Working in Ukraine.

Even though things in general still cost less here than in many parts of the world, unless one is independently wealthy (I wish!!), you will at some point have to deal with making some money. It's not that cheap here. Although there are any number of jobs available for people who know English, including the ever popular "English Teacher, Native Speaker", there are other options. But finding them can be a daunting task if you don't know where to start and you don't know the local language. So, here are a few places you can start. These websites, although mostly in the Ukrainian and/or Russian, have numerous job listings looking for people who know English, and so these jobs are often posted in English.

So, here are a few places to begin. I just set up a search on each site to bring back all job listings that include the word "English". If you see Киев in the listing, you are looking at a job in Kiev.

Rabota.ua

JOB.ukr.net

bigmir.net

Headhunter.ua

Now although there are numerous jobs posted in English, this does not mean that as a foreigner, you can get a job and start working, no questions asked. There often are legal issues involved, generally about whether there are Ukrainians qualified to do the job. There often will be.

Happy Hunting!!

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Working in Kiev

No Regrets.

As early as 2000, I had given some thought to going overseas to find a wife. The reasons for a decision like this is never easy, and certainly complicated. But it was a certainty that if I were going to find a wife in the states, it would have happened by then. One can spend one's life striking your head against the same wall over and over again, or one can choose to try a different approach. Even I though myself a bit crazy when I first travelled to Ukraine in 2004, but it was truly an adventure of a lifetime, and a chance for a new life. I would do it again in an instant.

So no, I have no regrets.

Is it right for everyone? In a word, No. But here are some statistics to think about if you've ever even though about it for a minute.

But first a note. While the following article mentions Russian women, the same information applies to Ukraine. Why? Because, being next door to Russia, there are many Russian women here. Many consider themselves more Russian than Ukrainian. Including my wife.

Now for the stats.....

1. 79% of Russian women seeking to meet foreign men have never been married.

2. 64% are younger than 30 years of age. Be very attentive with Russian women who are over thirty, and have never been married. These women have pragmatic minds. They have learned many lessons in life, and they may not be as simple as they might appear in the beginning.

3. 90% of the women have higher educations, 12% even have two higher degrees. Many are professionals.

4. 69% of the women have no children.

5. Though almost all Russian women work (or are studying to acquire a profession), only 25% of them have jobs connected with their diplomas. It is so difficult for women to find a well-paying job. Therefore they have to take up any decent paying job to survive. This is a clear indication that Russian women are hard-working, resourceful and often have to rely on themselves in order to survive.

6. Why are they interested in foreign men?

• 49% claimed that they are fed up with Russian men.
• 58% believe that foreign men are more serious about their role in family than Russian men.
• 37% believe that international marriage will help them improve the quality of their lives and their future child's life.
• 93% will marry only when they know for sure they love the man.

Most Russian women have had unpleasant experiences with Russian men. They believe that foreigners are kinder and more caring, more family-oriented and more organized and serious in their life decisions.

7. When describing the type of man they are looking for, they used the following words:

• 86% of the women used the word "kind"
• 68% used the word "caring"
• 59% would like to find a man who is "family-oriented" and loves children
• 31% are looking for physically strong and fit men, who like sport
• 32% are seeking for "serious" men
• 6% would like to have "practically thinking" husbands
• 6% would like to meet handsome and charming men
• 0% mentioned the word "sexy"

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Life, Kyiv, new beginning

Seven House Calls in Eight Days.

One concern that always arises when you choose to move from one place to another is the quality of health care at your new home. And you don't even have to change countries to have this concern!

Whether your new health care is a pleasant surprise or a nightmare in waiting usually depends on your opinion of your current health care. The better it currently is, the more concerned you will be about health care in your new country.

Health care in the USA is often viewed among Americans as the best there is. No surprise there, since the medical and political establishments heavily promotes it as the best, while never missing a trick to denigrate health care elsewhere. This, of course, assumes that you are among the lucky who actually qualify for the top level health care. If you are among those who get the lower tier care, or no care at all, you may think different, if you can get beyond the propaganda. And in ever increasing numbers, Americans are viewing the current health care system as being in critically ill condition. Me, through most of my adult life, received health care at a higher level than most. So, you'd think I'd be sorely disappointed with health care here in Ukraine... and you'd be wrong.

During the recent flu epidemic, we had doctors visit our house seven times in eight days. Two times for me, two times for my wife, and three times for our son. The minimum time at our house each time was 1/2 hour. And our son, unfortunately, was also in the hospital for two days. My wife and son, being fully qualified for the national health care plan here, had minimal paperwork to hassle with. And even though their medications were generally not covered, they paid nowhere near what medications would cost in the states. The hospitals here, yes, are disappointing. Many date to the Soviet era and have had minimal expenditures or additional capital infusions since. They not only look old; they are old. And you have to supply your own housekeeping. Food? Bring your own. Blankets, sheets, towels? Bring your own again. But by bringing your own, it's a sure deal you'll pay a lot less than you would in a US medical center, where typical rooms and meals cost more than a five star hotel and restaurant. And for a child, one parent should expect to be there in attendance, since you will be doing things a paid hospital staff would be doing in the USA. But the medical care was good.

Me, I'm covered differently here, since I don't yet qualify for the national plan. So, I am required to buy an emergency plan for the national health care, at around $100 a year. Yes, a year. But this only covers emergencies. I also have a supplemental plan, which covers more of the routine things the national emergency coverage doesn't. At around $100 a month, it's much less than I would expect to pay in the states on an individual plan, if I could even qualify. My only hope would be getting a job that offered the coverage. Until now, I've had good fortune in that regard. But that never last forever.

More on health care in future posts....

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, Kyiv, health care

Sorry for the lack of news.

Wow, this is only my second entry this year. That was never my intent.

I hope to pick up the pace again soon with news of and about Kiev. Stay tuned....

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kyiv

Ukrainian & Russian Orthodox Epiphany.

Or, as I sometimes refer to it, Insanity as a Spectator Sport.

My wife told me about this event two years ago, but I guess you really have to be there to believe it.

While living in NJ, I remember many times seeing the "Polar Bears" taking an icy swim in the Atlantic on NYC TV. I seemed to remember that it was Russian emigrees who partook of this activity. But on TV, it always seem to be just a few "kooks" doing it. And for one reason or another, I don't remember any mention of a religious aspect to this activity. Maybe TV didn't like the idea of associating religion and swimming in icy weather. Might shed a negative light on religion, I guess. The religious event is the Russian Orthodox Epiphany (probably Ukrainian Orthodox too). The temperature Saturday, a disappointingly mild 26F. Two years ago it was -6F.

I'm sure that in NYC it probably was a rather small happening. Not here...



Setting up the fireworks:





And the religious aspect:



Later, President Yushenko came and took a dip in the icy water himself. Don't have a picture of that, though. Anything to appeal to the religious voters...

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