dinsdag 9 maart 2010

снег | snow | თოვლი | sneeuw | schnee | neige | сніг

The title of this posts gives away the content, namely: snow. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it has been snowing in Ukraine since mid-November, and now, mid-March, it still hasn't stopped.

In the beginning snow is nice, snow is very beautiful and it makes you feel all christmassy inside. After one month (or perhaps earlier) the downsides of snow begin to irritate you: the slipping and falling, the cold, the wet feet, your shoes beginning to fall apart, the constantly necessity of a hat and a scarf. All making you stay inside more and more, canceling dates with friends because the ten minute walk to the metro has gone up to a twenty minute walk.

However, yesterday I made a life-changing decision:

I made peace with the snow.



It is very easy, you just decide there is snow, it will be there, and you can better enjoy it than have it ruining your good mood.

And strangely enough: it has worked ;).

zaterdag 16 januari 2010

Back in Ukraine!

So I just came back to Ukraine from a three week leave in the Netherlands, and honestly, I started to miss Kiev and the Ukrainian culture. The melancholic Slavic atmosphere has something addictive to it, and being back here for less than one day, is already making me realize how much I like it here (that has something to do with my favorite cafe and with the fact people speak Russian here, and I can understand it! The latter sure feels like a new accomplishment, I guess having my mind at rest does benefit my language skills).
For now, I am waiting for a train to go to Donetsk, tomorrow presidential elections are being held, and I will go to Yanukovich' former city, in Eastern Ukraine, which was hit hard by the fall of the Soviet Union and the more recent economic crisis. I am really excited, because it will be my first time in Eastern Ukraine. I will stay with a friend, and I will visit an observation mission; more on this all you will be able to read on http://evolutsia.net on Monday!