Warnings to Travellers to Ukraine
I have now lived here so long that i cease to even think about a lot of the things I first noticed when I arrived here over 14 months ago. But with my visitor coming, I have tried to remember everything i found different, difficult, or heard others complain about.
As such, I compiled a list for Eric in order to prevent such shocks from happening and i submit this list with the full knowledge that he may very well be my last visitor!
1) Don't expect people to speak English in places you'd think English would be spoken. You know. Like airports. And hotels. You have better luck in restaurants in major cities than in these likely places.
2) Toilets. Turkish style or if luck, a toliet with only the bowl, no lid. Public toilets cost money to use. Anywhere from 50 kopeks to 1 grevenya. When in doubt or dire needs, use Mc Donald's. The best toilets around anywhere.
3) Customer service. Is inexistant. People are also typically not friendly (on the street). Expect to be yelled at, not helped, and not served if you don't have exact change or are carrying large bills.
4) Personal space. There is no concept of this. Especially in public transport. Marshrutkas are cramped and at busy times standing room only. When you think they can't fit any one else on, they'll squeeze five more people in somehow. This also effects lines, where it is nearly impossible to figure out where it beings and ends and the people behind you will stand so close to you that at times they will help to complete the transaction for you (especially in train stations).
5) Attitudes to drinking. In the U.S., anyone who has a drink first thing in the morning is either a college student or an alcoholic, but this does not carry the same stigma here. People also can drink alcohol in public places, making parks and beer tents popular hangouts all year round. This also means that they don't have the same views on public drunkeness. I once almost stepped on a man passed out on my path to work one afternoon. It's common to see people who are sleeping it off at bus stops and in the grass. No one bats an eye.
6) Dress. Women dress provocatively. No way around it. Short skirts, see through tops, high heels, etc. It is not uncommon for Americans to stare (espeically American men). And it's hard not to when it is so 'in your face' so to speak.
As such, I compiled a list for Eric in order to prevent such shocks from happening and i submit this list with the full knowledge that he may very well be my last visitor!
1) Don't expect people to speak English in places you'd think English would be spoken. You know. Like airports. And hotels. You have better luck in restaurants in major cities than in these likely places.
2) Toilets. Turkish style or if luck, a toliet with only the bowl, no lid. Public toilets cost money to use. Anywhere from 50 kopeks to 1 grevenya. When in doubt or dire needs, use Mc Donald's. The best toilets around anywhere.
3) Customer service. Is inexistant. People are also typically not friendly (on the street). Expect to be yelled at, not helped, and not served if you don't have exact change or are carrying large bills.
4) Personal space. There is no concept of this. Especially in public transport. Marshrutkas are cramped and at busy times standing room only. When you think they can't fit any one else on, they'll squeeze five more people in somehow. This also effects lines, where it is nearly impossible to figure out where it beings and ends and the people behind you will stand so close to you that at times they will help to complete the transaction for you (especially in train stations).
5) Attitudes to drinking. In the U.S., anyone who has a drink first thing in the morning is either a college student or an alcoholic, but this does not carry the same stigma here. People also can drink alcohol in public places, making parks and beer tents popular hangouts all year round. This also means that they don't have the same views on public drunkeness. I once almost stepped on a man passed out on my path to work one afternoon. It's common to see people who are sleeping it off at bus stops and in the grass. No one bats an eye.
6) Dress. Women dress provocatively. No way around it. Short skirts, see through tops, high heels, etc. It is not uncommon for Americans to stare (espeically American men). And it's hard not to when it is so 'in your face' so to speak.
posted by Molly | 11:13 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home