Kiev, Ukraine: Yes, People Really Live Here.

Well, this is my 2nd day in Kiev.  I don’t count the first day much, as I basically sat around with a fever waiting for my apartment to be opened up for me.  Although we did walk down to Maidan (Independence Square) for a bit while waiting.

Before getting into the positives (I want to end on a happy note), let me tell you a little about Kiev, as if it were a soup.  Relating Ukraine to California, if Odessa is Santa Cruz or Monterey, Kiev is downtown LA, if downtown LA were 10x the size it currently is.  Not Pasadena.  Not Anaheim.  I am truly talking downtown and downtown only.  Add to that the street traffic of San Francisco, and the dirt and ugliness of New York City, and that recipe will give you Kiev.  I’m determined to make the best of my time here, because there is no way I will ever, EVER be back in this city.

So…Maidan.  This was the sight of the Maidan protests in Jan/Feb of 2014, that eventually led to the overthrow of the pro-Russian government.  It was in the news.  I’m guessing you’ve heard about it.  I was amazed at how small it was.  After seeing the news footage of 40,000 people here…I just couldn’t believe how small it was.  They were setting up for the Independence Day parades and celebrations, so it was kind of neat to see the preparations.  I also went and saw the memorial for those who gave their lives in the protest.  That hit me quite hard.  But the Maidan Square was very neat to see in person.

Of course, the best part about visiting the square was this funny guy wearing a panda costume.  All he wanted from us was one US dollar, because he had never had one before.  Then he proceeded to insist on us taking pictures with him, while directing us on what to do (“Now, pull my ear….PULL MY EAR!”)  I later nicknamed him “Maidan Panda.”  What a strange and jovial guy.

Today we spent pretty much the whole day at the Ukrainian Museum for WWII.  It was pretty amazing.  They wouldn’t let me take any photos inside the museum, but I took a lot outside (including one of me sitting in a Soviet fighter).  It was fascinating to read about history from a completely different perspective.  One word of warning:  Ukrainians do not shelter their history.  If you go to this museum, you should probably not bring children.  More Ukrainians died in WWII than any other Allied country, and they are very visually open about it.  I did get a neat historical book on the museum before leaving, however.

Tomorrow is the big Independence Day celebration at Maidan.  There is news that it will be heavily militaristic, which is a bummer for me (I was hoping for more of a cultural parade), but hopefully I return with great pics and stories.

Jeff:  Aug 23rd, 2016