Ukraine Again: Something Old, Something New...

[BC]

DINNER at MEMENO

We are at a dinner party for a friend of Marina's at a riverside restrauant.  The food is excellemt...salmon and greek salad and ukranian potatoes.  Very delicious! And the price is half to 2\3rds of what I would pay in the US.

But so many toasts! And I'm getting so drunk!  Thank God for public transportation! LOL

Watch it Simoni.. May be cheaper but tastes just as bad coming up..

Have fun!

[Simoni]

BC-  LOL :-)

We have gone to the everyone's happy stage, so the pressure is off :-) I think I am still sober cuz as u see, I can still typpeee om me fone :-)

We have 3 men- 4 beautiful girls and oine baby here.

Funny jokes too.

[Simoni]

Life is good in the former USSR!

After many drinks anyway :-))

[Mir]

Looks like the restaurants in Kiev and Denipro have the same names:

There is a Hurtook in Kiev and a Georgian named Memino in Kiev.
I doubt if they have the same prices though.

[Simoni]

BEING CAREFUL

Although I’ve never been robbed in Ukraine, I plan as if I will.  I have two wallets, one hidden in my room and one I carry with me.  Both have cash, two credit cards, and government ID, as well as a photocopy of my passport.  The simple truth is that if you do lose a wallet in a foreign country, you’ll need backup.  And better to have it with you than searching for an American Express location or having someone wire you money via Money Gram or Western Union.

[Simoni]

CULTURAL CHAIN

While it may be true that the cultural chain is a circle without end and that all links are important and contribute to the culture of a country, there is no doubt that most members of the culture strive for better things—a better flat, a car, better clothes, better food, and better education for their children. 

Ukraine is a new democracy and capitalism is just beginning to find its way.  In the three years I have been coming here, I’ve seen significant changes in the city of Dnepr and her people.  I’ll elaborate more in my next post…

[Simoni]

MARINA’S FRIENDS

I'm enjoying meeting Marina's friends.  Some friends she has known since elementary school.  Some she knew in high school.  Many were met during university.  And most of them she met at work during the past ten years.

When you marry a woman, you also marry into her city and into her chain of friendship.  Over time, I'm sure the influence and closeness of friends will decrease. However, in the computer age perhaps not as much as in prior years.  Marina exchanged emails and pics constantly with many of her old friends during her first year in America.

Because they are in their 30s, her friends are climbing the corporate ladder, moving into management and higher paying jobs.  They now own their own cars and have beautiful flats.  One friend told Mariana that her salary had doubled in just the last year.

And of course some of her friends have connected well.”  We had dinner and spent the night with one couple.  He is a multimillionaire developer.  Their home was on the “left side” of the dnepr river as it is called here and was 5000 sq feet with 3 balconies and an extensive collection of fish and birds from the Amazon.  Age difference with this couple?  You bet.  Like  most marriages here at RWD, and maybe a little more.  He is in his late 50s and she is 32. But one major difference--she is his mistress.  He has a wife in Italy and he travels back and forth between the two countries.

Like in America, some of her friends have done well in life, and others not as well.  But also like in America, happiness in not measured by material things, but in family harmony.

[Mir]

she is his mistress.  He has a wife in Italy and he travels back and forth between the two countries.

And how can she accept that?

[Simoni]

I asked Marina your question, and she replied "I don't know; I can't accept it."

My guess? They have been together 10 years.  She loves him. She thinks hw will leave his wife for her. And the life style is very nice.

[Simoni]

BEWARE OF WOMEN OFFERING TOASTS

I'm having a hangover today.  A bad one. Its all because of a woman.  And not my wife.  It's  my own damn fault...

I've learned to avoid drinking with Russian men as much as possible.  But yesterday a slick girl named Alla done me in.

We were at a birthday party. Marina and I shared two bottles of wine.  Then 4 beers.  But everytime Marina was away from me, Alla pulled out a bottle of Konyak, firted and batted her eyes, and filled my cup and toasted me! This happened about 5 times before Marina caught her and told her off!

Seven hours later I had a roaring headache and spent most of the night in the john!

And along with my hangover today, Marina is pissed at me big time.  Turns out Alla is an old time rival...

[Sohkay]

Simoni,

I'm really enjoying your trip report. It's interesting to read a post-marriage return trip report. Much of what you write is a vicarious thrill for me. Keep it coming!

My best to the both of you.

[Simoni]

Simoni,

I'm really enjoying your trip report. It's interesting to read a post-marriage return trip report. Much of what you write is a vicarious thrill for me. Keep it coming!

My best to the both of you.

Thanks, Sohkay, for your positive feedback.  I didn't know if a post-marriage trip report would work or not.   Not as thrilling as the guys on the hunt!    LOL

But I'll keep posting our experiences and see if we find a readership.  In the meantime, it's not a bad way of figuring out and hanging onto experiences....

