12 Days of Kiev.

Ah, the holidays. No matter where you are, there always seems to be more things to do than one has time to do. And here, it's no different. This is true even though December 25th here is just an ordinary working day.

In Kiev, and the whole of Ukraine, the big holiday is New Years Day, January 1st. In pre-Soviet times, January 7th was Orthodox Christmas and January 14th was Orthodox New Year, when compared to the celebrated dates in western Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Early during the Soviet era, the switch was made from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, dropping 14 days, and bringing the civil calendars into sync with most of the remainder of Europe. Later during the Soviet era, religious celebrations were discouraged or suppressed, and in some cases, replaced with a civil holiday instead. Because of the religious background of Christmas, official state celebrations were moved to January 1st, and continues to this day.

So, January 1st, in western terms, is Christmas Day and New Years Day combined. December 25th is a normal working day for most people. Orthodox Christmas and Orthodox New Years are strictly religious holidays. (What a concept. Christmas as a religious holiday).

All of this is just a long way to introduce my year end photo retrospective, the 12 days of Kiev. It's 12 of my best photos of the year from Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine. Please visit it here.

Have a happy holiday, whichever holiday it is that you celebrate, and I look forward to seeing you next year here at My Kiev Journal.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, Kyiv

Ukrainian Folk Remedy #1.

It's common that societies and groups with a history going back many hundreds of years or more all have a fair share of folk remedies. And Ukraine is no exception. While there is certainly any number of "modern" remedies available in drugstores, other remedies are often readily available, and often worth a try.

I first became familiar with folk remedies several decades ago while in South Korea. I was using some of the familiar western creams and gels for a particularly difficult rash, but with minimal results. A Korean friend suggested rubbing garlic on it. Ouch! That sounded painful, and it certainly stung for a while. But what do you know. It cleared up the rash much more quickly than the modern remedies did. Now, I'm not suggesting rubbing garlic indiscriminately on just any rash. There are some that will no doubt not react as well as my rash did. But the point is, there are other remedies, some more effective than the modern ones.

So, what's the Ukrainian folk remedy? Cabbage for gout. Yes, I know it sound silly, but even after prior successes with folk remedies, I was skeptical of this one. What could cabbage possibly do? Here's how it works. Take a leaf or two off a head of cabbage, tenderize it with a meat hammer to break up the fibers and get the juices flowing, and wrap it around the affected area. Wrap a cloth around it to keep it in place, and put a sock on over it to keep it warm. (Assuming it's big toe gout, as it is a vast number of times). Then go to bed for the night. With a little luck, the next morning your gout will be less painful. You may need to do this several times over a period of days for greater relief.

Now, I was taking one or more of the usual remedies at the same time, the allopurinol, or the indothemacin, and so some would argue that cabbage had nothing to do with the eventual relief. All I can say to you is "try it". It's known that some remedies that work for some people do not work for others. If it works for you, great. If it does not, don't close your mind to other folk remedies for other conditions. People have suffered pain throughout history; it's normal that people, over time, found remedies in the environment around them to make their existence more pleasurable.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, folk remedies

15th Annual Christmas Charity Drive.

Last Saturday, the International Women's Club of Kiev (IWCK) held it's 15th annual Christmas charity drive, raising (at last count) $75,000 USD for charities. But I'm not writing about the charity per se. It was at this event last year that I first recognized that as a foreigner in Ukraine, I'm often privy to information that the average Kievan never hears about.

I first attended this event last year, having found out about it from friends in the international community. I had been in the country only 15 months at the time. My wife had been in the country well before the IWCK held their first event, and never during the first 13 years knew it existed. But I hear about it not long after my arrival. And, I'm sure that as a foreigner that I'm also equally uninformed about just about everything that goes on in this city.

I guess it's normal after all. During my time in the states, I was equally clueless to numerous neighborhood and cultural events going on right under my nose. I paid attention to what interested me, and a little research turned up almost everything I needed or wanted. But yet, wouldn't it be nice to really know everything that's going on around you? If you just knew it was there, maybe you would find out after all that it does interest you, or that others are interested in the same obscure things that you are? Even if you are 5000 miles from where you called home most of your life.

Technorati Tags: Kiev Basics, Christmas, Kiev Life, Kyiv

Minor Celebrities in our Own Right.

Sometimes you try hard to get attention, but it just doesn't come. Other times, attention finds you without hardly trying. My wife and I find ourselves in the second situation.

I've been here in Kiev a bit over two years. My wife, decades longer. And in my former life back in the states, I never had much attention come my way. But now it's coming, from places thats maybe not too surprising, and from places that make you wonder, huh?

The first source of celebrity is of my own making. In 2005 and 2006, our family celebrated the US holiday Thanksgiving. And yes, it's a lot of work, since some typical Thanksgiving stuff is not readily available here. So this year, I suggested we might want to tone it down a bit; maybe invite a few less people than last year. But everyone who attended in the past most certainly wanted to attend again and we had to abandon the thought of scaling it back.

