Our first full day in Kiev!
I woke up around 10 am this morning. I originally woke at 2 am to the sound of a clock ticking in our room. I had John dispose of that REAL fast, took some Ambien, and went back to bed. We spent our morning looking over this new city we are in. VERY old…nothing like home! I commented to John that it reminds me a lot of the Universal Studios European back lot (Californian’s know what I’m talking about) where the tour guide says “We put out some vending carts and flowers, place a few store front signs per the language of the country an viola! You have Europe!” We have stepped back in time 1000 years…the town of Kiev is that old in some spots. There are buildings upon buildings with no real pattern or streets. Some are beautiful in architecture and others are falling apart. Our apartment is located in nothing more than an alley with a street sign that says 24B. I will have John help me post a picture as soon as he can so you can see. For those of you who have been here or seen pictures before of Independence Square, we are just to the left of the last big building the right with glowing signs, across from O’Brien’s. How many times I looked at other adoptive families photos and never dreamed I was looking at the apartment I would be staying in while here. For those of you still waiting to travel for appointments, we are paying $60 per night and have a kitchen with a microwave, dorm size refrigerator, stove, dishes and cooking ware, shower/toilet, washer and a VERY flat not so great bed. (It reminds me of my old trailer’s mattress before I put the memory foam on top of it) I can survive it though. The location is really good and I was actually able to stand up this morning and my back did okay. Tomorrow we have a different translator and we will see other areas that I am not brave enough to venture out that far to.
Some neat things to note are that everything is fresh…fruit stands on many corners, salami and cheese, and yogurt is liquid like Dannon breakfast drinks. The foods have very few if any preservatives, and I, the organic queen, am in food heaven. For Brunch (that was our breakfast/lunch this morning) I have some sort of dish that was the equivalent of fried rice and pork, with carrots and currents. Yummy. We went to the store and bought bought Baileys and Cream (cheap!) two quarts of fresh juice, salami, some sort of cheese, a loaf of bread, 3 liters of water, bananas and grapes and we spent $10. Such a deal….:)
Located in Independence square there is the underground mall I have heard so much about. Items seemed expensive but were nice. We walked around a bit with our temporary translator and then headed farther down to where TFI Fridays and another restaurant (I think it’s called Jellies Café) are located. Hooray! Yes, they have a TGI Friday’s in Kiev. A piece of home for a few days.
As I walked through the square a few things occurred to me. Although there were some cars, (and you are taking your life into your hands trying to cross the road around them…Ukrainians are CRAZY drivers!) Like in New York most people walk. There is a McDonalds on just about every corner, and seems quite popular. There are always lines of people waiting to eat. (Well, like at home I avoided it…yuck. BUT, it is a good place to buy water!) However, given the huge number of people I saw eating at McDonalds and as many people as I saw walking past me today, I only saw a few that were over weight…And most of those were older ladies. Everyone here is trim or average in their weight. Even the people I saw sitting at the tables eating McDonalds and including the ones that worked there. I think it is because they walk EVERYWHERE and eat mostly fresh foods. (Not a lot of whole meats like steak and such though). This should do very well for my trying to get myself back on track health and weight wise. So, remember that movie ‘Super Size Me” and all hoopla concerning fast foods and obesity in children? Make ‘em walk to school, ride a bike, and get rid of their preservatives and I think you would see some big changes. I haven’t seen a fat kid here yet…and they are all walking right along side of their parents…who are buying fresh food from the market to cook their meal with….
The sky is so blue. There is very little pollution – which is surprising given there are no air pollution laws in effect. All the exhaust fumes from the cars remind me if walking around in Mexico where they burn regular fuel. Gag! Everyone here seems happy to be here. No solemn looks or down cast eyes. They all dress very fashionably and very few dress for comfort. Lots of high heels! And by high heels I mean the tall and very pointy kind. Now for those of you back home you know I am the queen of shoes and I love and wear high heels daily; but there is no way I could walk on these. They are like an ice pick on the back of a shoe. Weird!
While walking by I saw a mother crouched down with her child pointing out the rainbow in a fountain. It was very touching. I also saw plenty of healthy children running around and playing. They appeared to not have a care in the world. Knowing of all the orphans living here in the Ukraine it caused me to wonder if that is not how it is concerning America through the eyes of others. I have beautiful healthy children, who are well cared for and will never have to worry about such things as whether or not they have a home or are loved, clothed and sheltered. They are far removed from the negative impact of homelessness and starving. But, I can’t help but think - As it is here being viewed through my eyes, is there someone looking on us in the USA saying ‘What about YOUR orphans? The bible says to take care of the widows and orphans…are we doing enough? Just like here, they are removed from our sight – people forget about them. Hmmmmmm, Food for thought….
