Best, Worst, Most unexpected thing about FSU

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

In Ukraine I had the opportunity to go to a swimming beach in Kiev. The changing booth was primitive but functional. While I waited for Valentina to change, I noticed an abundance of broken glass in the sand around the booth. I got a number of puzzled stares when I went to work picking up the glass and putting it in a trash can. They seem to not think it dignified to perform such an act of service in spite of the obvious danger in allowing the hazard to remain. In Russia I have not seen that attitude yet, maybe I just haven't been there enough.

Did you actually swim in the Dnieper River?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

One of my most interesting culture shock moments was on the Moscow Metro. As most of you know, Russians are pretty cold unless they know you. People would let the door just go as they walked in even if there was a babushka behind them. What surprised me more was how well the babushkas could stiff arm a door coming at them. Well, me being me, I would hold the door for people in the Metro instead of letting them contend with a heavy door in their face. It was great to see the reactions too. People would be looking down and realize something was odd. I could see in their faces that they thought I was some panhandler looking for money as they started to look up. Then that look changed to either confusion of bemusement when they realized I was an American. I even got a couple of awkward "spaseba's."

The best though was having a home cooked meal with the extended family. Made me appreciate families even more.

One thing I know is that Moscow, and to some extent St Petersburg, are completely different than the rest of Russia and/or the FSU. Kind of like making judgements about the USA based on the actions of people in NYC.

One of the things that struck me as unusual in Ukraine cities was that women were given no special treatment BUT old people, men and women, WERE. The Babushka in Ukraine would not have to hold the door open herself and half the bus or train would stand up and offer her a seat. Were she an attractive young woman...to hell with her, there are like 800,000 of those anyway. (8 million in Moscow) Not that even a young woman would refuse such an offer, but not if an old woman were standing.

It was not unusual for me (here or there) to hold open a door for someone if I was entering at the same time they were leaving...you know the routine. If i did that, people would stare at me as if to say "What?" But even the young women would then say "Spaceba" when they figured it out and walk away shaking their head. Probably thinkin "Effin crazy Amerikanski, how did we lose the cold war?"

[baron555 934]

how did we lose the cold war?"

We had Jeans, Jazz and Michael Jackson!

[james&olya 1,121]

Did you actually swim in the Dnieper River?

No, it was a small lake near the river. I think they are called ox-bow lakes, where the river has changed course at some time in the past. I didn't get in the water, it was a strange shade of green. And being down-stream of Chernobyl I decided I would pass.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

No, it was a small lake near the river. I think they are called ox-bow lakes, where the river has changed course at some time in the past. I didn't get in the water, it was a strange shade of green. And being down-stream of Chernobyl I decided I would pass.

Wise decision. The large river systems in Ukraine (and most of Europe) are open sewers. literally. Not to mention the whole chernobyl thing.

Not sure if it was surprising or not, but I always get a chuckle when some environmentalist starts telling us how dirty the air and water is in the US and how other countries do so much more to protect the air and water. Ackkkkkkkkk! One of Alla's most cherished things about this country is how clean it is.

Edited January 13, 2011 by Gary and Alla

[james&olya 1,121]

Wise decision. The large river systems in Ukraine (and most of Europe) are open sewers. literally. Not to mention the whole chernobyl thing.

Not sure if it was surprising or not, but I always get a chuckle when some environmentalist starts telling us how dirty the air and water is in the US and how other countries do so much more to protect the air and water. Ackkkkkkkkk! One of Alla's most cherished things about this country is how clean it is.

You and I are both very fortunate to live in places where the water is clean. I am not so sure I want to swim in some of the rivers throughout the east and midwest of this country either. I am sure they are cleaner than some in eastern europe but that is not saying much. I had been concerned that Olga might not like living 'out in the sticks' till I saw where she chose to spend her summers. To get away from traffic, noise, air and water pollution she rented a dacha, a very small and primitive cabin in a sort of campground near a river and small forest rather than stay in her apartment in Kazan. I know if she liked it there, she should love it here!

[slim 1,525]

I am not so sure I want to swim in some of the rivers throughout the east and midwest of this country either. I am sure they are cleaner than some in eastern europe but that is not saying much.

I live within walking distance of the Ohio river. Yeah, I'm not swimming in that thing either.

[kharkovpoacher 4]

I never swam in the Dnipro in Kyiv, saw thousands a day do it though. I have swam in a river near Kharkov and a lake in Kharkov. Definitely not crystal clear, but then again I was a jarhead and have been in some questionable looking waters in Asia and central America. The waters in Ukraine definetely were much cleaner and did not smell like those of some I've had the fortune of being in.

