My last trip to Ukraine- 29 March – 2 April 2006

[wiz]

At the end of last March 2006, I traveled to Kiev and you probably would be interested to read about my observations while traveling there. You many find some of my comments controversial but these are my current views about Ukrainians and life there.

At the end of March the Annual Ukrainian Travel International Exhibition and Fair was taking place in Kiev, so I booked a flight with Ukraine International and went there.

On the flight I noticed that the plane was nearly empty (I counted 37 people out of 158 seats). The service was good but I noticed that now they buy food from UK, which basically was rubbish, where previously used to bring food from Kiev and was nice.

I had plenty of time to chat the girls and discovered that they noticed the passenger numbers are going down because now they have direct competition from British Airways. As far as I was aware they have never flown a full aircraft and were running normally at around 50- 60 % capacity, which is just the breaking even point for most flights to financially survive. Of course that is no good news for the traveling public and prices from UK are extremely expensive when compared with other destinations in Europe. BA, LOT, KLM etc seems that all charging the same high prices and of course the Ukrainians try to be part of the same club! In my view if they do not change their selling practices soon will find themselves with huge losses and probably be forced to cancel the service.

On arrival at Boryspil airport I was lucky and our flight was the only one arriving at that time, so the immigration desks were not that full or busy. Cheeky, as always, I went to the last desk on the left which is allocated for cabin crews. I greeted the two Tatyana’s officers (Knew their names from before) in Ukrainian and I got a pleasant smile back and a cheerful welcome, which made a great change from before. Formalities were no more than 1 minute.

While Tatyana (the blondish one, the other has dark short hair) was looking my passport I glanced to the left, looking to another young female officer perched on a stool, with a mini skirt not covering anything and I had a good view of her great legs and more……..Amazing how Ukrainian women, even on an official position, can show their sexuality so overtly! I don’t think here in the west you will find any official person dressed like that!

Tatyana (the dark hair one) jokingly or seriously asked me in very good English if I liked the other officer’s legs…. And when I said they are excellent, she invited the woman to come close. By the way nobody was waiting in a queue behind me so the three of them started having a good joke and banter, while I was waiting for my case to come out. I don’t think it was my personality but probably boredom which made them to be so playful and I was propositioned by the owner of the great legs and extremely attractive face, which gave me her mobile number and asked me to take her out the following Sunday, her day off, which unfortunately was the day of my return. Well about 20 minutes later, disappointed, my case came out and had to get my taxi to the hotel. At that point I remembered a driend’s comments from last year and now I tent to agree with him regarding picking up women by only speaking English to them!

At my hotel in which I have stayed several times before I was met by their usual unwelcome and indifferent attitude. Service has not improved not a jolt and the administrator (head of stuff at the restaurant) who recognised me, more stupid than ever. Unfortunately their rubbish system for serving clients has re-enforced my view of how unfriendly, cold and bad the client services are in Ukraine. I think they need more than 20 years to learn the basic rules and provide the kind of service we normally get in the west. Smiling seems to be prohibited, so you get greeted by scowling faces. English is hardly spoken anywhere and those poor sods who work those long shift hours for wages almost next to nothing, when they hear you speaking English, they are or show a total disinterest and unwillingness in providing good service. Of course when it comes to getting the money off you, they are very quick off the mark and now they add the service charge on the bill, like in the west. I think that the service charge is charged only to westerners, as I don’t think Ukrainians who are not used to tip will accept that, so you have no choice.

The exhibition was held just close to Livoberezhna station on the red underground line and 4 stations away from Chreschatik station, on Cherschatik Avenue, near the centre of Maidan Square. It is very easy and the most economic and efficient way to travel around on the underground but you must speak Russian or know how to read the Cyrillic alphabet. The Kyiv underground is very efficient, is running very frequently, is clean and of course very cheap which makes it the best mode to travel. Paying fifty kopika (9 pence or 15 cents) one way anywhere on the underground, I don’t think can be matched anywhere on the world, so masses of Ukrainians use the system. The rolling stock is from the seventies but I have not seen any newer ones on the London underground. Inside the carriages they have small screens announcing the stations and also playing adverts. If only could think… and made the effort to have the names of the stations also in Latin then this would be excellent for any tourists visiting Kiev. As it happens I had to rely on my young and extremely helpful translator, who as we went along made more critical comments, then me, about the lack of knowledge of foreign languages by the Ukrainians.

