop we made was even friendlier than the last.  A few more stops, with no violations to speak of, and we decided to meet up with one of our other teams for lunch who have made their way south.  Many of the observers from around the town seemed to have had the same idea and the atmosphere in the small restaurant was filled with energy.  Everyone felt very positive about the lack of violations and overall sense of calm that they had been greeted with at the polling stations.

 

Back on the road we decided to go to some of the smaller villages.  The view was nothing short of breathtaking.  As we drove, we passed families on horse and not quite carriage on their way to vote.

 

We finally happened upon one really small town where we spent half an hour inside and didn't see a single soul come through to vote.  The turnout had been approximately 70 per cent and they had ample time for us to come in and not only look around but check to make sure every signature was different on the voting list if we had wanted to!

 

We headed off to an equally small village where we got our first taste of skewed democracy.  The people running the polling station had decided they were going to run the election their way by their own rules.  After doing some general observing, one woman asked me if everything was satisfactory to which I replied "so far so good!"  Little did I know how quickly things were about to go south!

 

When we asked to see the mobile ballot box and list, they told us it had been out since the morning (it was now closing in on 5 p.m.)  When we asked how many people had been on the list, they told us 77.  Seeing as how all the other polling stations had only had about 10-15 on the mobile list, we asked to see the forms (zajavy) that people had filled out before the previous day's deadline of 8 p.m.  They told us that the person going door to door had them with him (a violation in and of itself). 

 

We asked why they had such a high number of home voters and they told us that they had received word that anyone could vote from home (when asked who had told them this, all eyes fell to the floor).  We finally learned that no one had told them and they had simply called people that morning to ask them if they would like to vote from home.  The zajavy would have been a good indication of any voter's list duplication, but since they were out we asked to see any evidence of whether they had crossed people off the main list.  (Otherwise you could potentially have people voting twice – once at home and then running back to the polling station).  The woman's answer was "but we know everyone who votes here so they couldn't come in twice."

 

I call both candidates' observers over and ask them who is going to write the AKT (official complaint) to correspond with this violation and both sides vehemently decline.  I look over at my election expert and he tells me that people are too frightened to sign their name to a complaint because they are all local people.

 

Upon further investigation, we find two observers from Moldova and a press guy that have been there all day who tell us of further violations that have taken place: more than one person in a ballot box, no need to show ID because the person behind the desk knew them, and one side's observers physically pointing on the ballot who the people should vote for.  The Moldovans have an election coming up in a few months and came to help and to see what could go wrong.  They found so many violations that they had run out of AKT forms.  Can you guess where the blank forms were? That's right … with the mobile unit that's been out all day!

 

After an hour and a half, the mobile unit finally returns and we ask to see everything.  Not only do their numbers not add up for the mobile votes, but also they have simply gotten signatures from people and were planning to fill out the zajavy when they got back. 

 

With nothing left to do but document what has taken place, we decided to hit one more polling station before we had to pick one last stop to witness the counting of the ballots.  We pick a final station and head over.  After speaking to one of the observers, we find out there had been 4 AKTs written at the station that day and that the tally might be rather interesting. 

 

The protocol was followed to the letter and the ballots were counted.  Yanukovich had won 62 per cent of the vote.  A decisive victory one might think, until you find out that he had in fact lost 20 points from the last election in that particular station.  There were obvious supporters there from each side.  One cried tears of joy, while the other gave people hugs.  We were thanked many times over for being there by all as they were grateful that the elections were done in a fair manner – at least in that polling station.

 

Our job was not yet done however, as we had to follow the ballots back to the TEC to make sure the recount was proper and that the numbers were announced as we had just witnessed.  Once there we had to get through a hoard of people who were waiting outside the TEC for results and we had to deplore the security guards to let us in with our passes through the back gate. 

 

After a few hours we saw that all was fine.  We were free to head back to Odessa and settled into the car for the long trek home – it was after 2 a.m. after all!  A horribly long drive later (4 hours with 5 of us in the car) and with no sleep, we finally make it back.  

 

We crack open a bottle of champagne and celebrate a job well done.  We all know that had observers not been scouring the countryside, anything could have been going on – just like in the smallest of villages that we visited.  Our feeling was one of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and excitement, to know that we were a part of history.

 

By the time we had sorted everything out and found our respective roommates, it was nearing 8 a.m. and we had no news of any results.  But since we had our wrap up reporting session at 3 p.m. we decided to try to get some sleep since most of us hadn't slept in days.

 

Monday, Dec. 27, 2004 - The Day After

Waking up at noon is typically a dream that most people do not have the luxury of experiencing very often. I was happy that the clock said 12, but rather unhappy that I had just dropped onto my bed at 8 a.m.

The last few days almost seem like a blur: training, planning, and driving nearly 1,000 kilometres in a day and a half for the sake of democracy. The entire group is exhausted but there are still lively stories being told over lunch, even if we aren't quite having the same conversations.

