Has anyone ever been to Ukraine?

[Cindy in C-ville]

Dh and I are going with a group from our community of churches between March 26 and April 6. We'll fly into Kiev and then travel to Rivne where we'll spend most of our time. If you've been, what can you tell me about Ukraine?

TIA!
Cindy

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have a friend who was a missionary there. I could ask her some questions about it if you get no other responses.

[Elinor Everywhere]

We spent the month of December 2003 in Ukraine. We rented an apartment in Kiev, and then spent more time down south near the town of Zaporizhia (NOT a garden spot).

Kiev is great city; modern and beautiful, with wonderful food & all the conveniences of a big city. I've never been to Rivne and don't know how big it is, but our experience is that once you leave the major city, Ukraine becomes backward very quickly. There is typically a paper shortage in the smaller towns, and that includes napkins, toilet paper, etc.

Bathrooms will often be the "hole in the ground" variety. Make sure you have packs of tissues that you can use when you need to go to the bathroom, and keep little bottles of hand sanitizer handy.

You will be with English-speaking people, and that will help immensely, as most people in Ukraine do not speak English (although it is taught in high schools in Kiev). And of course you can't sound out the words like you can with Spanish & French, unless you happen to know the Cyrillic alphabet. We found the people to be friendly & curious, but stoic in the stereotypical Russian way. Pessimists, certainly, but philosophical about it.

Overall, we had a great time, and will be going back in a few years to visit some very dear friends we made while staying there. Anything in particular you are wondering about?

[susie in tx]

My dad has been to Ukraine and his wife is from Russia. She's been to Ukraine. I could ask either of them if you had particular questions.

[jeri]

We spent late Nov/Dec 05 in Odessa while we adopted out dd! I agree with everything Elinor said. Food is wonderful but you will be walking everywhere and won't gain any weight! People are nice but many don't speak English. Women dress like they are on a modeling runway, so I looked pretty basic in my jeans and LLBean boots. Any specific questions?

jeri

[Cindy in C-ville]

Dress as if on a runway - that's surprising! We're going with some folks who have been many times and will have a translator with us at all times. I have Rosseta Stone - Russian. Would this be worthwhile at all? I assume that like most every other country, the people know more languages that the typical American. Food-wise, I understand we'll be eating a lot of borscht (?) and mashed potatoes. One of the gals who is going with us will be ~ 5 months pregnant. Any concerns there?

We will be conducting marriage conferences at 5 different churches (at the request of these churches) and visiting an orphanage in Rivne. I don't know HOW to prepare my heart for that! Suggestions? We'll be staying in the home of a pastor and are hoping to be able to establish a "sister church" relationship with them.

We've been encouraged that it is appropriate to bring a hostess gift for the family with whom we're staying. Any suggestions for a gift for family out in Rivne?

Anything in Kiev we should be SURE and see? We are in Year 2 of history.

Thanks for all the input!

:) Cindy

[Colleen]

We found the people to be friendly & curious, but stoic in the stereotypical Russian way. Pessimists, certainly, but philosophical about it.

As one who studied Russian history and language and traveled in what was then "the USSR" this made me laugh. "Pessimists, certainly, but philosophical about it" ~ spot on. (Come to think of it, that description suits me to an extent, too..;))

[Elinor Everywhere]

As one who studied Russian history and language and traveled in what was then "the USSR" this made me laugh. "Pessimists, certainly, but philosophical about it" ~ spot on. (Come to think of it, that description suits me to an extent, too..;))

Colleen, I have a question for you. My son would like to study Russian; do you think this is feasible considering the rest of us will not be able to help him? He does have memory issues and a few minor LDs, but he also has a strong will and will often persevere if he sets his mind to something (although this usually applies to non-academic pursuits).

The language just looks so defeating to me, I guess because I can't sound it out. The only words I recognized in Ukraine were things like "bar" and "internet" because, although they used Cyrillic letters, were transliterations of the English.

[Colleen in NS]

Dress as if on a runway - that's surprising! We're going with some folks who have been many times and will have a translator with us at all times. I have Rosseta Stone - Russian. Would this be worthwhile at all? I assume that like most every other country, the people know more languages that the typical American. Food-wise, I understand we'll be eating a lot of borscht (?) and mashed potatoes. One of the gals who is going with us will be ~ 5 months pregnant. Any concerns there?

We will be conducting marriage conferences at 5 different churches (at the request of these churches) and visiting an orphanage in Rivne. I don't know HOW to prepare my heart for that! Suggestions? We'll be staying in the home of a pastor and are hoping to be able to establish a "sister church" relationship with them.

We've been encouraged that it is appropriate to bring a hostess gift for the family with whom we're staying. Any suggestions for a gift for family out in Rivne?

Anything in Kiev we should be SURE and see? We are in Year 2 of history.

Thanks for all the input!

:) Cindy
I went to Kiev on a missions trip in 1993, with a performing arts team of kids doing dramas and dances. We stayed for two weeks at the Polytechnik (sp?) Institute. I also have friends who started a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) missions center there 15 years ago and are still going strong.