[Simoni]

FALLEN BOYS

One sad monument overlooks the Dnepr River in Dnepropetrovsk.  It’s a tribute to the soldiers killed in Afghanistan, so future generations will remember the sacrifice of life there.  From Dnepropetrovsk alone, there are more than 500 names.

It explains a lot why so many girls in their 30s cannot find a good man in the FSU.  So many died, creating an imbalance in the population.

When you consider the way wars change a population, with sons who never live to marry and have children and contribute to society, the price of war is even greater than the 500 names on the monument.

[Simoni]

DINNER at MEMENO

We are at a dinner party for a friend of Marina's at a riverside restaurant.  The food is excellent...salmon and Greek salad and Ukrainian potatoes.  Very delicious! And the price is half to 2\3rds of what I would pay in the US.

But so many toasts! And I'm getting so drunk!  Thank God for public transportation! LOL

PICTURES FROM MEMENO

I'm at the upscale Most (MOCT) mall now, at a coffeeshop that offers free high speed internet.  Marina is shopping, so I'll add some pictures to the post from the party yesterday.

The first is the entrance to MEMENO.   The next few are my dinner 

Who says food in Ukraine is not delicious?

Great place, great prices, great birthday party!  (except for my note above!)  LOL

[Simoni]

CUPID

Ukraine has many new traditions that have appeared since the demise of the Soviet Union. When they have wedding parties, the bride and groom go to the Cupid monument near the river and place their feet into the footprints you see below.  Then Cupid “shoots” them and their love is eternal.

[Mir]

I doubt there were enough deaths from the Afghan war to create an imbalance of sexes, the more likely cause is immigration.

Looking at the footprints one can learn that gay marriages have not arrived in Ukraine yet.

[Simoni]

My wife has shared several PM's with Dar. If you see them again say Hello from Elena!

Henry and Dar are back in Kiev now, so we won't be seeing them again until stateside.

But here's a pic we took of them on Monday....

Posted with their permission, BTW 

[ScottinCrimea]

Simoni, Your posts are making me very homesick for Ukraine.  I guess I'll just have to sit here and drink the watered down stuff that passes for beer in the US and hum "Ukraine is not Dead Yet" to myself.

[Simoni]

Scott- I'll live life LARGE enough for both of us.  What would you like for dinner tonight?  :-)

[Simoni]

FACELIFT

Many of the beautiful old buildings of Dnepr are getting a facelift. Look at this building on Karl Marx...

[Simoni]

And now, look at her next door neighbor...

[Simoni]

Using RWD is a little bit different on this side of the planet.  Most members are sleeping as we go about our day.  So when you send a PM, you can expect an additional half day lag before the person even receives it.  Reminds me of the times when I was living in the US and dating FSU girls...we only shared about 7 or 8 of the same waking hours.

I'm still waking up here at 5:30 or 6 a.m., just like at home.  I usually grab some coffee as Marina sleeps another couple of hours.  Darn, I miss the morning newspaper!

We are walking miles every day, so there is no need for a trip to the gym.   The embankment along the Dnper river has been redone, and is a beautiful place to walk.  I'll post a picture of the fountain in the river here, and will do a pictorial post on the embankment later.  Will shoot some pics to share this evening.

[ScottinCrimea]

So tell me, why would you not want to live in Ukraine?  Imagine having the life you are living now every day for the rest of your life.  That's what I experienced in my 2 1/2 years of living there and why I will eventually live out my life there.

[Simoni]

So tell me, why would you not want to live in Ukraine?  Imagine having the life you are living now every day for the rest of your life.  That's what I experienced in my 2 1/2 years of living there and why I will eventually live out my life there.

Ukraine has changed a lot in the last few years.  Satellite stations, wifi internet, improving roads in metro areas....all of these make me say yes, I could live here and be very happy. Dnepr is now very similar to a major US city.  But it still maintains its uniqueness.

Yes, you still have the local culture, that you can experience every day on the streets and cafes and in interactions with friends here.

But I suspect that you have the same problem that I have--I can make 10 to 20 times as much money in the states and also be happy there, too.  So our plans are to spend summers in Ukraine and work the other 10 months in the US.  We'll have the best of both worlds 

BTW-- while I enjoy the food of Ukraine, I'm also very glad they have foods from around the world that are already a part of my diet here-- Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and even American :-)

[Simoni]

LUNCH- ITALIAN STYLE

We just finished lunch at Portofino, an Italian restaurant at MOCT City Center, second floor.  We shared a salad, soup and lazona for 8 bucks. The food and presentation were outstanding.  Plush environment with Italian music.

I have my eye on the T-bone steak...think we will return soon.

In a bit of homesickness, I had 2 bottles of Corona Extra :-). Marina helped- her chez beer was bitter.