The second source of our celebrity came about in a more unusual fashion. I submitted an ad to the Kyiv Post, the English language newspaper in Kiev via email, and at the bottom of the email I included links to my websites, something I include on most outgoing emails. Well, someone at the paper clicked through to my websites, and figured that I would work well for an informal email interview. So just last week, on Thanksgiving no less, there I was, featured in the Kyiv Post.

The third source came quite unexpected, out of nowhere. We got several reports from my wife's family and friends, and her father's coworkers, that my wife and I were recently on TV. And not just a random stroll in the park picked up by a wandering TV crew. No, it was our wedding, on TV, 18 months after it happened.

In the states, this just wouldn't happen. Participants would have to be tracked down and paperwork signed and lawyers consulted. No, it seems a major Kiev TV station wanted to do a report on foreigners getting married to locals in Kiev. And out likely hundreds they could have tracked down, the ended up with ours. How? Likely from the videographer who took video of our wedding. Neither the videographer nor the TV station felt the need to track us down, and why should they? Apparently they are not required to. Still, having only gotten second hand reports that our wedding was on TV, it's hard not to feel a little bit violated, since neither of us really know what was being said about us, or whether we were treated a bit like a circus sideshow.

But that's how things often go in Ukraine, and elsewhere, no doubt.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Life

The $20 Turkey and other Holiday Tales.

One way to lessen the transition from one culture to another is to continue to celebrate some of the important dates that were unique to your previous culture. One of the most American of holidays is Thanksgiving, and this will be our third year celebrating it here in Kiev.

There are often challenges to celebrating a holiday from a prior culture in a different country. Since most celebrations involve food, you may find yourself looking for foods that are not common, or are out of season. The quintessential Thanksgiving food is turkey, but finding turkey in Kiev in November can be a challenge. We know now that the only real way to get one is to go to a supermarket a week in advance and have them obtain one for you. And expect to pay for the privilege.

Another challenge, should you accept it, is a traditional Thanksgiving pie, whether pumpkin or apple or something else. I haven't yet found pies like Mom used to make in the stores, so we've tried the make it yourself way. My wife, being native to this part of the world, does not have a recipe, so we went to American websites to find one. That was the easy part. Finding some of the ingredients to make the pie is not so easy. The one we have yet to find is shortening. Yes, vegetable shortening, like Crisco. It's something that Americans take for granted, but unheard of in these parts. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you, with the likely connection between hydrogenated oils, like vegetable shortening and heart disease. There are strict limits on hydrogenated oils in many parts of Europe, and some countries have banned them outright. But it's just another challenge to overcome.

Another is that while Thanksgiving and often the next day are days off in the US, both are normal working days in most other countries. If you intend to invite others over for your celebration, remember that Friday evening will be a lot more convenient for most guests. And maybe for you too.

The challenge to maintaining traditions from your prior country of residence comes down to this: Plan early, be flexible, and accept that it may not be exactly what you've been accustomed to.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, Kyiv, old traditions, Ukraine

First Snow, then a Second, and a ...

Ah, a theme I can't resist revisiting on occasion. The weather.

The bottom fell out on fall temperatures two weeks ago, leading to an early, and hopefully, temporary onslaught of winter. Yet, it has been two weeks now, so who knows?

The first week bought some light flurries several days, followed by an early snow storm. In fact, this was the biggest one day snow since I've been here. This was followed by another day or two of light flurries, followed by a steadier and heavier snow last Friday.

But there are positives to it. Just look at this picture I took last Friday.

Technorati Tags: winter, Kiev Photos, Kiev Weather, Kyiv, Kiev

Street Dogs.

Two years ago it was a lot more common than it is now. Dogs living on the streets of Kiev. While it is sad, it is probably not unexpected that when a family hits hard times, the pet is the first to go. But dogs roaming the streets are always potential problems. They may step out in front of cars, scare children, and carry rabies.

It was made clear to me a few weeks ago that while the Kiev authorities have come a long way with this problem, the problem is still here. A few weeks ago I was Khreshchaty Park, near the Ukraine and Russia Unification Statue, when four large dogs came rushing at me out of nowhere. From their behavior, they very much seemed to be acting as a pack. While even domesticated dogs are pack animals, where their human family comprises their pack, once set out on the streets, their normal behavior is to roam the streets by themselves, avoiding humans as much as possible.

While I am no expert in canine behavior, it seems to me that after an extended period on the streets, dogs may revert to pack behavior with other dogs, more commonly if they mate and have offspring. My guess is that this process would happen over a year or more. So my question is: What are four dogs, clearly showing pack behavior, doing loose in one of the highly populated parks in Kiev, late on a Saturday afternoon, not far from areas where children congregate en masse? I might be able to understand it early in the morning, since there are numerous islands, minimally inhabited, in the Dnepr River, some of them connected to the main parts of the city via footbridges. They could have entered the populated city areas this way. But come on. Someone must have seen these dogs' behavior hours before I witnessed it; someone must have reported it to someone, someone should have been dispatched to look into the problem, but yet, here they were, late on a Saturday afternoon, acting in a very menacing manner, not to all people, but to certain people.

