Final snapshots

Last weekend we went to a corn maze. It was just down the road from last year's farm, but this one even better because... there was no map! You just walked and walked and walked until you eventually found the exit.

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 20

After lots of phone calls and flight checking, it's official: we've got tickets. Two bittersweet weeks left before packing Kit into his new cat carry-on and getting on a plane. As another blogger put it- "When you move across the ocean, you leave in steps - and each one stings a little."

Now come the goodbyes. All the things that used to be mundane (grocery shopping, going to the park, refilling a metro card) are becoming a series of "the last ....".

For a while I was really bummed out, searching for something that could take Ukraine's place in my heart and finding nothing. Finally I understood that there doesn't need to be a replacement. Sometimes you just find a place that can't be replaced. I know that lots of you who read this blog feel the same way.

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life (towards the end of that life)

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life in a Chaotic April

Near the train station, April 25th

It's been two months and four days since the previous Snapshots post, and the state of things remains pretty much the same.

Often I look around and see nothing more than a beautiful and calm spring, just like last year. All the photos below are from the past 2 weeks-

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life: Revolution Edition

Despite all the shocking photos and stories pouring out of Ukraine, much of February has been quiet for us. I feel terrible writing that, knowing many have lost their lives this month. It's very strange for mundane activities like work, riding the metro, and holidays to be set against such horrific events.

I don't feel like Kharkov has been a dangerous place to be recently but in the back of my mind there's always the paranoia that things could change very fast. A friend sent this message the other day: I am old enough to remember similar unrest in an adjacent area around the time when you were born. As soon as it only "seemed" to be making its way to a city, it was already upon it. Part of me tries to prepare for such a possibility while the other goes to work, goes home, checks the news, and waits. As another blogger wrote, life is surprisingly normal for most of us. And the good news is although much remains to be decided, the present moment is already more peaceful in Ukraine.

Here's what has been happening for us this month outside of Euromaidan.

Ad for a local English school

It's been warm recently. There's just something about the month of February; snow or no snow, it's never pretty.

At least there's color to be found indoors:

at company 1

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 16

There's a Russian-language version of the board game Monopoly. It's called (what else?) Capitalist. This is the Ukrainianized-version: Capitalist Ukraine, in which players can purchase famous landmarks and services from around the country. Cool, huh?

cigarette kiosk near the Central Market

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Fall Edition

A collection of recent snapshots : )
 Enjoy!

Chestnuts + puddles

D's leftover childhood pastime

Some sunsets offer beautiful vistas

Others bring rain clouds

And speaking of rain... nowadays everyone carries a зонтик (umbrella) with them just in case.

I found this cardboard box lying on the ground one afternoon. It reads "Oil and its byproducts".

The Ferris wheel in Gorky Park

And of course, a view from the top of the Ferris wheel! The window decal says Thank you for cleanliness and order and I've got to say, those cars are always incredibly clean. No graffiti, no garbage, no rust!

Rode the cable cars with a new English teacher from Maine. She successfully passed the "drink a beer by the time you reach the other side" challenge.

Mushroom season has opened!

Which fall picture is your favorite? Mine is the oil box- it was such a random surprise!

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 14

Having a slow day? Find some inspiration here!

 A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world. - John le Carré

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 13

❄ We've had utility workers knocking on our door this entire winter. Each time they'd stomp in, politely inspect the heating pipes in the bedroom, scratch their heads, and stomp back out. There had been no warmth from that set of pipes in the bedroom since the city turned the heat on last fall and it turns out this was a building-wide phenomena... rumored to originate from our apartment! After three months of head-scratching, this man in camouflage cut out and replaced a 6-foot length of metal pipe. Immediately voilà, heat for everyone.

A few days later, his colleague showed up at the door to show us the problem: someone had inserted a fistful of metal welding rods inside part of the pipe, blocking the flow of hot water through the pipe. It seemed like this "act of sabotage" (to quote the utility worker) had been committed a number of years ago. We can only imagine that perhaps during the owner's remodel, she pissed off one of her workers enough to do such a thing. I could see that happening :p

❄ Meanwhile, the city streets have been a hazardous place this season. Ice coats the sidewalks. Occasionally men with small hoes will be hard at work, chipping the layer of ice away and making it possible to walk confidently rather than shuffle, but their efforts only go so far (say 8 to 10 feet) before the winter again lays down its dangerous game.

Now that the temperatures have risen, the new threat comes from above. Instead of looking down, you should be looking up.

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 12

Fresh fish for sale at the Freedom Square farmers' market. Yep, the fish are swimming around inside this water tank until you stop by and order tonight's dinner!

 

• The first wave of the fall flu/cold hit Kharkov recently. D, his coworkers, and many of my students were out for a couple of days. Then one of my friends fell ill this week... but she said it was from eating a cold watermelon last week! I'd better add that to my list of new ways to fall ill, right between ice cubes in soda and sitting under the air conditioner.

• And when you do get sick from that smoothie, be careful how you sneeze. If you're in Ukraine, do it like a local by saying up-chee instead of the American a-choo. My students laugh and laugh at this, like English-speakers are a bunch of weirdos, but really, up-chee? Who's the weirdo? :p

• Fall also means that- when the weather's good- everywhere you go is covered in a coat of autumn's beauty. Check out Facebook for more photos.

