48 hours in Kiev, Ukraine

This trip report is part 5 of a 5 part series of my time in Ukraine. Stories previously posted include my U.S. State Department sponsored service trip, travels through the Ukrainian countryside, a visit to the Carpathian Mountains, and spending 48 hours in Lviv. Please use the search function to find out more about these other trips.

In May of 2012, I had the fortune of being selected as a member of a U.S. delegation to help teach Ukrainian government officials about U.S. style local government. Our delegation consisted of me, from Illinois, Dave and Paul from Washington State, and Marcia from Washington DC. We all worked in varying capacities for local or regional governments or not-for-profit organizations. We were accompanied by Slava and Natalie, two Ukrainians who had earlier visited the U.S. as part of a U.S. Department of State reciprocal program.

Our service trip wasn’t all business and no pleasure. We had a lot of time “off of the clock” while in the big cities or while in transit between them. MK joined us midway during our time in this fabulous country. The cultural exchange and learning experience to us as delegates was, I’m certain, just as valuable as the governance experience the Ukrainians were learning from us.

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Lavra

Slava was waiting for us at the Kiev train station when we arrived and disembarked at 6:00am. Two taxis took us to our apartment located west of the main downtown area. After the overnight train trip, we were all feeling grungy and grumpy. The last thing we needed was for the apartment to not be properly functioning. Of course, upon our arrival, we discovered the water wasn't working, but were promised by the owners that it would be turned back on by 9:00am. That didn't leave us much time at all before our scheduled 10:00am meeting. It ended up being the quickest showers we had ever taken.

We also learned that the sleeping arrangements were going to be cluster. All week we were told that this apartment would be a nice four bedroom, two bath layout. Instead, we discovered we would be staying in a three bedroom, one bath affair. MK was tiring of these multiple share arrangements. I agreed. It was her vacation after all.

Slava helped us find a hotel with a last minute reservation, the last room that the Hotel Rus had for the next two nights.  We wouldn't be able to check in until later in the day, so the apartment had to be home for awhile. For the others, the apartment would be their home for the next two nights. The place was very nice, although you could easily tell that it was designed and built during the Soviet era.

The four of us headed to our meeting while MK stayed behind to luxuriate in her own slow and hot shower. Midway through, she heard someone banging on the door while her hair was full of shampoo. She quickly rinsed, wrapped a towel around her still wet body, and answered a door to a very angry, non-English speaking lady, yelling and pantomiming that water was leaking from our unit down and into the floors below.

Apparently, the bottom of the bathtub had a crack in it. The great amounts of water that had flowed through due to all of our earlier successive showers were too much for the floor boards to handle. MK tried to mop up what was still on the floor, half naked, when an English speaking owner showed up with a look of horror on his face (because of the water, not because of MK's half nakedness).

Of course, this was unknown to the rest of us until after we arrived at our meeting place. Again, as had occurred oftentimes before, this meeting was supposed to be just a Marcia show, but we all ended up having to give our speech. I was dead tired and not in the mood to do so, but I sucked it up and made it happen.

Just before we started, MK called Slava on his cell phone. He was too engrossed to talk to her so he handed me the phone. During a break later in the meeting, I told Slava and the rest the predicament MK was dealing with back at the apartment. Slava would eventually get a hold of the owner who assured everyone that a new tub would be installed and properly functioning by the time everyone arrived back home later that evening.

MK left the disaster of an apartment behind and spent some alone time for 2 1/2 hours while we were in our meeting. She later found someone on the street who spoke English, just enough to help translate to the taxi driver the address where she was to meet us at our final meeting of the day at the Ministry of Justice building.

This was the meeting where Dave was to sign a participation agreement with his counterparts from the Kharkiv region, those we met last week at the formal suit and tie affair. Upon arrival, our name tags, written in Ukrainian, were before our seats. A U.S. flag and a Ukrainian flag were displayed on table in front of us. We all exchanged pleasantries and niceties for a half hour or so, being impolite if instead we got straight to business.  Cameras and applause were in order as the two signed their respective documents, one set in English the other in Ukrainian. Champaign and wine, along with olives and mushrooms, were served to seal the deal.

Official signing ceremony, with liquor of course

An official car driven by the boss's driver took us to our hotel so that we could check in. We freshened up and then took a cab to an authentic Ukrainian restaurant hosted by the director’s Secretariat, named Yurgi, who we met earlier at the signing ceremony. The food was all bought and paid for by Yurgi and his organization. He talked to us, non-stop, about the politics of the Ukraine and the United States. Slava could hardly get a chance to eat, spending most of his time interpreting for us and Yurgi the back and forth conversation.

The following morning, we all arrived from our separate locations to meet Slava and Natalie at the entry way into the nearby subway system. From there, we walked over to the Ukrainian branch office of the American Council. We met with the in-country director and her staff for a debriefing and recap of our two week event. It was all very informal with no instructions or anything apparent that there are any follow-up requirements of the U.S. participants after this trip has ended.

I will definitely send strong commendations about Slava and Natalie.  They were tireless workers, always "on". They were there to schedule our meetings, to arrange for our transportation, to reserve our apartment, hotels, or home stays, to interpret the foreign language, and to tell us and show us things that no other normal visitor or tourist to this area would ever know about or see. In short, they did it all. They were so very impressive.

After this short meeting, we all went our separate ways. MK and I relished this free time and went on a very long walk through the business and residential areas south and east of our hotel. 

We arrived at a congregation of churches and monasteries called Lavra. The name was very much longer than that. But all I can remember is the shortened name Lavra. Very colorful and sparkling churches with their onion shaped domes were everywhere.  One view of the churches is the same image on the cover of the Lonely Planet book we have been using to assist us in our understanding of this great country. We both took many pictures to try and replicate this image.

Our return route took us northerly through the government area, the parliament building, and the House of Chimeras, the building where the president hosts foreign dignitaries, which is covered with sculptures of animals, serpents, and other grotesques. It would only be a few years later, and these very streets would be a battle zone full of burning vehicles, charred buildings, debris filled streets, and scattered dead bodies.

House of Chimeras

Together with the other U.S. participants, we later hosted a party for Slava, Natalie, and all of the others that we have met and who have become very good friends. Pizza, beer, snacks, vodka, and exchange of gifts were all a part of rounding out the night and a great way to conclude our trip. We all pitched in some money, 1000 hryvnias in all and placed it in a card for Slava and his fiancé, Iryna, as our early wedding present to them. 

Farewell  party

It was hard to leave. We had tears in our eyes walking away from them and back to our hotel. We promise that someday we will see them all again.

We had seen many things and had participated in and witnessed many events. They were all indescribable. I have tried here and in my other posts to tell the story. But, there is so much more that cannot be put into words. One thing we can say without any doubt is that the people of Ukraine are the most warm and hospitable people you could ever have the fortune of knowing. We cannot say enough how strongly we feel about these people.

I do know that we shall never forget them.

Months later, Iryna and Slava got married

A video of our time in Ukraine