A library of limestone and brick (and the way there)

I have always loved public libraries. All those pages and colorful spines, displays carefully crafted by librarians, comfy chairs for binge reading, plus the almost* absolutely-free cost? Where's my library card already?!

In fact, "libraries" was my top answer to that #1 expat question: What do you miss the most from your home country? Since we landed on the west coast last summer, I've been indulging in library visits whenever possible.

(*this reader may be more prone to overdue fines than most)

Portland's central library.

Happy Valentine's Day

We had a really low-key Valentine's Day this year: a movie, a long walk through town, and takeout pizza. I talked D out of his traditional pilgrimage of panic to the supermarket, meaning we got to sleep in and then wander over to the farmer's market.

College pub.

The languages of February

February.

How is it that the shortest month always seems so long? Ukrainian sure got the word right: Лютий, fierce, cruel, severe, February.

Morning commute.

Instead of just treating this post as a place to whine, though, I want to share a positive linguistic trend. At work we use mainly English and Spanish with clients. I met one Ukrainian guy back in October of last year, and then... nothing. Just when it seemed like it would never happen, they appeared.

First, a husband/wife from western Ukraine. I asked them what language they used at home, expecting the answer to be Ukrainian or possibly Russian. Nope. Any guesses?

[hint: it's another language that starts with an "R".]

Romanian! "I grew up learning Romanian and Russian in school", the husband explained, "then picked up Ukrainian during my military service in L'vov." Have you ever heard Romanian being spoken? It's a beautiful language.

Healing garden

Since last time I shared some of Kharkiv's most famous sights with you, here's a little hidden corner in our current city. It's probably not in any of the guidebooks; we came across it completely by chance on a long walk last October.

A letter from Kharkiv

This beautiful letter was waiting in the mailbox the other week. Ukraine is not synonymous with cool stationery in my mind- it was always a hunt to find writing paper, the post office would often be out of envelopes (yet have plenty of laundry detergent for sale)- so seeing this was a wonderful surprise.

Hooray!

Featured on the envelope and letter are the Mirror Stream Fountain and the train station, two of the city's most recognizable landmarks. I adore the fountain's winter backdrop- brings back memories of walking home past its white dome on the way home snowy night after snowy night- and the cute way the artist added a kneeling photographer in front of the train station's columns. That tree to the right of the train station though, is not very realistic; reality is more like a rickety beer/kvass stand or a shawarma shack.

These two places were among my favorite sights in Kharkiv! Let me show you why...

Mirror Stream Fountain

If I just saw it once during the day, I'd probably agree with all the people who are like eh, a dinky fountain, what's the big deal? But stay in Kharkiv long enough and this place will grow on you.

All the weddings stop here, brides and grooms showing off impressively-long kisses to shouts of "Горько! Горько!" from their friends. Kids run around the edge of the pool, young lovers pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist from the security of park benches, and there's always a guy with white pigeons who will take your picture for a few grivna.

Summer is a great time to visit-

It's the time of year when rainbows get caught in the spray of the fountains and everything is bright, clean, and uncomplicated.

Stash tea haul

I am LOVING the tea situation in the United States. The grocery store alone has a vast selection of different brands and blends; add in the possibilities available on the internet and the choice is infinite!

Recently I've been noticing a number of little tea shops downtown that sell their own loose leaf teas. Browsing in The Spice & Tea Exchange (a national chain of franchises) last week, I overheard 2 girls chatting in Russian while checking out the black teas. They laughed when I told them that if they were shopping here, it must truly be очень хороший чай, very good tea.

Oregon is also the home of the Stash Tea Company.

Epiphany

Ukraine celebrated Epiphany a few days ago, which reminded me of these videos from last year's celebration at the Kharkiv park known as Sarzhin Yar. It was the second year in a row that I stayed home to sleep in and D got up early and went to the park with his colleagues.

Crowds and a glimpse of people dunking themselves in ice cold water:

A quick wander past the vendors and those waiting for their bottle(s) of water to be blessed by a priest:

This older man isn't showing any hesitation:

Three dips into the water on this day are supposed to cleanse you of the past year and prepare you for the new one:

Floating around somewhere out there on the internet is a video of D taking his turn in the pool. He described the process as excitement, doubt, and finally elation. Based on what the temperature usually is on January 19th, I think I'll stick permanently with a cozy bed for all future Epiphanies, but D will probably be back at it if we return to Ukraine- he tried to do it this year in our bathtub!