Cable cars in Gorky Park

Саржин Яр. As we walked through here I heard a little girl proudly reciting a story in English to her grandparent...and in good English too! So like a bolt of lighting I appeared next to her and said "You speak English very well!" She just stared at me, open-mouthed, then quickly shut her mouth and stared at the ground. Her older companion smiled shyly.

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 11

"A citizen of the USSR has the right to vacation": print from a postcard I picked up recently.

❶ It's already the middle of summer and everyone in Kharkov is sporting at least one of these two things: an insane tan and/or summer shoes. The tanning thing started off a little slowly but now practically each and every person has vacationed in Crimea and has turned an appropriate shade of "I spent 23.5 hours a day baking in the sun." Maybe it's just because last summer I was (like many a summer before) in Alaska that this shocks me so much. I even saw a tiny tanned baby earlier in the season! D and I have not been to Crimea and have failed to achieve maximum tanning potential. Translation: we're white. Last month we were berated for this by a talkative old man on the metro: "Why are you both so freakishly pale? You need to go to Bulgaria! Now! Go!"

And about the open-toed shoes... on the metro I noticed that many middle-aged / older women have deformed toes. Is this from all the years of wearing sexy high heels?

Hello, detour! Tis also the season for pipe repairs.

❷ One of the best things about summer? Watermelon mania!!! 16 cents a pound!

Ukraine grows a lot of watermelons and now they're flooding the streets. These guys let me take a picture as they were unloading by hand- guess how much?!- 35 tons of watermelon!! We calculated that out to be about 4,000 melons.

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 10

Free medicine and education for all! We will return the social guarantees that have been taken from the people. The Communist Party demands: return the country to the people! (For more explanation of this, keep reading...)

☼

Summer Picnic Supplies:

• tablecloth ✔
• cutlery ✔
• food ✔
• disposable plastic shot glasses ✔ (complete with a very serious picture of two men and one woman at a business meeting!) 

During a recent picnic I tried to explain why it would be weird to bring vodka to a picnic in America. Wine, maybe. But vodka? Although picnics would probably be a lot more fun that way...

☞Movie theaters in Ukraine sell tickets by seat. When you pay for the tickets you also pick out the seat you want to sit in. A little color-coded screen shows you the seats still available. Cool idea, huh?

☞Next to the tongues and hearts in the local butcher shop, there is a cow udder for sale. How exactly does one cook a cow udder? Or cow lungs? Please explain!

Summer's hottest toothpaste flavor

Snapshots of Ukrainian Life, Part 9

Why, what's this? Tranquilizing shaving foam? Yes, please.

•  I tried to talk D into buying anti-hangover shower gel (that's what it actually says on the bottle) so I could post a picture of it, but he refused. It's bright yellow, you can't miss it on the shelf! Another oddity: anti-aging foot cream.

• This one really should go in a fashion entry, but... shoes. Shoes in Ukraine. Please tell me- are stilettos truly comfortable? My co-worker Kathi used to always shake her head in amazement at what her students would wear to class, as they swore that they were completely at ease in pencil-heeled thigh-high boots and 4-inch wedge gladiator sandals. Last week I saw a girl on the street with a sprained ankle (yes, it was all bandaged up!) wearing a 3-inch wedge heels. She was limping along with a boy on her arm and as we passed, I heard her say to him that she'd worn a long sundress that day because she didn't want people to notice her ankle. Really, I am trying to understand, but why didn't she just wear sneakers or a boot, then? Or pants? Also about shoes- note the sidewalk to the right. It takes major talent to navigate this (or cobblestone) in heels!

• Root beer and marshmallows are not sold in Ukraine. My students got excited when I mentioned root beer one day.... until they found out it wasn't actually related to beer or alcoholic. As for marshmallows, there's a sweet called zefir (зефир). It's nothing like a marshmallow, trust me. People may try to convince you of this.

• A popular car decal for Victory Day: Спасибо деду за победу! or Thanks, Grandfather, for the victory! It can still be seen on various cars around town.

• Have you heard of Chernobyl Diaries yet? Here's the description: The film follows a group of six young tourists who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an "extreme tour guide." Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone... The movie opens at the end of this month. It will be interesting to see if it's shown in Ukraine and if so, what the local reaction will be. June 13th update: It's already being shown at a local theater (photo above). The Ukrainian title is called "Forbidden Zone". Also, this article may be of interest to you: Chernobyl Diaries: Reducing A Nation's Decade of Suffering to A Get-Rich-Quick Scheme.

• More metro lore. Want to be the first one on the train? Do this- while waiting for the train, look at the edges of the platform. You'll see a lot of dirt and scuff marks. The areas that are slightly more polished looking indicate where the doors open. Stand there if you want to be one of the first ones to board. Try it out!

• Most grocery stores and drug stores in Kharkov have little lockers for your bags. Shoppers usually lock up whatever they're carrying (purse, etc) before going into the store. Not sure if this service is offered as a convenience or in order to prevent people from stealing things. I'd always assumed that the lockers were a safe place for your bag but as it turns out, that's not so. A friend just had his bag stolen (cell phone, money, and passport) from a locked locker. Others say that this has happened to them too, so beware!

• Last but not least, a souvenir cart in Odessa. In English... and SPANISH!