Come on, Kiev authorities. I'm sure by now you've gotten these dogs. The question is, did someone fall asleep on the job this day? Are they still working for you? If so, why?

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kyiv

I'm Big. I'm Black. I'm Big and Black.

No, I'm not talking of how physically large a person is, nor the color of their skin. I'm talking about how people apparently self-rate their importance on Kiev streets.

In the US, whenever you saw the big vehicles drive by with only a driver, you always joked that the driver was trying to compensate for a shortcoming elsewhere. Unless the driver was a woman. She must be compensating for some other type of shortcoming.

In Kiev, the top self-ranking goes to the "big and black". Everyone who owns a "big and black" definitely believes they are important. So, traffic rules can be ignored when the situation dictates. And they expect you to recognize their importance too. They will drive up the wrong side of the road if space permits, and sometimes if it doesn't. When they must merge back into traffic, they may sometimes signal their intention, but most often, they will just force their way over. If you just knew how important they are, you would immediately yield the right of way, or incur their anger. This also goes for making right turns from the left lane, or vice versa. Not surprisingly, they are just your common, ordinary road bullies, and will fume and sulk if they don't get their way. Out on the highway, they drive at a high rate of speed with their lights on, and when they come up behind you and blink their headlights two or three times, you just know they're important.

I've heard people here have pity on people driving old Soviet Ladas or Zhigulis should they be in an accident with someone "important". But my experience is different. Nine out of ten accidents I've seen in this town involve only cars that are big, are black, or big and black. People driving old Soviet models are content to leave enough time for the trip and take their time. Only people too important to follow the rules are involved in accidents, or so it seems.

Hey here's a thought. If you must be somewhere in an hour, leave an hour to get there. I'm really not all that impressed at you or your driver needs to compensate for your personal shortcomings.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, Kyiv, Kiev roads, Ukraine Traditions

Life at the End of the World - Photoblog.

I've made several photo postings to My Kiev Journal in the past, but getting photos on to this site and positioned correctly is just a pain sometimes. Even then, they're usually too small for my liking, and surrounded by text and all the other stuff normally found on a blog. So, I've created a photoblog as a showcase for my photos. It's just a better way to post and show photos, in my opinion. There are shortcomings to the photoblog though. The biggest being that I can only post one photo per day. Oh well.

"Life at the End of the World" is the name of my photoblog. Since "Ukraine" loosely means "borderland," I felt the name appropriate. And, in the context of the late "Cold War," Ukraine was quite literally "beyond the end of the world." At least for most Americans it was.

If a photo is related to a post here on My Kiev Journal, then the photo will continue to be posted along with the post. However, if it's just photography for photography's sake, then these pictures will be posted to the photoblog.

My photoblog will highlight my Kiev and Ukraine photography, but will also include photos taken long before I came to Kiev.

Click here to visit, or click the link under "Must See Blogging" or the "My Photoblog" link on the top of the page.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Photos, Kyiv, Photos, Photoblog

Sofia of Uman. A charmed life; a cursed life.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend the day at Sofiyivsky Park in Uman. The park is listed as one of the seven wonders of Ukraine, and is considered to be an outstanding example of European landscape garden design. Here is the story of Sofia, who inspired it.

Count Felix Pototsky began construction on what would later be known as Sofiyivka Park in 1798 as a gift to his new bride, the legendary beauty Sofia. Sofia had been born in Greece, then was sold into slavery by her parents while 12 years old. The Polish Ambassador to Turkey bought her as a gift for the Polish King Stanislaw August; however, while traveling back through Ukraine she met the son of the Polish army commander, Jozef Witte, who fell in love with the 15 year old and bought her from the ambassador. The newly married Madame Witte quickly became a celebrated society figure among the Polish gentry. She soon took up delivering diplomatic mail and was rumored to use the opportunity to spy for the Polish king as well as Catherine the Great.

Sofia eventually left her husband and two children but was soon remarried to the Polish Count Pototsky in Uman. He adored Sofia and designed the park as a memorial to her beauty and incorporated in it the mythology of ancient Greece. The 400 acre park has it's own Isle of Lesbos, a terrace of the Muses, red poppy Elysian fields, a Cretan labyrinth, and an underground stream called Styx. Long before the park was finished, the Count uncovered an affair between his son from his first marriage and Sofia. Brokenhearted, he grew seriously ill. Sofia supposedly spent two days on her knees begging for his forgiveness, but the count died without forgiving her. She finished the park herself during a brief affair with the Russian Count Potemkin, then lived out her days in melancholy. The fact that a freak earthquake pushed her graveyard out of the Uman churchyard has the locals convinced that she was a witch.

Please go to my photoblog "Life at the Edge of the World" for photos. There will be more photos on an ongoing basis.

Technorati Tags: autumn, Photos, Ukraine, Uman