Diary of Kyiv Days 2001, Plus.

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Kyiv Days and Other Regular Stuff

Sunday, June 3, 2001

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a couple weeks since the last episode. So what's been happening? Just the regular stuff. Spring came and went, more or less. In local tradition, June 1 is the start of summer here but this year the weather has not cooperated. It's been cool and wet, it seems like for weeks. "Cool and wet" versus "cold and icy" should put us in a good mood but we're never satisfied. Anyway, we'll show you a bit of Kyiv Days, school days and regular weekend days.

Kyiv Days are held on the last weekend of May. The celebration is new since the fall of the Soviet Union so it is not in the least political. Quite a break from the other "prasnicks". In true capitalist fashion, we started the day at the "Obmin Valiut". These exchange booths are all over in Kyiv, particularly in the downtown area. At first, we thought this was a very convenient service for tourists but we now know there simply are NOT that many tourists. Exchanges for dollars to hryvnas are for everybody here. Ukrainians do not yet trust their own currency although for the last year the rate has been quite stable. More stable than the Euro-dollar exchange rate even. No matter, people use hryvna but hold (and save) dollars.

Down on "The Spuce", things are hopping. Hundreds of extra kiosks are set up to sell hand crafts and thousands of extra people are there to buy. This is our third "Kyiv Days" and of course we are known to most of the regular merchants so we wander the familiar scene with ease. We see friends but escape with very few purchases. Maybe some small painted boxes for my upcoming trip to the U.S. but mostly it's fun experiencing the atmosphere. Kiev has been a market city for hundreds of years. I'm sure that Kyiv Days today is not much different from Summer Markets of a hundred years ago &endash; crowds, languages, food, drink and celebration that it is no longer winter. Maybe the tents are different, but the feeling must be the same.

Celebrations over, we all return to work. Marianne puts her kids to work (Picture #5) as best she can with just a few weeks left in the school year. For me, it's the almost-annual search for who's to blame for the slow progress on our project. I may or may not survive this periodic pogrom but that's another story. In any event, we put in our week and looked forward to another weekend.

Since I am going to America next weekend, we had to pick up miscellaneous gifts now. First we bought some really very nice small watercolors from Ludmilla and a ceramic teapot from Sergey. Then a peasant's dress from Larissa Sergey is a regular with us but this is the first time I'd noticed Ludmilla's work. There is a lot of bad art in these "shops" but there is also some very good work indeed.

After the Spuce we ran off to baby-sit. Rob, who with his wife Mary Katherine teaches with Marianne, had become the first of our friends to try out the local surgery hospital. He had his appendix removed Thursday. Today, Sunday, we volunteered to watch their year-old son Christopher for a bit while Mary Katherine went to the hospital to retrieve Rob. He came home with stitches* and stories but otherwise in good spirits. He was in what is reportedly the best hospital in town, in one of the two best rooms in this hospital, but conditions were still not "Western Standard". Not even close. All the local "ex-pats" just hope that any serious problem occurs when we are on home leave or is such that we can get air evacuated out. The collapse of the medical system in Ukraine discourages everyone, foreigner or native. Service is cheap (Rob's room was about $5.50 per day) but the American Embassy can not find a hospital it will recommend &endash; if there is a choice.

After our civic duty (which we would do any time, any place since little Christopher is a fun little baby), we stopped by the market to pick up some fruit. It's now the start of the local fruit season and THAT's one of the plusses of living here.

Until later, take care and stay healthy.

John and Marianne

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ps:

*This is the traditional Lyndon Johnson-esque post-op picture. Even Canadians like Rob recognize it.

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