Location, Location, Location

After announcements everyone adjourned for celebrations. Our cluster couple invited us up for wine. It was a relief to an extent. My roomate and I had gone back to our rooms to read about our prospective homes. Don't expect to find it in the Lonely Planet guide, which clearly believes that Southern Ukraine begins and ends with Odessa and focuses extensively on the West, Kyiv and Crimea. I turned to other guides. The additional one I brought spoke favorably of my southern city. Population of over 500,000. Shipbuilding major industry. Museums. A theater. Outdoor cafes. Trendy shopping area. Tree lined streets. A zoo. A big zoo. And the most magical word of all in Ukraine--my city has a McDonald's.

While having a glass of Moldovan wine with my clustermates, I read the couples Ukrainian travel guide. "The best thing about M--," it proclaimed, "is leaving it."

Soon I would see who I believed for myself.