The Internet

Despite what many people think, Ukraine is NOT a third-world country and we do have such luxuries as running water and the Internet. Or, a lot of people have the Internet. Alex, at the moment, does not. (I do.) You see, last night Roman was trying to connect Alex's ipod to the Internet using a computer-to-computer network on Alex's computer. And then he really fucked up Alex's Internet. None of us could fix it last night and this morning Alex called the Internet provider. "We'll come by at 4:30," the guy said, "but it's going to cost you." Alex reported this to me when he got off the phone. Then he smiled. "Ten Grieven." (A little more than a dollar.)

And that's how things go. Labor is SO CHEAP here I can't believe it... which sort of sucks for everyone since you can't buy a cup of coffee with 10 Grieven.

Maybe we should get a housekeeper.

The Truth About Cross-Cultural Relationships

So far I've found basically all Ukrainians unusually pleasant. Until tonight. Alex's friend Nastya (Since I already know a Nastya, let's call her Anastacia, her full name.) has been dyinngg to meet me and calls almost every day trying to set something up. Finally, today, we decided to go over to her place for a little Cognac-infused get together. By the time we got there everyone was drunk and Nastya was very nice to me. She's a professional plane-jumper-outer-person and showed me her medals and a poster of herself. She also said nice things about me to Alex. I stumbled in conversation with the other people there and one guy in particular creeped me out. I think he was on drugs and he kept asking me political questions in a hybrid bad English and way-too-fast Russian. His first question: Do you like Ukraine? I answered yes and he grilled me about how I could possibly like it here when the president blah blah blah. It was very uncomfortable. Anyway, as the night went on there was a lot of arguing going on at the table and I sensed I had something to do with it because Sargay kept telling me that "it's ok". Well... apparently sweet like Anastacia suddenly decided that she hates America and hates Americans and couldn't understand why Sasha would be with one. Everyone stood to defend me, and by the end of the night she was very apologetic about the outburst, but it brought out a good point that I avoid thinking about: A lot of people are NEVER going to accept Alex and me being together. On the outside, they might, but deep down a lot of people, in America and in Ukraine, are going to have a problem with it. I witnessed it in America and of course it works the other way. Americans aren't exactly loved across the world, even post-election... and I know a lot of people here question why he didn't settle down with a nice Ukrainian girl.

It depresses me. Alex is a good person. I like to think of myself as a good person. We're in love. Shouldn't that be enough for EVERYONE ELSE? Or maybe I shouldn't care, but as much as I try to forget it... it still bothers me quite a bit.

OBAMA (Cade, don't read this)

Obama is president. Yesterday was the first day I felt homesick because I seriously wanted to be in America for such a historic event. Alex and I ended up watching the inauguration streaming on the Internet. The quality sort of sucked, but I got the picture. I was screaming and clapping and Alex was giggling at me and mom was trying to Skype me.

Yesterday was a big day for America and it was a really big day for all of us who have been working so hard the past 8 years to get a bloody Democrat in the White House. The only time in my life I have ever truly felt depressed was the week after Bush was "reelected". I just walked around in this horrible daze feeling... hopeless. I remember some acquaintance came up to me while I was walking to class a few days after the 2004 election and asked me, "How are you?" Instead of the typical, "Oh, I'm fine." I was like, "Absolutely terrible." And then I walked away.

And here we are, four years later, and I want to run up to Ukrainians on the street and shake them and ask if they understand how amazing yesterday was.

(Side story: I was talking to Alex's friend Vara about politics yesterday and he told me he supports Democracy with some facets of communism and when he said that I laughed because that word still seems so... taboo... to me. I was surprised by my own reaction.)

One of the first things I thought about yesterday was the bumper sticker Mason had on his car that just had the date 1-20-08 on it. It seemed kind of unreal that it was that day. And not a moment too soon.

One thing makes me nervous though, and maybe this is totally rediculous, but there was this old Russian witch way back when who told the future and the last thing she ever predicted was, "The first black American president will be the last American president." Everyone keeps talking about it here and it terrifies me. What's happening with our world that makes that seem like it could be a possibility?

Good luck, Barack.

Moda Ukraine

So what's in fashion in Ukraine? I asked myself, and Sasha, this question many times before I arrived and got no good answer. If you happen to be planning a trip to this lovely part of Eastern Europe in the winter, here's what you should wear:

If you're a:

Baboushka (which means grandmother, not head scarf):
A long real-fur coat or a fur-trimmed winter coat in a strange color like that mauvey pink color that people wore in 1990. A light-colored wool hat. Flat, calf-high boots. A sweater, perhaps hand-knit. Pants. Not jeans or sweatpants. Also, curl your hair.

Old guys: Old Soviet-type trench coats and a fur hat.

Young guy: Black winter jacket, possibly with a fur-lined hood. Relatively tight jeans that are dark washed with accents and weird little pieces of metal. Tight designer sweaters or tight-fitting sweatshirts with, again, little pieces of weird metal everywhere. Cut your hair very short and always wear a black hat.

