Greetings friends and sorry for the extremely long delay.
I'm coming up on my 8th month anniversery in Ukraine, I can't believe it's already been this long. On one hand, I feel like I just got here. On the other hand, the USA seems like a distant memory.
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I'm working at my school now. I haven't done much besides just getting to know people and observing classes, but I like to to take my time before I plunge into something big. There are a lot of opportunities here, and I do plan to make the most of my service.
I wanted to enumerate a few of the most interesting things I've discovered in my time in Ukraine in an ongoing series. The first mini-essay will be on traveling.
1. Travel in Ukraine
When I lived in the states, I probably took about 10 buses in my entire lifespan. Like many Americans, I drove or rode in a private car everywhere. Ukraine is different. I rely solely on trains, buses, taxis, and hitchhiking to get around.
I rode on my first train in Ukraine, unless you count a commuter light rail a train. I actually like riding on trains here. The prices are very reasonable, I can travel 688 miles for only about $30 in the third class car, which isn't too bad. Though they do really pack people in. Fortunately I left my privacy and need for personal space somewhere near Kiev about six months ago. Ocasionally there are drunk passengers that make noise, but overall it's not a terrible experience. Though the bathrooms are quite scary, with always wet and slimy toilet seats, never any toilet paper, and never any soap next to the cold water sink.
For buses, prices are fairly reasonable here, I can get a bus that goes 8 miles for 8 griven, which is about $1.30USD. They are old soviet buses that travel slowly, but are extremely reliable. Some of the buses have to be around 40+ years old with probably half a million miles. They are marvels of technology, these old Soviet Buses.
Taxis are also very cheap in this country, though not on a Peace Corps budget. They are great though for safety. It's not safe to walk on the streets after dark here alone. Not just because you could be robbed, but there are no streetlights, numerous manholes without covers, and many drunk motorcyclists/car drivers. The taxi drivers are a bit crazy, but no more so than taxis in the states.
I hitchhiked for the first time in this country. It's amazing how different the attitude is towards hitchhiking here. It's a common thing to do, I believe because there just isn't the disposable income to support the amount of gas that people use in the states. It's actually very environmentally conscious, in a way. Peace Corps doesn't recommend hitchhiking, but if you live in Ukraine for long enough without a car you'll run into situations where it's necessary to do. Particularly if you live in a small village without any buses after 1PM.
However, rarely do you see a car on the road that isn't completely stuffed with people. It's beause salaries are much lower. A teacher makes about $200 a month here, so about $2400 a year. Car ownership is a luxury and not a necessity. It definitely has changed my perspective on what is necessary. Is personal ownership of a car necessary for comfort? I'm not so sure anymore, Ukraine always causes me to reexamine my previously held notions of what necessity truly is.
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Seven ways of stealing from budget
3. "Layer".
Nobody writes and talks about it, but such things happen. Some big state company ordered the equipment abroad. It was bought not at the manufacturer, but at a foreign firm that purchases the necessary equipment, and resells it gaining 10-20 %. But if you would call there you would hear Russian voice. And as the equipment - boring, costs over $1 billions you would tell, who the customer is. By the way, RosUkrEnergo is a kind of such pattern.
http://ua-ru-news.blogspot.com/2009/02/seven-legal-ways-of-stealing-from.html
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