Quincy's Take

The kids and I have been talking a lot about what they like about Kiev, how it compares to Chicago etc.  Quincy provided observations from an 8 year old's point of view....


Location, location, location: "If our house here were in Chicago, it would be perfect..."  


While Logan and I LOVE our Chicago house, we knew this one had some kid-appeal features that would help sell this whole move thing to the kids........  Quincy has reported on why our house in Kiev is superior in his view:


A yard (albeit not that big) WITH GRASS!!!

A swing (on our patio).....

...AND one in the basement 

(leave it to the American family to turn their gym room into a family room :)  not pictured is the giant TV and couch we moved into this space)


A pool 

(we figured the pool would buy their affection for at least a little while.  It has been ~6 weeks and we just now are hearing that the location needs to move.....so, I estimate a pool buys you about a month with an 8 year old)


The play room

(This picture doesn't show the whole story....it's a lofted area above the main kitchen / living room area full of toys.  Currently looks like it threw up Lego's all over itself.  But the beauty of it being a loft is you can't see a thing from the main floor, so....Presto!  Instant clean house!  Just don't go up the stairs!)




....BUT....




With all that going for it, I had to probe more to understand what about Kiev was not up to Chicago standards......


"It's just not as fancy": Quincy observed (not flatteringly) "They still have a lot of work to do"
When pushed for specifics (OK, I admit I was playing dumb...), he identified


'The buildings just don't look as nice'.  He selected this one as a good example..

The streets 'need some work'...(self portrait on a stairway that illustrates the point)

And we agreed that people just don't seem as worried about picking up litter...

(Quincy with an intentionally disapproving face - for the story and all.  Couldn't convince Zoe not to smile!) 




"There isn't as much American food as I expected": While I prepared for any and all physical ailments (shipped enough OTG drugs & toiletries to open my own Walgreens), I underestimated the need to prepare for emotional ailments (homesickness & food cravings).  


Quincy, being fairly picky in the US, has been the most affected by the food.  Without Trader Joe chicken nuggets, Costco pizza, Kraft Mac n Cheese and Chipotle he is a lost soul.  In attempt to combat this, we've eaten at McDonald's and TGIF more than should be allowed, tried a new pizza place a week and secured as many imported foods as possible (the hot fudge ingredients sent from Chicago should buy me at least another week of happiness!  Thanks Mom!)




"I miss my friends": This one is tough.....it's easy to brush off the 'dire need' for a specific kind of cheddar cheese, but missing people is tough.  (If you are reading this, WE MISS YOU!  Come visit!!  How many times in your life will you get invited to Kiev?!?!)   


The good news is that Quincy has made several good friends already.  The other day when I brought him to school 2-3 boys swarmed him shouting "Quincy!" ala "Norm!" from Cheers.  When I mentioned it to him, he reported "Yeah, I am kind of popular".  :)




Here's to considering a trip to Eastern Europe and feeling 'kind of popular' today!