Young girl: Tall boots all the time except when in a house and then you wear slippers. Corduroy pants that hit just above your tall boot. Tight jeans tucked into your tall boots. A fur coat or a fur-collared coat. A fur hat. Anything so slutty it makes you gasp. Weird pieces of metal can be added to any of these items clothing.

Baby: Babies never leave their sleds. Just need to wear something warm.

Babies & What To Wear

Yesterday morning we got a call that one of Alex's friends just had a baby. According to tradition this means the couple's closest friends get together and eat Oliviera (Russian salad) and drink vodka with the father. The mother is still in the hospital which I find very unfair. Alexandr better be holding my hand in that hospital room until I come home. I'm not even sure if I'll allow him to leave to get coffee. (This is my hypothetical future pregnancy by the way.) Anyway, we were supposed to get picked up at 8 pm, but at 5:30 his other friends call us and tell us they will be there in half an hour. At the time Alex and I were sprawled out on the bed un-showered.

Which brings me to What To Wear:

Alex left in half an hour (being a guy he can get ready in 30 minutes) and they agreed to go shopping and then meet me in another half hour. I showered and began to get dressed which ended up with me throwing every outfit I own (not a whole lot here) on the bed and standing in front of the mirror naked. Finally I decided on a little black dress, sweater and tall black boots. And then I changed my mind and put on a jean skirt instead. What do you wear to a yay-you-had-a-baby-party. When Alex got home I asked him if what I was wearing was okay (often when I ask that he says no. You're wearing heels to go sledding? Those are summer jeans, it is -25C out... Won't that jacket get dirty (you know what I'm talking about, Jackie).) Anyway he says "you look beautiful" but then we get out the door and he says "Maybe you should have just worn jeans, you're going to be cold."

Okay, so, basically I dress incorrectly for every occasion all the time. When we went snowboarding in Karpati, Oksana was like "Wow that is the first time I've seen you dress appropriately (in snowpants)." Clearly this is because I never understand what we're doing and Alex never seems to tell me until we're leaving the apartment. Maybe I should start asking before I get dressed. Or having him dress me.

Anyway, back to the baby.

We had a nice little party at the house of the new parents but I couldn't get over the fact that the father wasn't with his wife.

In conclusion, I refuse to have a kid anywhere but America and I need to a new wardrobe.

Sasha Neit Doma & A History Lesson

"Sasha neit doma" ... that's what I have to say when I answer the phone and Alex isn't around. Yesterday someone hung up on me. No one knows what to do with my lack of Russian. My Russian is coming along... it really is. I know a lot of words now and Alex is always quizzing me with these little piles of yellow flash cards littered all over the apartment. I'm really glad to be learning Russian but, of course, things aren't going as quickly as I'd like. I still can't, like TALK. Which I really really really want.

Which brings me to a point that isn't really related. Ukrainian versus Russian. A lot of Americans I talk to don't even realize Ukrainian is a language Here's the deal: (At least as I understand it...)

Ukraine was, not so long ago, in the Soviet Union, right? And that meant they spoke Russian here. Now, during the period and currently Ukraine was relatively split, East and West; with the east being closer to Russia and the West being closer to Poland. The Ukrainian language stayed strong in the West part of Ukraine, but virtually disappeared in the East (and the south by the Black Sea I'm fairly sure). When the Soviet Union broke, Ukraine was eager to reinstate their language. In cities like Chernigov (where I live... Chernihiv in Ukrainian) Russian schools transitioned to Ukrainian schools and suddenly Ukrainian wasn't just a language they learned in school, it was the language they were taught in. In Western Ukraine this was less of a problem since people still spoke Ukrainian at home. Now many people there don't speak Russian at all, or just as a "second" language. In East Ukraine they are still having transition problems. Newspapers, official documents and schools are all in Ukrainian, but people still speak Russian and, in fact, most people don't seem to speak Ukrainian very well. When we were in East Ukraine, of 20 people Alex was the only who spoke Ukranian well. (When he was little he spent a lot of time in the summer with his grandmother in West Ukraine.) Children tend to have a difficult time in school because, although they are exposed to Ukranian, they speak Russian at home and may not have parents who speak Ukrainian at all (We were watching some making the band type of show yesterday and there was this controversy because out of 5 girls, 4 of them didn't speak Ukrainian at all which they judges didn't think was OK for a Ukrainian reality show.) and then they are in school and suddenly everything is in Ukrainian. When I talked to Alex about this he seemed to think it wasn't an issue but I talked to his friend's wife, who has an 8-year-old daughter and she thought it was a huge problem for the kids.

Interesting, eh?

Russian Music Videos...

I am obsessed with the music tv channel here... Maybe because it is the only channel I understand... but I think it is becoming an unhealthy obsession. This is my favorite song (wait it through until the talking stops... it is very catchy):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXSGfCeOL7k

Sleeshish?