When the memories fade

One month from today will be my last full day in Kyiv. Wow. There were some moments in there where I wasn’t sure I would survive long enough to make that statement. As challenging as the last two years have been, there is a list (albeit a short, weird one) of things that I will miss when I leave. Well, I’ll miss them in 5 or 6 years, when the memories of the daily struggles have faded and everything surrounding Kyiv has that glow of “our first overseas post.”

First of all, the most immediate sense of loss will be felt for our housekeeper, Alla. Just the idea that we would be able to have a housekeeper here was awesome in itself and then we lucked out and got the amazing Alla. She has not only cleaned our house and cooked us dinner, but more importantly, she has helped me hold on to my remaining bit of sanity in this crazy place. Granted, we have had our communication stumbling blocks, but between my shaky Russian and her ever-improving English, we’ve made it work. And she has gone above and beyond to help us out in many ways, particularly with Laika. And Laika LOVES Alla, bestowing upon her the most exuberant of tail-wags. (And when your tail is only an inch and a half long, it takes a great amount of exuberance to get that thing going.) Alla will be sorely missed by us all.

And now for the weird things I’ll miss:

Kiosks. When you spend a great deal of your time outside walking your dog (who is not allowed inside any stores), it’s nice to be able to simply walk up to a kiosk and purchase a soda, beer, chips, etc. And the fact that there’s one about every 2-3 blocks makes them more than convenient.

Juices. Kyiv has a crazy, crazy juice selection. Want orange juice? No problem. How about mango? Pineapple? Strawberry? Apple? Cherry? Banana? Lime? Grapefruit? Blood orange? Grape? Strawberry-banana? Orange-grapefruit? Aloe-kiwi-grape? Pumpkin-banana-carrot? Or my personal favorite, multivitamin? And that’s only about a third of what they have to offer.  The juice aisle at the store is twice as long as the soda aisle.

Cheap food. No, this does not always equal good food, but once you know what you’re doing, you can get a decent lunch for under $3. Hitting up the cafeteria-style restaurants at lunch time can be dangerous, but if you go at times when not every single Ukrainian in the neighborhood is there, you can feast for next to nothing. And when you know which street food stands are the best – namely the mlintsi stand at O’Panas in Shevchenco Park and the Kyiv Perepichka stand on Hemelnitskova Street – you can eat for even less.

The traveling salesman on the number 18 trolleybus. This guy amuses me every time I’m lucky enough to get on the bus he’s riding for the day. I actually recognize the sound of his voice as he starts his “My Dear Passengers” speech. Then he proceeds to pull out something cheap and probably pretty crappy and demonstrate just why everyone on the bus needs said item. One day it was a sweater de-fuzzer and he had actually brought along a sweater to show just how “well” it worked. Another time it was some sort of magic self-threading needles. (He worked those pretty fast, so I could never figure out quite how they worked.) And then he lets us all know just how affordable the item is – usually less than a dollar – and I’m constantly amazed at how many people actually make a purchase. But he’s not done yet. As interest begins to fade for his bargain-of-the-day, he pulls a supply of flashlights out of his bag. Everyone needs a flashlight! And what about tape? Or super glue? I have no idea what all this guy carries around with him, but I have a feeling that if you have a need for something, he’s going to be able to supply it.

So as you can see, I was not kidding when I said the list was short and weird. But on some many days, it can take something as small as a glass of tasty  juice or the lively demonstration of a sweater de-fuzzer to turn a really bad day into a tolerable one.