Food: We brought breakfast food with us, like boxes of cereal and juice. I think we bought milk there, but I can't remember. Maybe we used powdered milk, I just don't know. Lunches and suppers were either with host churches or at restaurants. If I recall correctly, eating at restaurants was fairly cheap. But yes, a lot of potatoes and meat meals, and lots of soups (borscht) and yummy breads. We did have chicken Kiev one night, but it was a special treat and it was hard to find. Oh yes, bring toilet paper. And practice squatting. :)

Language: People there do know Russian, but appreciate it if you try to speak Ukranian since it's their national language.

Dress: yes, I remember people looking very fashionable there. I think if you are going to work with churches/pastors and are doing seminars, you'd be better off to wear dresses and skirts rather than jeans and pants, at least when you are on "official business." For time off, it probably doesn't matter as much.

Orphanage: We visited a hospital for sick children, and a camp for kids with cancer - all due to the Chernobyl accident. We may have gone to an orphanage but I can't remember. The way to prepare for these kinds of things is to just look at the kids. Think about them. Look at them and think about what you CAN do, rather than pity them and think about what you CAN'T do. If you can play with them, play. If you can sing with them, sing. I don't know how else to explain it, other than to be fully in the moment when you are there and engage with them. It's fun!!!!!!!!

Culture/People: I'm assuming you are in the States (I'm American and Canadian). When I went to Ukraine, I traveled from the States, with a bunch of Americans. The biggest thing I remember is that Americans are a lot louder than Ukranians!! For one thing, we leaders had to constantly tell the kids on our team (like 9-15 year olds) to be quiet, esp. when we were out walking in public. I remember walking the streets of Kiev and noticing how quiet the people were, compared to our team. (Russia was the same when I was there the year before) We had to keep remembering to just tone down and talk quietly and not act rowdy, just to respect the culture there. That said, I LOVED meeting Ukranian people. They were so gracious and kind to us. I'd go back in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

Gift: How about a music CD? When I went to Russia the year before, I gave out a couple of Russian language worship music tapes that were appreciated. I think they were by Hosanna Integrity. Is there any way you can find out about any needs the family might have or things they would appreciate?

Sights: Truthfully, I can't remember much about the sights!! I do remember visiting some of the beautiful cathedrals (like there is a blue one with white and gold decorating it, but I can't remember the name of it), and visiting an amusement park (which I remember because of two drunk men yelling at us to go home because the kids were so loud, LOL!). You could always go visit the YWAM center there and see the river boat hospitality house they have to house people and run training programs. They also have a free dental program for Ukranians. If you do, be sure to give Kelly, Vicki, and Laura a big hug from Colleen in Canada. :) Seriously, you'd be welcome there for a visit. I can give you more info. about that if you want.

hth

[Sandy in Indy]

I was there on a missions trip in 1993. What a great experience! The people there were so hungry for God...we had huge crowds wherever we went. I have lots of wonderful memories.

There was an open air market just across from our hotel. I bought a lovely bunch of flowers there for what worked out to about 3 cents US. Even so, I know I overpaid for them. The lady that sold them laughed cause she'd made so much money...and I was thrilled to have something beautiful for pennies. In the back of that market, they were selling meat that they cut on a tree stump...I avoided that part!

The second day we were there, one of our ladies stepped off the bus the wrong way and broke her ankle. The first hospital they went to didn't have a working x-ray machine. The second had an x-ray on the second or third floor and no working elevator. One of the guys hauled her (and she must have weighed 250+) on his back up and down the stairs. When she got her "boot" for her foot, her dh asked if they could get a wheelchair. It was a 3 year wait for a wheel chair! Her treatment didn't cost her anything, though.

The restaurants we visited had wonderful food. Be very careful of water in any form! I forget to be cautious about ice and paid for it in a big way! We were provided water bottles and Cokes, both were safe to drink. Take some of the little packets to flavor your water...someone thought to bring Crystal Light packets on our trip and that was such a treat.

Take Vitamin C with you to help your immune system. Maybe it's just me, but I tend to get sick in new places. Massive does of Vit. C helped me.

[jeri]

My email is jdunphy15@comcast.net

jeri

[susie in tx]

I don't know if I would call how the women in Macedonia, or the way my former stepmother (who was Ukrainian), dressed similar to a runway model. The clothing I saw was very scant and revealing. Maybe it's just been a long time since I've seen anyone on a runway. ;) They do wear pantyhose under short skirts and very high heels, even in cooler weather.

We were just so grateful to find gluten-free food there that I didn't mind so much what it was. Since Macedonia is also a Baltic area country, we probably ate similar foods. There were many one pot meals. Most of them were meat, ajvar ( a combination of tomatoes, peppers and onions) and spices. Sometimes, there were potatoes. We often had cucumber, onion and feta salad. This is called different things in different countries. I recall that it was one thing in Macedonia and another in Bulgaria.

When we went to Macedonia, I wanted to bring something for the people that were working with my husband. Since we live in Texas, I purchased salsa that was made here and brought that.

My kids picked up on the Cyrillic much faster than I did. It was more important for me to understand the numbers. I was purchasing food at the open markets and needed to know what money to give the people in the markets for their products. However, there are many signs that are transliterated rather than written in Cyrillic. One great thing about Cyrillic is that every letter has a sound. Not two or three sounds, but one sound. It's wonderful for learning, IMHO. We were in Macedonia and not Ukraine, but all the people were very welcoming and willing to listen if we tried to speak Macedonian. Most had some knowledge of English, though.