September 16, 2002
Dear All,
I have arrived here, meaning Kiev, on September 1st. Leaving Manoj alone in London is rather depressing. Next day, Monday September 2nd, I went to my host organization's office. Somehow they got this strange idea that I can work as a part of legal team. I simply can’t believe it. Out of FOUR of my degrees they have decided that I should work with my oldest one. I have TWO master’s degrees and I am still being put into a legal team. It did not work out very well. First of all, Russian law is very different from Ukrainian. Second, I have never worked with land laws or any agricultural laws in any language or country. So I pretty much know nothing about it. Third, and most important, I don’t know Ukrainian language. It IS different language. It is NOT Russian. I can’t read it. I can guess somewhat what it says, but I don’t understand half of it. Anyhow I have spend three days reading legal documents in Ukrainian, which did not cure my depression. After that I got two days off for apartment search.
As you recall one of last year’s interns posted a note that he is leaving with this wonderful Ukrainian family that would love to have another intern for next 6 months. I though what a lovely idea – two hundred dollars and I don’t have to worry about food, washing and looking for a place. The reality was VERY different from description. First of all, Keith is a nice guy but he’s got quite an imagination and he can’t hear. So, sounds don’t bother him. On the contrary I am very sensitive to sounds. So that family was getting up at five in the morning, and so was I. Considering that I am not a morning person (by any means) that did not make me happy. The place was also run down. I simply could not live there. One week of total stress, few phone calls to real estate agent, few hundred dollars less in my wallet and I moved to a nice ‘odnokomnatnaja’ apartment near Pechorsk (quite central Kiev). It is a one room apartment newly redecorated with all new furniture and appliances. Not much place for guests since it has only one bed, but just perfect for me. I finally have a place where I can live for next seven months, and if someone decides to visit I’ll figure something out.
The next stage of the show was my organization sending me to their other office in Kherson for three days. Don’t get me wrong – Kherson is rather nice place. It is just remote. The overnight train journey was not nearly as bad as I feared it to be. Actually it was quite all right. I have spend three days going around farms of southern Ukraine trying to persuade Ukrainian farmers that there is no need to make a proper Ukrainian out of me – meaning I don’t drink gorilka (homemade vodka). At the end I had to settle on local wine, which happened to be not bad at all. Food there is great though. Everything is natural. Tomatoes smell like they suppose to. You can eat them like apples.
I was back to Kiev on September 12 just in time for ‘official’ CIDA arrival briefing. Few of other interns had their luggage lost so they were not in a particularly great mood. After very silly tour main Kiev street we were taken for ‘official’ dinner. Out of all places it had to be a proper Irish Pub: expensive and very slow. As if there are no nice places in Kiev where they serve Ukrainian food!
There are 13 interns including me. I am the only Russian there. 3 guys – one speaks Russian since he managed to spend 6 months studying it in St Petersburg, and two don’t speak either Russian or Ukrainian. Other 9 girls all belong to Ukrainian Diaspora – all know each other and all speak only Ukrainian and no Russian. Two of them will be out of Kiev. I really don’t see myself making good friend there. Though I guess I can hang out with the guys and couple of girls.
Out of two weeks I am here, I went clubbing twice. Really nice club too. There places to go out here. But you would not believe how girls dress here or how they jump at foreign guys. Guys here become very cynical. Any foreign guy can have pretty much any girl he wants or many or change them every week, which almost all of them end up doing.
Kiev is very beautiful city. Lots of fantastic churches. I think I am going to enjoy this aspect of Kiev. Last Sunday I went to the street where they sell souvenirs. There are so many nice things I want to buy. But Kiev is not particularly cheap. It is certainly cheaper than London, but prices are comparable to Toronto. Unfortunately my salary is not.
Coming back to the timeline: last Friday we had ‘official’ lunch at Canadian embassy. They really do take care about Canadians in Ukraine. Gave us lots of advices and suggestions. There is also a Canadian embassy pub night 2 times a month.
On Sunday we got conscripted by the UN to work for their Race for Life. They had organized a Run to get money for AIDS hospice in Kiev. I spend the whole day setting up table, doing registration, and giving away condoms. We even tried to give them to the policemen they were not keen to take them though. We even showed how to use them – on a bottle. It was fun.
So, today I am back in the office. I got an assignment that I think I actually can do. Some research on grain market and wheat boards. They gave me two weeks for it, so instead of working I am procrastinating and writing this e-mail. I will also be doing training on Rural Women Leadership Development. Can you imagine ME training somebody in gender issues. That was one of those topics I was never interested in. Now I am suppose to organize a seminar and a pep talk. And it actually sounds not bad.
I hope you all are not upset to get a collective e-mail. But you know I would have recycled it otherwise. So at least I am being honest. I am sorry I am not writing as often as I should, but I really don’t have time.
Let me know if either of you are coming to Kiev.
Take care,
Lidia
©Lidia Bhaskar, 2003