Skype Followup

     First off, I want to thank everyone who showed up for the Skype chat on Sunday. It was good to see and speak with you all. It's very encouraging to see and talk with people from home. I wish every one of you could be here to see what I've been seeing and doing. But talking on Skype and writing in this blog is the next best thing. I wanted to write this post just to better answer some of the questions people had. Pictures, explanations, and some more thoughts.
     I got a question on Sunday about shopping and how I do it. While at the grocery store yesterday, I was thinking a little about it. So here are a few thoughts/observations about it. I can read Russian and Ukrainian. The two are actually very similar. The alphabets only have a few letters that are different. That makes figuring out what something is a little easier. I showed the juices on Sunday but I'll use a different example.

(pictured left to right; ketchup, tartar, Mexican, paprika)

     These are four kinds of sauces that people put on food. Ketchup is very popular. People will put it on almost anything. But back to the sauce (never thought I've ever say that). Shopping in modern grocery stores, no matter the country, is very easy. Pictures make it clear and obvious what is in the package. But when you need to know specifically what's in the package, the banners across the front are where you need to go. Russian and Ukrainian share a lot of words with English. They are called cognates. кофе sounds very similar to coffee because they are the same in Russian and English. All of the sauces pictured have cognate names. That's the case for a lot of the other sauces too.
     On a side note, the Mexican sauce is very good on omelets. I made a chicken and cheese omelet for dinner last night and spread the Mexican sauce over the top of it. It probably would have been better inside but it was still good. Also, the paprika sauce is good on rice.
     These sauces are just a few of the huge selection of sauces available at just the one store I normally go to. But how would you tell the difference between Mexican and Italian sauce just by the pictures? That's where being able to read the language comes in. That knowledge makes the shopping process easier. Of course that doesn't extend to everything. If you're going to read the packaging to find out the fat or sugar content, then you'll need to know the language in more detail than just letters.
     The plus side to shopping here is that a lot of products do have English writing on them. Since Europe is a multi-lingual place that includes England, many products carry a variety of languages. Wines and beers (neither of which I drink here), tea, and olive oils seem to be the most common products with English writing on them. But I also discovered curry seasonings yesterday that fall under that category.
     OK, time to switch trains of thought. Coming back from my language lesson yesterday, I was inspired for a little topic to write about. Transportation here, especially the public variety, is only vaguely like what I've seen in the states. The metro is just like any other subway system. Lots of people at rush hour. Some good, new trains and some older models. The buses and trolleys are also fairly standard. I haven't taken a taxi that often but they are pretty standard.
     The part I want to talk about are the Marshrutkas. I've mentioned them several times in the past but it's worth talking about in-depth now. Especially that I'm not as stressed about navigating the city by them as I used to be. Yesterday while going back to my apartment, I realized this was the perfect example of something (almost) uniquely Ukrainian that explains the culture. It's also the best example of why I needed to get over my cultural discomfort as soon as possible.
     I linked to an article a while back (here I think) and it's good looking at it for reference. But it really doesn't give the picture of actually riding in one. Imagine a marshrutka as a cross between a bus and a taxi. They have a certain route and but it is possible to hail them along the way between normal stops (if the driver is feeling willing). They are also cheap to ride; between 15 and 25 cents (in American dollars). And that is if you ride one stop or ten.
     The cheapness means they are popular. And like all popular transportation at rush-hour, they get crowded. Which finally brings me to my point. When I first got on, all but one seat was full so I decided to stand. By the time my stop came about 25 minutes later, I had to push through the wall of humanity to get to the exit. By nature I don't like situations like that. Too many people and I'll start looking for a quick exit. But in the time I've been here. I think I've gotten used to it. I still don't like it but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. Which is weird considering how uncomfortable it feels to be standing back-to-back with a stranger.
     I had a question about big trucks and off-roading. I'm not sure how it went but the answer is yes. Yes, people do go four-wheeling here. I've seen a convoy of Jeep Grand Cherokees, a bunch of modified Toyota FJ Cruisers, and more than a few Lada Nivas. The latter are popular because they are common but also fairly decent at tackling the path less traveled. See picture for reference. This one is lifted with bigger tires and a snorkel. That kind of thing is standard for someone who wants to get muddy with one of these. If I wasn't a Jeep guy, after an FJ-40, I'd take a Niva. Hatchback and two solid axles. Win-win.

     I tried showing this picture on Sunday but it didn't work. This is an example of personalized vanity license plates here. It say "tornado" in Cyrillic letters.
    I also tried showing what the view off my balcony was like on Sunday but it was too dark. So I took these today. The building in the first one has been in-process since before I got here. It's been interesting watching it get worked on. The black stuff on the roof is (I think) rubber mat for waterproofing. I had to keep my windows closed while they were installing it. The workers painted tar on the roof before rolling out the mat. But to help the mats stick, they had to heat the tar with torches. They must have chosen the loudest torches possible.
     I'm not sure what will be going into the building when it's done. Probably offices or apartments. Although that won't be until at least next year with the pace they've been keeping.

     These last two pictures are examples of some of the improvements that are going on around the city. As I understand it, these are just two of the buildings that have received full murals. It was an interesting process, watching how they were put up. 

     The artists hung off the roof by climbing gear or window-washer platforms for almost a week. They attached styrofoam to the wall and plastered over it. Then they painted their designs. It's a very similar process to how they covered the building up above. Except the foam was used for insulation. A lot of buildings in the area have been getting the foam treatment.