The Voices of Ukrainians

Anya is being discharged from the hospital this weekend after her operation. She will need to be in her cast for the next month, and stay in the Kiev area during that time for physical therapy and in case of complications.  So we had to find a place for her to live. After some looking around, we said, "Wait a second.  Smile House was built so that these kids could have a place to live, so why doesn't she live here?" The construction team is here, so a lot of work is being done, and we're able to get a lot of needed cleaning done on the second floor.  Right now we are installing all the fixtures in the bathroom. The kitchen setup will start out a little on the bare side, but we should be able to install everything in the next few weeks.  Doug is tracking down a hospital bed, and we need to get some more basic furniture.  So, in short, we have a lot of work to do this week, but we should have our first real resident in Smile House 5 months ah...

The standard expectation when you get pulled over in Ukraine is that the police want a bribe.  Its unfortunate, but its been this way for a long time.  In a lot of ways, its easiest to compare it to a poker game.  I (Daniel) got pulled over for speeding last week.  I was doing 88 in a 80 maximum zone (kilometers per hour, so not as bad as it sounds).  In truth it was a 60 kph zone, but the rule is that you are allowed to go 20 kph over the posted speed limit (no such thing as an absolute rule here).  In addition, I’ve  never seen the 60 kph sign anywhere on that highway (I’m still going to look one last time to be sure).  I thought the speed limit was 90, but apparently I was wrong. It wasn’t the first time I have been pulled over.  The first time I was pacing Doug as he flew up to Komrivka, but thankfully Doug talk to the officer for me.  And the second time was just a random document check, rather uneventful. But this time I was spe...

What is Women's Day? A really big deal here! According to my main source of information, Wikipedia, "The focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc." Gift giving is very important; you should see the "seasonal" section of Ashan (the Ukrainian version of Wal-Mart). It's magnificent: chocolates, pajamas, makeup, plants, tea sets, hair products, pink seahorse boats, etc. This holiday is so big that many business' shut down and there's no school! To embrace Ukrainian culture, we bought chocolates for our language teacher and some earrings from Venice for Anya at Safe Haven. You should embrace Ukrainian culture too! That means giving some gifts, giving some hugs...