I'm excited to hear from the rest of the teams about what happened out in the field. We had covered a huge territory called Odessa oblast and were all really proud of what we had accomplished.

We knew that by our shear presence, we had stopped a lot of the corrupt activity that had taken place in the first two rounds of elections because not only was the world watching, but also it had come to Ukraine to stand in the same room and the people of Ukraine knew that.

We had come equipped with our cameras and our video cameras; our pens and our papers and we watched, we documented and we made sure that violations were reported.

Our debriefing began at 3 p.m. with a thank you from the Kozaks. The colour orange to them was the new symbol of peace in the world and they wanted to thank us for letting them be involved in something that was so important to them and their country.

Overall, we found there were no overwhelming problems at the different polling stations. Many things we were able to fix simply by our presence and making people aware of the rules and regulations by which they were bound.

Many of us found that as we walked into each polling station, nervous glances flew across the room, people sat up a bit straighter in their chairs and there was a feeling that people were on their best behaviour.

Tampering with an election can land one in jail for three to eight years and no one wants to take that risk when they see you walk into the room with a camera.

As I was walking into one polling station a woman saw my Canadian flag and started to speak with me in Ukrainian. She asked me about my family roots and what I thought of her country. We had a fabulous chat and as I was leaving she once embraced me. She was an observer for Yanukovich and was absolutely overwhelmed by how much the world cared about her country.

Our group, most who were Ukrainian, and some that were not, had come together in a few days to accomplish something magnificent in scope. Something that could not have been accomplished if we had not stayed fixated on the goal – free and fair elections, which are the cornerstone of democracy.

Through the achievement of this common goal, there is a special place in all of our hearts for the other members of Odessa oblast - all of us having stayed up for two to three days straight in order to make this a better country for the people who live in it.

As fellow and honourary Ukrainians, we listened as Taras raised his glass to give a toast at dinner that night. We all felt a twinge of pride when he said "every time Ukraine is in a time of need, all her children come home". And that is exactly what we all had done.

We had all come home. I can't wait to get to Kyiv and Maidan to see the mood of the people in the capital city.

Ever hear a pin drop?

Ever hear a pin drop? Of course you have. Ever hear a pin drop when you're surrounded by tens of thousands of people? That was what happened when Yushchenko took to the stage on Tuesday night.

Our long bus ride back to Kyiv brought us back to our hotel at around 7 p.m. We had been stopped by the police three times en route. The first time was at a normal checkpoint where people enter and exit the city of Odessa. The second time was for speeding – you can't drive faster than 10 kilometres over the speed limit if you have more than eight people in the car.

I doubt that we were speeding as our bus driver did not seem to have a heavy foot, but the reality of life here is that the police officers supplement their income. The officer that stopped us, oddly enough, did have his limits, so he gave us change.

When we found out that Yushchenko was going to be speaking, we dropped our bags in our rooms and headed to Maidan. The crowd that was gathered was the largest I had yet seen and we had to stand close to where we came out of the subway stop.

After enormous applause and cheering, every single person stood quietly to hear the man who had inspired them to be there for over a month. One 70-year-old woman, Ola, had been living in the tent city since the last election because she so passionately believed that they could finally make a difference. Yushchenko thanked the crowd. He asked them to remain positive and peaceful and celebrate the upcoming New Year as a new turn for Ukraine.

His words were followed by the national anthem Shche Ne Vmerla Ukraina where the entire crowd sang along at the top of their lungs.

At that moment, I had the overwhelming urge to call my grandmother so that she could hear the anthem being played over the loudspeaker – something that she could only have dreamed about while she lived here. But unfortunately, she's 90 years old and has a hearing aid and can never hear me when I call from a cell phone.

If that hadn't been heart warming enough for any doubters, what really pulled at the heartstrings, was when Taras Petrynenko, a national icon who was at Maidan for Ukraine's independence in the early nineties came on stage to sing "Ukraino," which is also the theme song from the days of independence.

Once again, every single person in the crowd sang at the top of their lungs. They joined hands and swayed and there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd, this author included. Even one of the observers in our group from the United Kingdom was moved to tears by what he saw.

In the middle of the song, an unbelievable fireworks display began, and then the magnitude of what I had been doing in Ukraine finally hit me.

We helped make that night possible. And it wasn't about who was actually standing there. It was the fact that these people felt so passionately about what they were doing and their will to be independent and free was so strong that they stood there in tens of thousands in number to peacefully sing their song about their independence.

Observers came from all over the world to make sure that the elections were fair and without incident so that the will of the people could be heard – no matter who ended up the winner. As long as democracy had won out – they could sing and be proud at what they had accomplished with the help of the international community.

Had I, and thousands of other people, not come to Ukraine to do our part, this night may not have been possible.

But because we did, tonight, the will of the people could be heard all over Kyiv.