Side note: Topsail Island, NC. Veka loves the beach and ocean. We were out swimming about 100 yards from shore and then she asked about sharks. "Yes we have them here." That got her attention. "Do they bite?" "Yes dear, how else could they eat." On subsequent trips to the beach I then had to swim with her when she wanted to go out far. I guess to cut her chances of being eaten in half. She doesn't really want to know what is out there and I won't tell her. Also, at the lakes around Raleigh she has never complained about them not being clean enough, she just jumps in.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

You and I are both very fortunate to live in places where the water is clean. I am not so sure I want to swim in some of the rivers throughout the east and midwest of this country either. I am sure they are cleaner than some in eastern europe but that is not saying much. I had been concerned that Olga might not like living 'out in the sticks' till I saw where she chose to spend her summers. To get away from traffic, noise, air and water pollution she rented a dacha, a very small and primitive cabin in a sort of campground near a river and small forest rather than stay in her apartment in Kazan. I know if she liked it there, she should love it here!

Ths was a concern for me. When I met Alla I lived on a rural island in Lake Champlain. Lakefront property our own shoreline, very private, private dock (nude sunbathing private) yet the house was fullt modernized. It was not a big house but bigger than what she had in Donetsk. So she said "try it". It didn't work out too well. Turned out to be a great place for a bachelor who has a company truck and works all over the state so it really doesn;t matter where I live...but not so much for a woman and teenager that have to go certain places every day which are 40 miles away and they don't drive (yet) and even when they do it is a LONG drive to anything. So after a year and a haf we sold the place and moved to the mainland in the "city" (such that it is in Vermont)

If we did not have kids, it would probably have been OK. But having an active teenager who wanted to participate in things 40 miles away, it was just impossible, not to mention incredibly expensive for gasoline. What can you do? Tell a teenager he is moving to another country and has to stay in his room on a tiny island? He is at a basketball game now. I got home at 4pm and he needs to be picked up at 7pm. In the past I would have had to stay in the city until 7pm wasting 3 hours because I could not drive 1 hour + home and 1 hour + back just to pick him up. Now it is about 3 minutes drive to the school. If it wasn't winter he would walk.

We no longer live on the lakefront but within easy walking distance of the lake, bigger house and actually cheaper living expenses because we buy hardly any gasoline anymore. There is a genuine grocery store open 24 hours within easy walking distance, a bus route within walking distance, most everything else in walking or bike riding distance, and everything else within a few minutes drive, instead of one hour to everything. Both Pasha and Sergey got summer jobs within walking distance of the house. Much less stress in life now.

But the lake is crystal clear, Alla thought there was something wrong that she could stand in the lake up to her shoulders in water and still see her feet! There is something like 100 ft visibility in Lake Champlain (great place for diving I am told) The mountain streams are crystal clear and her favorite places to skinny dip and sunbathe. She still has her "property" and flower gardens which she loves and never had before. In good weather she is out every morning walking around the yard with the dog, checking all her flowers, just in her glory.

Good luck in your rural area. Alla also used to go to a Dacha in the summer, or the boys went with Bahbushka, but a summer place for 2 weeks is not the same as living there forever.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Thank god for McDonalds. It was a site for sore eyes when I discovered the golden arches in Minsk. The first time I went there with the wife I asked her what she wanted, and she said; I'l have a Beeg Mock, and a Mock Cheeken"...lol

In fact I still have a few pics from our first meal together at one of the Micky D's in downtown Minsk...#######...we read where the INS wants a lot of pics, so we took pics of just about everything...

Exactly why the locals call Mickey D's the American Embassy in Minsk! Each to their own, but no way am I going that far from home to eat a Big Mac.

[slim 1,525]

I then had to swim with her when she wanted to go out far. I guess to cut her chances of being eaten in half.

My wife and I went swimming with the sharks and stingrays in the Dominican Republic. It was one of those guided tours where you basically swim in a pool out in the middle of the ocean but there are live sharks (hand-fed with little bait fish) and stingrays (with the stingers removed) swimming amongst you.

They start the tour with a little informational session and let you pet a stingray one of the guys is holding then turn you loose in the shark tank. We were swimming along hand in hand and all the sudden I hear a cry of horror through a snorkel and feel this arm pushing me away and down into the water. Meanwhile I feel a rush of water beside me and only have time to turn my head to see my wife's feet feverishly kicking away as she swam for cover. I looked down, and there was a six-foot shark swimming under my feet.

The shark passed by and didn't even give me a second look. He was, after all, accustomed to eating lean cuts of meat and wasn't interested in something with as much marbling as I have. When I was finally reunited with my wife - who'd now climbed out of the water and was up on the dock - I asked why she'd freaked out and acted the way she did. "Because I have natural reaction."

"Uh, by natural reaction do you mean shoving me toward the danger and high-tailing it in the other direction?"

"Yes, I must save myself."

So, needless to say, I now know where I stand in the hierarchy of our family's food chain.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Exactly why the locals call Mickey D's the American Embassy in Minsk! Each to their own, but no way am I going that far from home to eat a Big Mac.

