2 weeks, 1 birthday & a million changes later….

A bit over 2 weeks since our final departure…..some highlights

Tahoe Evacuation: we started with 'evacuation camp' in the mountains given our house wasn't available yet (with the accelerated departure)

Featuring our 'Half assed home school'

Art...

Science…

(Thanks G'mom & G'dad for the belated Christmas gift - a fab 'school project'!)

Roller Rink & Pine needle PE...

Recess...

Teacher break...

Wow!  Did we swing the pendulum moving to California:

Fresh fruit - we bought these on the 14th - they were PICKED only 3 days prior!

Seriously Eco - we went from having to go out of our way to recycle, to eco solutions being brought to us...

The bathroom at the community center where Zoe takes dance...

Even better - our garage!   The cans they pick up from our curb…..

(trash + recycling AND compost.   I LOVE it!)

But all this comes at a cost...

Warn against invisible evils - seriously, Starbucks telling us about the risk of chemicals in coffee??   

(Wouldn't you keep that on the down low?!)

No Wild West in the west -  gone is the parking flexibility…

But one really can't complain with this kind of scenery….

We also enjoyed Quincy turning 11 on this side of the pond

A split birthday brunch with 'Puncle Peric'….

Breakfast & presents in bed….

A ride on Cable Car #11 to sundaes on his 11th!

Now we have shifted to: 

Settling into new normal

New Schools: Quincy & Zoe got into a great school in the Marina…

Even more color: while 'international' has been our recent norm, Xavier's school shows us super colorful.   It is like the United Nations - people are from everywhere!

New Standards:  Zoe came home day 1 with a huge pack of homework & reports "this is WAY harder"….

We also got a "please help your child learn to count money over break" note from her teacher.  (Zoe can tell you the exchange rate between US dollars and hryvnia but doesn't know a nickle from a dime :0)

So while we are having to adjust to some new, we are enjoying the color too!

(a local wig store - 2 blocks away in case we get into a hair pinch)

Here's to enjoying the new and hoping the 'new normal' isn't too normal!

Trying to take it with us

We officially left Kiev…….reluctantly, excitedly, with heavy hearts and even heavier bags.

What an amazing ~3 year adventure we have had.   Our time in Kiev far exceeded our expectations – making the departure far more difficult than we could have guessed.

On paper, it might seem a tumultuous, semi-backwards place lacking order & many modern conveniences, but it’s far more complicated than that.  I reflect on some top things I will miss…

Camaraderie via ‘hardship’

Ukraine is categorized by many companies & the US State Department as a ‘hardship post’.  With recent political turmoil, the reasons for that are more obvious.   

But for our first 2 years, the hardship I felt was mostly to lack of efficiency & conveniences.  Many products I took for granted at home became treasured goods we’d hand carry in our luggage from the States.

• ·      Peanut butter
• ·      Food coloring
• ·      Cake mix & canned frosting
• ·      Black beans

(time to go when this is the last of my USA cellar)

The list could go on & on.   But the unexpected positive from this is the ‘we’re in it together-ness’ of scarcity.  

Several friends hooked me up with brownie mix in my times of need.  Another brought me a box of rock salt from Vienna as a gift. 

I proudly passed on my box of half used cake sprinkles and tube frosting to a friend who accepted them with genuine enthusiasm.   Another took applesauce & canned black beans with the glee that usually only comes from far bigger occasions.

Whether due to shared imported supplies, tips about pediatricians who won’t over-medicate or red alerts when there are fresh cranberries in the store, navigating these together helped foster friendships we will forever treasure

Easy cheap thrills

While my Russian skills plateaued at fairly basic conversation, I found myself constantly rewarded with the gratification of being able to ask questions, order things & chat with fruit vendors.  

Just being able to read signs, I felt a small sense of accomplishment

And successfully executing even the quite simple – mailing a package, paying a bill – provides a high disproportionate to the task

I’ve always enjoyed the random & novel – feeding that thrill in Kiev required nothing more than walking out the door

(I HATE pigeons - successfully avoided these guys until our last weekend in town)

(already miss the fun & often furry outfit spotting)

Lawlessness Flexibility

I’ve often said, how much I LOVE being able to park wherever your car fits.  A liberating way to add convenience (ignoring the times it contributes to grid lock of course)

In general, this ‘rule flexibility’ has benefitted us many times.   On our way home was no exception.  The van booked to take us to the airport failed to show….after a ‘death of a thousand cuts’ (promising to be there very soon), he showed……75 minutes late.   

With the request to drive fast taken quite seriously (30-40 minutes down to 20), we frantically rolled up to the counter to be told the flight was closed.  While I didn’t understand her completely, she must have said “zakrita” (closed) about 6 times.  

I’m not sure if it was our desperate faces, crying kids or unruly appearance she wanted to be rid of the most, but she re-opened the flight & got us on.

So yes – sometimes Kiev was messy…

But sometimes messy works...

So while we’ve crossed to the other side, part of my heart remains in Ukraine

Here’s to the friends we will always treasure & seeking random on this side of the pond.

Packing up the Palace

This week, we took a break from packing up our house to check out former President Yanukovych's palace (open to the public since he fled to Russia)

Many aspects were as you'd expect....

Well guarded
Even the new guards focus on security - with bag checks & pat downs....

That said, the sense of humor I'm guessing is new....

(a picture on the guard house window)

McMansion 

People with money here generally like to show it.   So it wasn't too surprising to find the main house quite BIG....

At first glance, the quaint chalet style was surprising (more typical to see drippy, opulence), but once around to the other side, the grandeur became more blatant....

Opulent decor

Alas, the interior 100% reflected the expected.   

Gold gilded stair case...

Carved furniture....

(note the smoking table - appears a chimney to suck the fumes out)

In-laid floors, fancy finery....

My fave, a golden toilet brush...

(while you couldn't go into the buildings, the drapes were intentionally open to display the lavishness)

While we expected big & over the top opulence, the most shocking part was the dramatic contrast to the rest of Ukraine....

A typical Ukrainian apartment building & courtyard park....

Typical state of the roads...

Typical crumbling stairs

You pretty much always have to watch where you walk.

Meanwhile, at Viktor's house:
Perfect pavement...

Decorative sidewalks....

Fancy light posts AND the first road mirror I've ever seen in this country

It's now clear where the state infrastructure budget is going....

But even more in-your-face, budget breaking:

His own golf course

His own 'boat' dining hall

His own zoo

With a whole section of exotic birds

The contrast is what made it so sickening:

While the people of his nation live like this...

His ducks live like this......

But the good times at the palace came to an abrupt end - Viktor fled due to fear for his life.  
Maybe a bit more subtlety next time?


Meanwhile, we are busily packing up our own palace of sorts.  Feeling the pain of a 40' container of stuff, we just need to take a deep breath & do like Zoe - prioritize

Here's to appreciating humble