A few other oddities today. Many very young girls (I say girls because they could not have been more than 15 /16 or so) sat with their babies on their laps begging for money. One even came up to John, grabbed his arm and asked for money. Our translator told her no and she finally moved on. BOY! That was hard! Our translator said if we gave anything to her the many others we were not seeing would attack us asking for money. I’m thinking; “What’s a few dollars to us?” But we were encouraged not to give due to it causing a scene as Americans. While John enjoyed having a beer with the translator a drunken man came up and approached each group sitting at tables. He just made his rounds from table to table loudly saying something in Russian. The group of younger people next to us started laughing at something he was saying…I am pretty sure it was about us as our translator had said something to him…but I caught the words American, Russian, and then he spit at the ground…I thought “Okaaaaaaay… that was not good!” Our translator didn’t even pay him any notice and he and John continued on with their conversation as if the guy was never even there…he finally gave up and went away singing and swaying, only to come upon another group of people and start all over again. People REALLY like their Vodka here :)
Oh, ya…and I decided to test the fashion waters today. Instead of wearing my black trench jacket this morning, I wore my red sweatshirt that says ‘Lakeside School Bulldogs” instead. Also, my red and white checked Carpi’s and my white tennis. Well, I got what I wanted…each person looked at me like I was from Mars! Last night when I was dressed all in black no one even glanced at me. As a matter of fact we drew no attention to ourselves at all until John opened his mouth at McDonalds and asked for water. So, it is true what they said…wear anything dark and you’ll blend right in. And tas for the comfy clothing thing…I saw no one dressed in anything less than jeans Deff. designer jeans though) and that was paired with a really nice jacket and heels. Lots of mini skirts and bare legs too. The weather s beautiful here…it is in the high 60’s to low 70’s…just like fall in the states. I will stick to my black stuff from here on out.
Yesterday our Facilitator asked “Where is it you are from?” (For the purpose of authenticity I’m ‘writing’ the Ukrainian accent of my Facilitator here) I of course gave him a strange look, laughed and said “The USA”. He then said “No, I mean, how you say? What is you origin/ background? Where do you people come from?” I told him I have some Indian in me, but other than that I have no idea. So he then says “You’s luk Russian.” And that my long blond hair and blue eyes blend me in. I then confessed that I am practically solid grey, dye my hair, and that it is normally darker grey/brown. “Ah, that explains all then…you born darker hair, No? It Ok, even more Yous must be Russian!”?” I agreed. I have seen a lot of people with my features here and on the plane bound for Germany. BUT, all I am seeing is a lot of dark heads around here…there are blonds, but not nearly as many as the brunettes. I can’t see eye color as most people are wearing sun glasses. Not knowing all of my family heritage, maybe I do have some Russian in me somewhere, huh?
Oh ya, and one last tidbit. John decided he wanted to purchase and view the first two episodes of 'Lost' while we were here. (We watch very kittle network TV) So he put it in last night and I'm like "WHAT??? This is about a plane crashing!? No way am I watching THAT!" I barely made it as it was. I DON'T NEED to see a movie about crashing airlines...Sheesh! Needless to say John watched it by himself....":)
Well, that is the scoop for today. We are loving the e-mails and updates from home. I will post some pictures soon. Love to my sweet children and friends :)
Some neat things to note are that everything is fresh…fruit stands on many corners, salami and cheese, and yogurt is liquid like Dannon breakfast drinks. The foods have very few if any preservatives, and I, the organic queen, am in food heaven. For Brunch (that was our breakfast/lunch this morning) I have some sort of dish that was the equivalent of fried rice and pork, with carrots and currents. Yummy. We went to the store and bought bought Baileys and Cream (cheap!) two quarts of fresh juice, salami, some sort of cheese, a loaf of bread, 3 liters of water, bananas and grapes and we spent $10. Such a deal….:)
Located in Independence square there is the underground mall I have heard so much about. Items seemed expensive but were nice. We walked around a bit with our temporary translator and then headed farther down to where TFI Fridays and another restaurant (I think it’s called Jellies Café) are located. Hooray! Yes, they have a TGI Friday’s in Kiev. A piece of home for a few days.
As I walked through the square a few things occurred to me. Although there were some cars, (and you are taking your life into your hands trying to cross the road around them…Ukrainians are CRAZY drivers!) Like in New York most people walk. There is a McDonalds on just about every corner, and seems quite popular. There are always lines of people waiting to eat. (Well, like at home I avoided it…yuck. BUT, it is a good place to buy water!) However, given the huge number of people I saw eating at McDonalds and as many people as I saw walking past me today, I only saw a few that were over weight…And most of those were older ladies. Everyone here is trim or average in their weight. Even the people I saw sitting at the tables eating McDonalds and including the ones that worked there. I think it is because they walk EVERYWHERE and eat mostly fresh foods. (Not a lot of whole meats like steak and such though). This should do very well for my trying to get myself back on track health and weight wise. So, remember that movie ‘Super Size Me” and all hoopla concerning fast foods and obesity in children? Make ‘em walk to school, ride a bike, and get rid of their preservatives and I think you would see some big changes. I haven’t seen a fat kid here yet…and they are all walking right along side of their parents…who are buying fresh food from the market to cook their meal with….