The exhibition was a real farce. The registration process was handled by young and untrained staff who hardly spoke any English, so the queues were very long. Inside the exhibition most of the desks representing the various local tourist boards were bare and nowhere to find any printed material in a foreign language. When we tried speaking to the representatives we only found 2 people speaking English, so my translator was very caustic in her remarks about it!

“ Ukrainians are durepas (stupid). Here they try to sell their country to foreign visitors and they expect the visitors to speak Ukrainian or Russian!”. In my view too, that says it all about the Ukrainian attitude on how they approach and promote their country.

Two days we visited the exhibition trying to make some new contacts but then I had to give up and not bother anymore. It really saddens me to see such a crass stupidity and there are plenty of young people who speak English or other foreign languages, who can do a splendid job if trained and paid well.

Having taken the most important step to abolish the Visa requirement for most countries, last year, now Ukraine is missing the chance to increase the numbers of foreign visitors.

Their hotel bed stock is very small in numbers (Kiev has only 14 decent Hotels) which are old apart from one or two exceptions and of course they are terrible expensive. The two exceptions are in private hands where all the other hotels are Government owned and prices are decided by bureaucrats who are in the habit every 2-3 months to increase these prices. Signed contracts are just a peace of paper and Ukrainians don’t know what it means honoring your signature. Old habits die hard and we can only blame the Old Soviet system.

Now everybody is on the game of renting “modernised” apartments for prices starting from 50 US Dollars a night and up. To be honest the so called apartments (we call them studios as they are mostly one room) I have seen so far I am not impressed. For that kind of money you get a 10 times better studio or apartment in the West! Of course the property values all over Ukraine have rocketed and today there are very few Ukrainians who can afford to buy a modern apartment. In Kyiv a one bedroom flat starts from 120.000 dollars in not so good areas and in the centre is a No go area for the poor Ukrainians.

I have read many times that Ukrainian people are very friendly, warm and welcome but in my view that is not the case in Kyiv. Ukrainians are very secretive, cold unfriendly personalities and difficult to create close friendships. They always view foreigners as possible source of financial gain, will always try and overcharge you and when their goal is achieved their persona changes dramatically and go back to their aloof, distant, uninterested and unhelpful character. Of course I was taught at school that the exceptions prove the rule and that is the case with very few of them.

Before a few people over here jump the gun and start protesting and having a go at me please think carefully and tell us, how many close friends you have made in Ukraine, who they have not benefited one way or another out of you? Of course you always try to help friends who are not in good financial situation, if you can, but it is easy to recognise if that is the only motivation in their actions and friendship offered. I don’t think you will find any because those you think as close friends are very close family members of your Ukrainian wife, who you can not call friends as they are family!

It may surprise you but despite been so cynical I do have a couple of really good Ukrainian friends who are very happy to see me and yes they have put their hands in their pockets and have refused to accept money for things that they bought or done for me without the motivation of financial or other gain.

About Ukrainian women, “There's thousands of gorgeous women walking the streets of Ukraine, so appearance is nothing special and looks alone won't get them far………… There are only few fools around who will fall for their overt sexuality and wouldn’t take advantage of their willingness to use sex as a means to escape in the west!“

Finally I noticed also that you can’t find a quiet place any more to sit and enjoy a drink without the loud disco techno music from opening till close time.

This time I had not arranged any meetings with women, only business and friendly dinners but of course I paid a visit to a night club.

[Thor]

Hi my friend.

Did you meet this stripper girl?

[dorogoyroberto]

“There's thousands of gorgeous women walking the streets of Ukraine, so appearance is nothing special and looks alone won't get them far………… There are only few fools around who will fall for their overt sexuality and wouldn’t take advantage of their willingness to use sex as a means to escape in the west!“ /quote]

Sir,

Respectfully, your translator is spouting rubbish: Ukrainian women are not looking to escape. That is a notion still promulgated by the seedier members of the MOB industry.

