5 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT
LIVING IN UKRAINE
1.
Ukrainian Hospitality. The average Ukrainian might not have
a lot of money or fancy clothes or cars or gadgets around the house, but that
doesn’t stop them from welcoming you into their home and offering you a home
cooked meal—soup, a main course with lots of side dishes, dessert, and perhaps
some vodka. Generosity can be found
sometimes on a long overnight train as well; I’ve seen people bring enough
sausage, bread, and vegetables for all four people in the kupe (train
compartment).
This
gracious hospitality can be found in celebrations and at conferences as
well. In fact, usually things only get
repaired or renovated in preparation for an anniversary celebration or
conference. Foreign guests will be
greeted with Ukrainians in national costumes singing and dancing. Celebrations include attractively arranged
food and some kind of alcoholic drink.
But Ukrainians don’t get stinking drunk unless they are alcoholics. Alcohol is just a part of the celebration. Flowers and chocolate are also
important. I gave a talk at a
university in Lviv and got a bouquet of roses.
I went to a school in a small town and got a box of chocolates and
juice. I recorded my voice for a book
of children’s rhymes and again got chocolates.
I can’t imagine these things happening to me in America
under similar circumstances.
2.
Peaceful life. In the places I’ve lived in America,
I’ve always had to lock my doors and watch my back to make sure I didn’t get
kidnapped, raped, or killed. Even so
called “quiet” neighborhoods in America
have been turned upside down by horrific violence. Now on top of that, Americans have to worry about terrorism and
stock up on duct tape and bottled water.
In Ukraine,
as long as you are not a journalist or a member of the mafia, you are
safe. People don’t even worry about or
fear death as much. For example, it’s easy to hitchhike here, though it’s not
usually referred to as that. In Kharkiv
I used to hail “gypsy cabs” in all the time.
I would just put out my hand and wait for a car to stop, then tell him
where I’m going. For longer distances,
Ukrainians just wait by the side of a main road to their destination, and pay
the driver what they would have paid in bus fare. As for kidnapping, my friend Tina said a Ukrainian told her, “why
would anyone want to steal a child? They are so expensive to take care of and
you can get one for free at an orphanage.”
3.
Scenery. Several times I’ve had a chance to drive
through the countryside of Ukraine. I’ve seen rolling hillsides, steppes, and
farmland that if I could render them on a canvas I would. And on the side of the road in my picture
I’d put a man with a cap driving a one-horse or two-horse cart. Maybe I’d add a woman with a scarf selling
fruits and vegetables on the side of the road.
Or a similar-looking woman carrying her wares on her back in a giant
sheet. Of course there are also
beautiful gold-domed churches and opera houses and stone fortresses. The coast of the Black Sea
is beautiful, especially in Crimea. But it’s the countryside that is so
Ukrainian and so awesome to me.
4. The
Work. Some people may think that by living in Ukraine
I’ve forsaken America.
On the contrary. What I’ve done is pack
up my knowledge of American language, life, and culture in a suitcase and
brought it here to share with my students, many of whom have never met an
American and many of whom can’t even imagine the possibility of going to
America themselves. Quietly and gently
I teach them how things work in America
(or don’t work) and try to let them know that it is possible to change their
world for the better. And I’m learning
a lot about Ukrainian culture and what’s good about it in the process. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done with my
life so far.
5. The
Cost of Living. Okay, I have to be honest here. If I had to live in Ukraine
on my university salary of 50 U.S. dollars a month, I’d be a bitter and
depressed woman. And if I had to live in America
on what the State department gives me, I’d be on welfare or living in a trailer
park, or both. Even if I had a regular
career in ESL in the States, I wouldn’t be in the same socioeconomic class as I
am in Ukraine
in this program. I have a 3-room (2
bedroom) apartment to myself that costs me $80 a month. My favorite meal at the university café
costs me about $1. A roundtrip train to
Kyiv costs $10. Kyiv is very expensive,
and so is Odessa, but I can afford
to go there once in a while and splurge.
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