Welcome to our Kitchen; no, I am Not a Giant
Our Mod Living Room; Lots of Lacquered Wood
This is the Way We Wash Our Hands (w/ Daddy at the Orphanage)
While we wait to post something really exciting one of these days,
I thought I'd share some detail about our living arrangements, the general area we live in,
and some history.
Our flat is a Soviet era one-bedroom, one bathroom unit. The building is five stories tall and quite long and we have not quite figured out the layout overall so I don't know how many units total.
It is a concrete structure, but all of the plumbing is visible in the flat (makes for easy repairs).
At one base corner of the building, their is a very small grocery store where we can get fresh bread every morning, and other basics.
Out our kitchen window, we can see the Dnipr River (largest river in Ukraine) and off to the left, the Park of Glory, where there are several monuments related to various wars, including WWII and the Soviet/Afghanistan war.
The city is quite a mix of old and new. We see Toyota and Subaru SUVs mingled among the little Lada sedans, and many elderly babushkas (grandmas) going about their traditional roles while very modernly dressed younger people stroll about.
I was reading more about the babushkas this morning while we waited for our ride to the orphanage. Basically, they are all the elderly widows of Ukraine (and other former Soviet areas).
Their husbands were among 20,000,000 people lost in the Soviet areas during WWII. The monthly pension these women are expected to survive on is 750 Rivna ($120 US). Obviously, this is not possible, so they are out all the time, working in different ways to make a little more money. We see them sweeping the gutters and streets with hand-made brooms, selling various items such as flowers and sunflower seeds, or just holding cups out in busy stairways, hoping for donations. Very sad. Here in Ukraine, it is expected that both parents will work outside the home, so children are raised primarily by their grandmothers. Newly married couples almost always start out living with parents. We are struck by the fact that there is obvious poverty and the nation as a whole, for many reasons, hasn't really gotten on its feet since gaining independence in 1991, yet most younger individuals have a cell phone, expensive western items such as name brand clothes, etc. Quite a contrast.
Okay, now for my most embarrassing moment (so far) in Ukraine. Yesterday afternoon, while Daniel got started at the Internet cafe, I headed for an indoor/outdoor market nearby to find a new coat. Overall, I've been pretty comfortable here, but the temperature is dropping. Anyway, you have to know that prices can be a little confusing here for the novice. In the morning we had gone to a pharmacy and asked for cold medicine. The lady brought us two boxes, one of nose spray and one of some tablets, and then showed us the price on her calculator. 2'670 Daniel and I looked at each other wondering. The exchange rate is 5.8 Rivna to the dollar. Surely, she was not charging hundreds of dollars for these two little boxes. So we guessed where the decimal ought to be, handed her a bill, and she gave us our change. The actual price came out to about $6.
Fast forward to the market, now, as I attempt to buy a coat. I saw one that was quite nice and asked to try it on. After the lady found the right size, I indicated that I didn't know the price and needed her to write it down for me. She put 2250 on her calculator. Once again, I was trying to quickly sort this out. One way was too good to be true; another was more than I'd ever pay for a coat even back home. So I guessed. I handed her 300 Rivna, thinking this was appropriate (the actual price was US $600). She started laughing, and turned to another lady to explain what had happened. That lady started laughing, and so on and so on. I provided much humor for these vendors. To make matters worse, I tried to say "I don't understand. I'm sorry" (like this wasn't already obvious) and instead, I said "I don't understand. Good morning." Let's just say I left the market very quickly and I have no new coat.
There you have it. Are you still on your chair?
Daniel was even embarrassed when I told him, and he wasn't with me. I told him that if we pass a little Asian lady on the street and she bursts out laughing, he'll know who I dealt with.
It's good to laugh in the middle of all the adoption ups and downs.
No new news as far as paperwork. May the standstill end today so we can say something productive happened by the weekend. Otherwise, this is sort of our lost week in Ukraine.
Blessings to you all.
I thought I'd share some detail about our living arrangements, the general area we live in,
and some history.
