As I promised I'm going to try and go all educational on y'all and share some knowledge about Ukraine. Not sure how much this helps/hurts, and frankly I'm not convinced I'll be 100% accurate, but it may provide some context for what we're encountering here. As I'm not a history teacher, nor a geography teacher, I'll just provide links to actual information. What is between here and the links are just my (our) observations of the country.
This is a changing country in the midst of post-independence transition. The government, first of all, faces challenges in forming long-lasting governing coalitions. You may remember the Orange Revolution here a few years back. That movement led to a fairly pro-Western government. That government is headed right now by President Viktor Yuschenko (you may remember him as the one that someone attempted to poison) and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. From what I can tell of late, these two don't get along well and they are soon to have another set of parliamentary elections to try and get the government moving again. For the most part, though, the governmental disputes and workings don't seem to be of primary concern to most of the Ukrainians I meet. Coming out of a U.S. election cycle, I'm steeped in politics, and being the curious guy I am I've asked a few folks how the Yushchenko/Tymoshenko saga affects them. It's been universally waved off as just "politician games."
Really, the bigger thing seems to be both the big picture and day-to-day picture topics. The big picture is whether one sides more with aligning with Russia, or whether one sides more with aligning with the "West" and NATO. It's probably too simplistic, but it seems you find more pro-Western sentiment in the, well duh, western side of the country. Here, in Donetsk, and other places close to Russia, there is more of an agreement with a Russian perspective. With Russians making up a fairly large minority of the populace, I don't expect that dispute to go away any time soon. The Georgian conflict of late didn't do anything to abate the argument.
The day-to-day picture is, as would be expected, the utilities, the groceries, the economy, the family and the job.
The people are generally polite, if a bit more wary than in America. The sense I get is that it takes much longer to develop deep friendships here, but once made those friendships are stronger than back home. People tend to smile more in dealings with those they know; with those they don't, there is a more serious and somber countenance. Children are seemingly loved quite a bit as ours are often doted upon. (Twice on the buses there have been women who have tried to get Amissa's legs covered where her pant legs rode up a little. There are still a few folks, especially in the older generations, who adhere to concepts such as children not being covered in the winter will make them sick.) Ukrainians tend to be more direct and less politically correct than Americans, and will usually assist if asked for help. The children have been friendly with our girls, and have played with them even when they don't speak the same language. There is much hustling about, and while us Americans are trying to make up our minds about what to do, or where to go, next, we'll find Ukrainians working their way past us in line. Personal space isn't as large here either, as the housing (primarily small flats in multi-story buildings) and transportation (primarily buses and marshutkas) do not lend themselves to a great deal of privacy. (I theorize the Soviet structure itself also tended to discourage privacy, as opposed to the American structure which prizes it.) Frankly, the cities in Ukraine do not serve the claustrophobic or agoraphobic many favors.
The girls' observations about Ukrainians: They wear the same clothes as us, they speak a different language from us, they are good, and the girls/women all like high-heeled boots. Figures they'd notice the fashions.
The economy is trying, and ahead of the American economy in the downward trend. There are limits to how much cash people can withdraw from ATMs, which causes problems in a cash-based society. The exchange rate has greatly improved for dollar-holders since this past summer, but that's not good for the Ukrainian currency (the hrivna.) In July I was getting fewer than 5 hrivna to the dollar. Today we're getting close to 7. Unemployment is up, and people are more fearful for their jobs. We hear people speak of the economic crisis, and I think this fear is more impactful than most other things.
The culture is not terribly different from what I've seen of other European people. Walking and hanging out at clubs or cafes is more popular (seemingly) than watching television or staying at home. This is especially true for the younger generations. Traditional Ukrainian arts and clothing are generally reserved for tourist area souvenir shops as clothing and decor generally mimic that found in other European or American places. The arts are important, as evidenced by the many kept up theaters and signs promoting shows. On the other hand, American products are also highly in evidence as the Donetsk movie theater is showing such fare as Madagascar 2. Alongside Ukrainian products and restaurants we often see Coke and McDonald's. As an American, there are differences to be noted, but there is also much here that can make one feel a bit more at home than I suspect one would have a decade or two ago.
Of course, these observations are our own, and may be tainted by sample errors of many types. But they are what we've noted, and therefore help color how we're experiencing Ukraine.
For those interested, some resources to learn more:
God bless,
Ron
10 years ago
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