Gone but Not Forgotten

One of my favourite things about living in Ukraine is catching a glimpse of the footprints of the past.

It's everywhere. A walk down the street is almost like a scavenger hunt. What's left is often in disarray- paint flaking off, bricks loosening themselves from the wall- but it's still there. I always wonder what the younger generation thinks of these things. Do they notice them? Do their parents point them out? Or do they only read advertisements as they walk down the sidewalk, texting, head nodding to the song on their iPhone (the iPhone 5 is super hot here at the moment). Most of the 15 to 30-year-olds that I've talked to have no strong interest in this period of their country's history. They'd rather find out what TV show is currently #1 in the US. Life before 1991 seems obsolete and outdated to them, what matters most is how they're going to do on their next test, how they'll be able to find a better job next year. Completely understandable, I guess, yet still the signs of the past are all around us, impossible to ignore.


This is what remains of one big mural that probably honoured the metro builders.

But life marches on. While old murals and artwork remain, now you're just as likely to see pop culture of today (like the Duel of the Century) on the next street over.

SpongeBob haters, rejoice!

And again, that's what I love. The mix of the old and the new. Traditional design against Nike logos and foreign cultures.

Where else in the world can you see SpongeBob next to a Soviet cosmonaut?!