Some Insights!

Life in general seems to be fast paced. People always seem to be on the go. They are going from here to there, walking, taking the bus, taking a taxi. There are more taxis here than one would believe. They seem to be along every street, waiting patiently. There are usually 2 to 8 taxis all fairly close together. There are also buses everywhere. Most of the buses are smaller. 2 to 5 buses passing each other and moving in and out of traffic is a common occurrence. There is only one rule of the road here- every man for himself! There are only two kinds of pedestrians – fast or dead. Parking meters are nonexistent. ” No parking” signs are not necessary as people park on the side of the street, in the middle of the street, on the sidewalks. Men in black – women in black. Most cars are black. Most accessories such as purses, hats, brief cases etc., all black, with the occasional red one. If you are shopping in the stores or at the street markets, you better be more specific than, “I’ll take the black one”. My white tennis shoes, you guessed it – now black. To my daughter, Melia, who recently returned from the multi-cultural city of Toronto, Canada and observed, “Salt Lake is so white – to her I say, “You have never been to Ukraine”. I have yet to see anyone other than Ray or myself walking along that wears glasses. I pointed that out to Ann Carr and it has now become a game to see who can find someone wearing glasses. To say the skinny black pant is back is no exaggeration. I think the jeans here come in a spray can! There is quite a chill in the air, but most young women don’t care. It’s high heeled boots (black of course) mini skirts and fur coats with puffy wide collars for them. There is also of course the “typical” Ukrainian grandmother with the scarf on her head, a purse in one hand and a bag in the other. Her pace is a little slower, until she needs to cross the street! We rode the bus the other day, and as usual, it was very crowded. As people get on, they find a place to stand, then pass the money for the fare to the person next to them and it makes it way down to the front to be deposited. If change is needed, it too makes it way back down the line. In many places there are underground street crossings with little shops along the corridor under the road. You also can’t walk very far without seeing groups of men just standing around talking, smoking, and very often drinking. For the most part, the only people with smiles on their faces are the children. Seeing stray dogs roaming around is not unusual either. Many of the streets are narrow, and some are still cobblestone which makes for an interesting ride as your taxi winds its way through town. At least the part of town that we’re in has many tree lined streets. Big beautiful trees. Most of the leaves have fallen now. I’m sure it is beautiful in the summer. Other than the trees, there is not much else in the way of landscaping. There are also crows and pigeons everywhere.