Looking for blogs about Ukraine? I'm updating the blog list and retiring the golden oldies below!
Ukraine once had a large number of talented foreigners blogging away about the funny, the fantastic, and the frustrating. Now that number has plummeted. While politics and hard news are everywhere, it's harder to find a plain old daily-life "what's it really like?" update in English.
I'm keeping this listing of blogs here because although most authors have moved on to other endeavors, they left behind a great online record of their days in Ukraine. I hope you too will find interesting stories when exploring their sites.
As for the blogs still producing content, check out the updated More Ukraine Blogs tab. If you know of a good English-language blog about daily life in Ukraine, please leave a comment below and I'll happily add it. I LOVE reading stories of everyday Ukrainian life no matter how big the city or how tiny the village.
Happy reading! : )
Gomilsha Forest National Park
(2014-2015)
Want to get out and hike Kharkiv oblast? That's exactly what this blogger did!
Let's Love Local
Whether you're an actual (geographical) Muscovite or just a sentimental armchair traveler, enjoy Polly's thoughtful, whimsical take on Russia's capital city as well as her explorations of American cities. Oh, and all this while winning at a Russian-American marriage!
Ukraine once had a large number of talented foreigners blogging away about the funny, the fantastic, and the frustrating. Now that number has plummeted. While politics and hard news are everywhere, it's harder to find a plain old daily-life "what's it really like?" update in English.
I'm keeping this listing of blogs here because although most authors have moved on to other endeavors, they left behind a great online record of their days in Ukraine. I hope you too will find interesting stories when exploring their sites.
As for the blogs still producing content, check out the updated More Ukraine Blogs tab. If you know of a good English-language blog about daily life in Ukraine, please leave a comment below and I'll happily add it. I LOVE reading stories of everyday Ukrainian life no matter how big the city or how tiny the village.
Happy reading! : )
Kharkiv Region and Eastern Ukraine
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| Freedom Square, Kharkiv. May 2013. |
(thru 2013)
Lugansk Peace Corps volunteer Will was an Alabama-to-Ukraine blogger and a master of train travel Ukrainian-style.
(2009-2011)
Another Peace Corps blog, this one recommended by a friend. A very true exposé on mayonnaise!
(thru 2014)
Virginia has been blogging here since August 2012. I love her village life stories and pictures (Peace Corps training) and look forward to hearing more about her life on-site.
(thru 2014)
Christopher Miller, a journalist from the Pacific Northwest, stayed busy as a Peace Corps volunteer in Artemovsk. He was responsible for intriguing pieces like this and this while filling his own blog and crisscrossing the country. Amazing photos here!
(2011-2013)
Courtesy of the Peace Corps, this author moved from Alabama to Novoazovsk, a Ukrainian town near the Black Sea.
Gomilsha Forest National Park
(2014-2015)
Want to get out and hike Kharkiv oblast? That's exactly what this blogger did!
(thru 2014)
Katherine- which, ahem, is the best name ever :p - is serving the Peace Corps in Romny, way to the north of Kharkov. I've only been following her blog for a couple of months but it's always a pleasure to see a post of hers in my inbox!
(2007-2009)
Written by a British guy who was getting tired of the rat race, he pokes a bit (or a lot) of fun at Kharkov.
(Ukraine California)
Jenny served in the Peace Corps in Sumy. She's got a fantastic recipe for a Ukrainian-style soba stir fry and lots of classroom pictures.
(2007-2008)
Søren from Denmark kept this blog while living in Kharkov for business. Not only living in Kharkov, I might add, but living on Sumskaya street, wow! It's very interesting to go through the entries and see what's changed in town since then. Many photos (like this entry).
(Ukraine US)
Matt spent several months in Ukraine documenting everything from graffiti to water trucks. He's since moved on but his fantastic blog is still active.
(2010-2012)
A popular blogger and Peace Corps volunteer, now returned home to California. This was probably the very first Ukraine blog I started reading.
(2009-2011)
Jillian was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zachepylivka. Short blog. Lots of info on teaching in Ukrainian summer camps and one especially heartwarming entry.
Kyiv
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| Victory Day 2013. Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv. |
Dnipropetrovsk Region & Central/South Ukraine
Kerry lived and taught in Melitopol. Hey, English teachers- take a look at her What Would Benjamin Franklin Do quiz. Clever!
Borscht and Babushkas
(Ukraine at large U.S.)
And the award for the most beautiful the award for the most beautiful Peace Corps blog goes to.... Borscht & Babushkas! The photos, the font, it's just an absolute pleasure to read and the fact that Kristen writes so well?... that's just icing on the cake. Oh, and before I forget- she's also got a stockpile of delicious recipes posted.
(
And the award for the most beautiful the award for the most beautiful Peace Corps blog goes to.... Borscht & Babushkas! The photos, the font, it's just an absolute pleasure to read and the fact that Kristen writes so well?... that's just icing on the cake. Oh, and before I forget- she's also got a stockpile of delicious recipes posted.
Joanne was a Peace Corps volunteer and artist in Novomoskovsk thru 2013.
(Ukraine China! thru 2013)
When not teaching English in DP, Derek liked to explore Ukraine politically, philosophically, and by train.
Western Ukraine
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| The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. [Source. Author: Водник.] |
(2010-2012)
I loved, loved, loved this Peace Corps blog! Thank you, Kate, for sharing your stories from Sokyriany and travel tales with us.
This British lecturer observed Ivano-Frankivsk with a keen eye, covering pizza, politics, and everything in between.
(Ukraine London)
Written by a Peace Corps volunteer who finished her service in 2012, this is hands-down one of the greatest recipe blogs in the country.
Outside the Borders
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| Red Square, Moscow. January 2007. |
(now Expat Eye on Germany)
What do you get when you mix an Irish EFL teacher named Linda and daily life in Latvia? This crazy awesome blog, that's what! Read for a good belly laugh and to learn about this often-overlooked Baltic country.
(Bishkek Belgium permanent-y hiatus)
I've been a fan of this blog for several years. Kirstin's always been an inspiration of mine online; for every step I take as a blogger, it seems like she's two steps ahead. She moved to Kyrgyzstan several years ago with her husband and has been documenting Bishkek since then.
Whether you're an actual (geographical) Muscovite or just a sentimental armchair traveler, enjoy Polly's thoughtful, whimsical take on Russia's capital city as well as her explorations of American cities. Oh, and all this while winning at a Russian-American marriage
Janey's love affair with Russian eventually led her to study Ukrainian in Lviv (and get an appendectomy in a Ukrainian hospital, eek!). Now she teaches Russian and blogs from America with a fantastic "Russian Word of the Day" series.
An English teacher who blogged from Sevastopol, Crimea, you should definitely check out this blog if a) you too are an EFL teacher or b) you're interested in what it was like in 2014 Crimea.
(Fall 2012)
This birder/ecology student studied abroad in Irkutsk, Russia. Check out Kristin's site for gorgeous pictures of Siberia and lots of exchange student adventures.
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| Yevpatoria, Crimea. 2012. |
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I've been going through it for the last hour or so! I'm currently working for Preply which is an online language learning platform. Your website would be a good website to partner up with and do a link exchange if you're interested. I think a lot of people would benefit from learning a different language(especially Ukrainian). If this interests you, send me and e-mail back! Hope to hear from you!
Regards,
Corrie
https://www.preply.com