Roberto
Kiev, Ukraine

[Michelangelo]

Their hotel bed stock is very small in numbers (Kiev has only 14 decent Hotels) which are old apart from one or two exceptions and of course they are terrible expensive.

Now everybody is on the game of renting “modernised” apartments for prices starting from 50 US Dollars a night and up. To be honest the so called apartments (we call them studios as they are mostly one room) I have seen so far I am not impressed.

Yep, you are correct about the sleeping quarters in Ukraine.  The beds are flimsy and weak--in my many visits there almost every time we BROKE the bed.  Oh well, makes one feel like a "real man." 

[Bruce]

I tend to find your views a bit closed minded.  When in Rome............

Of course there are plenty of gorgeous women.  Thats why you go, I assume. 

You can not expect Western standards of service, but you can get good service if you know where to go and conduct yourself reasonably.  Facial expression and demeanor are for the most part cultural.  Thats just how it is and is usually no good indication of how a person feels at the time.  Crazy people are thought to have a smile on their face for no reason (ok, they make exceptions for Westerners).  The point is Ukrainians have no problem laughing / smiling - however it occurs in appropriate situations.  Over all do they need help with customer service and promoting tourism for Westerners, of course - but these are things that will again come with more time.  I would assume that it has improved since I was last in Ukraine. 

You have to remember that in a big city you will have a higher chance of running into big city attitude.  It comes with the territory in any big city. 

[wiz]

Roberto

Unfortunately there are plenty of good time girls around, like in any other places around the world, some of them use their sexuality for a good time, because of course can’t afford the expensive prices of the good restaurants and clubs and I do not blame them for doing so.
Of course there are also many of them aspiring to get out and better their lives instead of working for 150 US Dollars a month for so many hours a day. Can you blame them? I don’t.

Michael use the floor next time….lol

Bruce

Obviously you have not understood the purpose and its meaning of my report.

I am not close minded and I give praise where is due. I expect you did not miss my comments about their underground system and my comparisons with the London one?

I only reported facts as seen them myself and the comments of my translator did not influence my personal views. I have tried to be as objective as possible because the people from the west who travel there should know what to expect and not what they would find in another country, like Greece for example. On other hand my report can help also Ukrainians to understand what is expected of them, if they want to improve their tourist industry and services.

I am fully aware of the circumstances of their employment situation and I would be miserable looking too when if I would have to work from 9 AM till Midnight for peanuts, not enough to put food on my table! In my travels for business and pleasure I have met hundreds of people and when you work in a service industry you have to smile, like it or not. I can name you many names and places where the smiling face was there but I am talking of the general picture that comes across.

Finally I am very fond of the country, as you must know by now and not only for its pretty women, but that will not stop me criticising it!

[dorogoyroberto]

Roberto

Unfortunately there are plenty of good time girls around, like in any other places around the world, some of them use their sexuality for a good time, because of course can’t afford the expensive prices of the good restaurants and clubs and I do not blame them for doing so.
Of course there are also many of them aspiring to get out and better their lives instead of working for 150 US Dollars a month for so many hours a day. Can you blame them? I don’t.

Mr. Wiz,

Very much agree that there are quite a few "good time girls around."

Very much disagree that there are many wanting to leave. The majority of our friends and acquaintances here love Ukraine and have no intentions of leaving, even if they happen to meet a good Western man. In fact, only one would have considered leaving, but the man she met (when he bought a pair of shoes in the shop she then worked in) instead decided to live in Kiev rather than move her to his native Germany.

On the other hand, perhaps the reason for the difference in our experiences is that we do not meet women in the same social situations, and that might also account for the differences in their salaries. All the women we know have jobs: at least a dozen earn $350+ monthly. One earns over $1,000 month working for an accounting firm, three times more than her husband. Granted, that is exceptional for Ukraine.

Roberto
Kiev, Ukraine