The sky is so blue. There is very little pollution – which is surprising given there are no air pollution laws in effect. All the exhaust fumes from the cars remind me if walking around in Mexico where they burn regular fuel. Gag! Everyone here seems happy to be here. No solemn looks or down cast eyes. They all dress very fashionably and very few dress for comfort. Lots of high heels! And by high heels I mean the tall and very pointy kind. Now for those of you back home you know I am the queen of shoes and I love and wear high heels daily; but there is no way I could walk on these. They are like an ice pick on the back of a shoe. Weird!
While walking by I saw a mother crouched down with her child pointing out the rainbow in a fountain. It was very touching. I also saw plenty of healthy children running around and playing. They appeared to not have a care in the world. Knowing of all the orphans living here in the Ukraine it caused me to wonder if that is not how it is concerning America through the eyes of others. I have beautiful healthy children, who are well cared for and will never have to worry about such things as whether or not they have a home or are loved, clothed and sheltered. They are far removed from the negative impact of homelessness and starving. But, I can’t help but think - As it is here being viewed through my eyes, is there someone looking on us in the USA saying ‘What about YOUR orphans? The bible says to take care of the widows and orphans…are we doing enough? Just like here, they are removed from our sight – people forget about them. Hmmmmmm, Food for thought….
A few other oddities today. Many very young girls (I say girls because they could not have been more than 15 /16 or so) sat with their babies on their laps begging for money. One even came up to John, grabbed his arm and asked for money. Our translator told her no and she finally moved on. BOY! That was hard! Our translator said if we gave anything to her the many others we were not seeing would attack us asking for money. I’m thinking; “What’s a few dollars to us?” But we were encouraged not to give due to it causing a scene as Americans. While John enjoyed having a beer with the translator a drunken man came up and approached each group sitting at tables. He just made his rounds from table to table loudly saying something in Russian. The group of younger people next to us started laughing at something he was saying…I am pretty sure it was about us as our translator had said something to him…but I caught the words American, Russian, and then he spit at the ground…I thought “Okaaaaaaay… that was not good!” Our translator didn’t even pay him any notice and he and John continued on with their conversation as if the guy was never even there…he finally gave up and went away singing and swaying, only to come upon another group of people and start all over again. People REALLY like their Vodka here :)
Oh, ya…and I decided to test the fashion waters today. Instead of wearing my black trench jacket this morning, I wore my red sweatshirt that says ‘Lakeside School Bulldogs” instead. Also, my red and white checked Carpi’s and my white tennis. Well, I got what I wanted…each person looked at me like I was from Mars! Last night when I was dressed all in black no one even glanced at me. As a matter of fact we drew no attention to ourselves at all until John opened his mouth at McDonalds and asked for water. So, it is true what they said…wear anything dark and you’ll blend right in. And tas for the comfy clothing thing…I saw no one dressed in anything less than jeans Deff. designer jeans though) and that was paired with a really nice jacket and heels. Lots of mini skirts and bare legs too. The weather s beautiful here…it is in the high 60’s to low 70’s…just like fall in the states. I will stick to my black stuff from here on out.
Yesterday our Facilitator asked “Where is it you are from?” (For the purpose of authenticity I’m ‘writing’ the Ukrainian accent of my Facilitator here) I of course gave him a strange look, laughed and said “The USA”. He then said “No, I mean, how you say? What is you origin/ background? Where do you people come from?” I told him I have some Indian in me, but other than that I have no idea. So he then says “You’s luk Russian.” And that my long blond hair and blue eyes blend me in. I then confessed that I am practically solid grey, dye my hair, and that it is normally darker grey/brown. “Ah, that explains all then…you born darker hair, No? It Ok, even more Yous must be Russian!”?” I agreed. I have seen a lot of people with my features here and on the plane bound for Germany. BUT, all I am seeing is a lot of dark heads around here…there are blonds, but not nearly as many as the brunettes. I can’t see eye color as most people are wearing sun glasses. Not knowing all of my family heritage, maybe I do have some Russian in me somewhere, huh?
Oh ya, and one last tidbit. John decided he wanted to purchase and view the first two episodes of 'Lost' while we were here. (We watch very kittle network TV) So he put it in last night and I'm like "WHAT??? This is about a plane crashing!? No way am I watching THAT!" I barely made it as it was. I DON'T NEED to see a movie about crashing airlines...Sheesh! Needless to say John watched it by himself....":)
Well, that is the scoop for today. We are loving the e-mails and updates from home. I will post some pictures soon. Love to my sweet children and friends :)
posted by Kym at 9:17 AM
2 Comments:
Glad you made it! We hope to be there in the spring. I'm looking for ward to following your adventures in Ukraine.
debness
Kym I am enjoying your blog. I must say though pollution (especially garbage) is everywhere outside of the main area and is very sad. It was one of the things that really bothered me the most- and the stray animals too.
I agree about the Lost dvd no need to have to think about that while there. I hate to fly and we were watching Titanic one night and I was like I can't watch this!! It is freaking me out! Enjoy seeing Oleg again
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