“Get over the [lack of] smiles, the harsh tones of voice, the unemotional stares.” Well maybe I shouldn’t put this in quotes – it’s only been a recurring thought in my head walking around Kiev, …
September 21, 2014
Ukraine
Ukraine
Finding friendly Ukraine
Why Ukraine: a salo session in Kiev
I’ve eaten sushi, Italian food, and fruit since I've been here in Kiev so far. In the midst of what I'd characterize as an uneasy peace (mostly) here, I’ve been fiending to figure out what …
August 11, 2014
Why Ukraine: nighttime Kiev and protests
June 6, 2014 - Ok, so my first 12 hours here in Kiev were, umm... interesting. I remember looking up at a sign in the airport reading “Red Zone” and thinking it was a USSR …
July 15, 2014
Why Ukraine?
Before we start, let’s stop: it’s not THE Ukraine, it’s Ukraine. Obama apparently learned this last year. Admittedly I didn’t know this until recently, but I'm not the Prez. And oh yeah, the capital (Kiev) …
June 21, 2014
Dniprodzerzhynsk
I’m playing with my hair out of nervousness. I never do this. Isn’t this the behavior of a preteen boy, mustering up the courage to ask a girl out on his first date? Yet there’s …
March 11, 2013
Hiking Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine occupy the far western part of the country. They are considered moderate – nothing quite as massive or high as the Rockies, nor as rolling or subtle as the Appalachians. …
January 8, 2013
Humorous Humanitarian Dispatches from a Ukrainian Border Town
In the thick of night, you can almost always hear the tree branches rattling in a rhythmic chorus of nighttime symphonies. A tap starts at your window; a breath of air shakes a group of …
December 20, 2012
Balaklava, Ukraine's Golden Beach
The coast was stark and abandoned. We'd discovered a natural wonder with no foot traffic – a landscape of vibrant colors and fluid sunsets that belonged in a watercolor. Before my eyes, the Black Sea …
December 7, 2012
Who’s Ever Heard of Ukraine?
"Dude, I think I want to go to Ukraine,” I told a friend over a beer-battered fish taco in cloudless San Diego. "What are you looking for in Russia? Women of dreamy, unworldly beauty, cheap …
November 9, 2012
At the World’s End: Chernobyl and Prypiat
I was two years old and living in the U.K. when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, on April 26, 1986. Naturally, I have no memory of the event, but my mother assures me that …
March 5, 2012
Odessa Impressions
Just back from Ukraine, I follow TV reports of the election protests in Kiev, the capital. Via e-mail, friends have described the situation in Odessa, where I lived, as much calmer. Odessa is neither in …