Our flat is a Soviet era one-bedroom, one bathroom unit. The building is five stories tall and quite long and we have not quite figured out the layout overall so I don't know how many units total.
It is a concrete structure, but all of the plumbing is visible in the flat (makes for easy repairs).
At one base corner of the building, their is a very small grocery store where we can get fresh bread every morning, and other basics.
Out our kitchen window, we can see the Dnipr River (largest river in Ukraine) and off to the left, the Park of Glory, where there are several monuments related to various wars, including WWII and the Soviet/Afghanistan war.
The city is quite a mix of old and new. We see Toyota and Subaru SUVs mingled among the little Lada sedans, and many elderly babushkas (grandmas) going about their traditional roles while very modernly dressed younger people stroll about.
I was reading more about the babushkas this morning while we waited for our ride to the orphanage. Basically, they are all the elderly widows of Ukraine (and other former Soviet areas).
Their husbands were among 20,000,000 people lost in the Soviet areas during WWII. The monthly pension these women are expected to survive on is 750 Rivna ($120 US). Obviously, this is not possible, so they are out all the time, working in different ways to make a little more money. We see them sweeping the gutters and streets with hand-made brooms, selling various items such as flowers and sunflower seeds, or just holding cups out in busy stairways, hoping for donations. Very sad. Here in Ukraine, it is expected that both parents will work outside the home, so children are raised primarily by their grandmothers. Newly married couples almost always start out living with parents. We are struck by the fact that there is obvious poverty and the nation as a whole, for many reasons, hasn't really gotten on its feet since gaining independence in 1991, yet most younger individuals have a cell phone, expensive western items such as name brand clothes, etc. Quite a contrast.
Okay, now for my most embarrassing moment (so far) in Ukraine. Yesterday afternoon, while Daniel got started at the Internet cafe, I headed for an indoor/outdoor market nearby to find a new coat. Overall, I've been pretty comfortable here, but the temperature is dropping. Anyway, you have to know that prices can be a little confusing here for the novice. In the morning we had gone to a pharmacy and asked for cold medicine. The lady brought us two boxes, one of nose spray and one of some tablets, and then showed us the price on her calculator. 2'670 Daniel and I looked at each other wondering. The exchange rate is 5.8 Rivna to the dollar. Surely, she was not charging hundreds of dollars for these two little boxes. So we guessed where the decimal ought to be, handed her a bill, and she gave us our change. The actual price came out to about $6.
Fast forward to the market, now, as I attempt to buy a coat. I saw one that was quite nice and asked to try it on. After the lady found the right size, I indicated that I didn't know the price and needed her to write it down for me. She put 2250 on her calculator. Once again, I was trying to quickly sort this out. One way was too good to be true; another was more than I'd ever pay for a coat even back home. So I guessed. I handed her 300 Rivna, thinking this was appropriate (the actual price was US $600). She started laughing, and turned to another lady to explain what had happened. That lady started laughing, and so on and so on. I provided much humor for these vendors. To make matters worse, I tried to say "I don't understand. I'm sorry" (like this wasn't already obvious) and instead, I said "I don't understand. Good morning." Let's just say I left the market very quickly and I have no new coat.
There you have it. Are you still on your chair?
Daniel was even embarrassed when I told him, and he wasn't with me. I told him that if we pass a little Asian lady on the street and she bursts out laughing, he'll know who I dealt with.
It's good to laugh in the middle of all the adoption ups and downs.
No new news as far as paperwork. May the standstill end today so we can say something productive happened by the weekend. Otherwise, this is sort of our lost week in Ukraine.
Blessings to you all.
2 comments:
That is interesting stuff... Despite the delays it sounds that your filling the time nicely. I hope you get good news SOON, and an affordable coat :)
tee-hee, at least you were polite with the "Ya ne panamyoo!"
I do remember waiting in Ukraine, and although we struggle waiting for our travel dates, at least we are home with our family and familiar routines! HUGS and Blessings today for you both!
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