Funny thing about that meal there. When we got the food and walked outside I noticed Kira staring at me...like ####### should I do now ? So I took a "ghaaamboorger" and showed her how we eat it with our hands...no knife and fork ####### like they eat their pizza over there. She caught right on. But to this day she swears she has eaten at Micky D's before and knew to eat "ghaaamboorgers" with the hands and not utensils. I know she's lying, but I'l never call her on it. After I wolfed down a couple of beeeg mocks, she said I "eat like a PEEEEG" !

btw they don't put ice in the pop's...you have to ask for it...same with the ketchup and napkins. When they noticed I was American they couldn't give us enough service...they handed us a sh*t load of napkins. And the chicks working there...OMG..I'm telling ya ..HOT HOT AND REALLY HOT. I love Belarus...well not to live there....but it does have it's "up side".

Edited January 14, 2011 by Why_Me

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

My wife and I went swimming with the sharks and stingrays in the Dominican Republic. It was one of those guided tours where you basically swim in a pool out in the middle of the ocean but there are live sharks (hand-fed with little bait fish) and stingrays (with the stingers removed) swimming amongst you.

They start the tour with a little informational session and let you pet a stingray one of the guys is holding then turn you loose in the shark tank. We were swimming along hand in hand and all the sudden I hear a cry of horror through a snorkel and feel this arm pushing me away and down into the water. Meanwhile I feel a rush of water beside me and only have time to turn my head to see my wife's feet feverishly kicking away as she swam for cover. I looked down, and there was a six-foot shark swimming under my feet.

The shark passed by and didn't even give me a second look. He was, after all, accustomed to eating lean cuts of meat and wasn't interested in something with as much marbling as I have. When I was finally reunited with my wife - who'd now climbed out of the water and was up on the dock - I asked why she'd freaked out and acted the way she did. "Because I have natural reaction."

"Uh, by natural reaction do you mean shoving me toward the danger and high-tailing it in the other direction?"

"Yes, I must save myself."

So, needless to say, I now know where I stand in the hierarchy of our family's food chain.

Edited January 14, 2011 by Why_Me

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My wife and I went swimming with the sharks and stingrays in the Dominican Republic. It was one of those guided tours where you basically swim in a pool out in the middle of the ocean but there are live sharks (hand-fed with little bait fish) and stingrays (with the stingers removed) swimming amongst you.

They start the tour with a little informational session and let you pet a stingray one of the guys is holding then turn you loose in the shark tank. We were swimming along hand in hand and all the sudden I hear a cry of horror through a snorkel and feel this arm pushing me away and down into the water. Meanwhile I feel a rush of water beside me and only have time to turn my head to see my wife's feet feverishly kicking away as she swam for cover. I looked down, and there was a six-foot shark swimming under my feet.

The shark passed by and didn't even give me a second look. He was, after all, accustomed to eating lean cuts of meat and wasn't interested in something with as much marbling as I have. When I was finally reunited with my wife - who'd now climbed out of the water and was up on the dock - I asked why she'd freaked out and acted the way she did. "Because I have natural reaction."

"Uh, by natural reaction do you mean shoving me toward the danger and high-tailing it in the other direction?"

"Yes, I must save myself."

So, needless to say, I now know where I stand in the hierarchy of our family's food chain.

Funny how they have that reaction. We were driving across a bridge between islands in Lake Champlain and Alla starts screaming that "there is a dog in the water...stop! We must "help" the dog!" Huh? So I stop and she runs onto the bridge to look down at the "dog" I followed and looked over myself and "Hmmm, Alla, that is not a dog" Too late, she was already running back to the car, jumped in and locked ALL the doors! Leaving me outside with the smallish black bear that was taking a swim. It is our job to protect them.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Funny thing about that meal there. When we got the food and walked outside I noticed Kira staring at me...like ####### should I do now ? So I took a "ghaaamboorger" and showed her how we eat it with our hands...no knife and fork ####### like they eat their pizza over there. She caught right on. But to this day she swears she has eaten at Micky D's before and knew to eat "ghaaamboorgers" with the hands and not utensils. I know she's lying, but I'l never call her on it. After I wolfed down a couple of beeeg mocks, she said I "eat like a PEEEEG" !

btw they don't put ice in the pop's...you have to ask for it...same with the ketchup and napkins. When they noticed I was American they couldn't give us enough service...they handed us a sh*t load of napkins. And the chicks working there...OMG..I'm telling ya ..HOT HOT AND REALLY HOT. I love Belarus...well not to live there....but it does have it's "up side".

Nice one I remember the first time I visited Minsk, staying at the Hotel Belarus. I went to the restaurant up top for the breakfast buffet and couldn't identify most of the food. Seriously, cole slaw and fish salad for breakfast? After some exploration I found the draniki and some kind of cutlet, and some canned fruit mix. Happy I toughed it out.