10 Things That Have Become Normal While Living in Ukraine
I've been living in Ukraine for over 15 months now and here are some of the things that really threw me off when I first experienced them but now have become just another normal part of everyday life. I'd actually completely forgotten about some of these things until some American guests pointed them out to me.
1.) Squat Toilets
The first time I saw a squat toilet was here in Ukraine and honestly I was not even sure what I was looking at. I avoided them for months (and still do) but at least now I'm prepared for when I don't have a choice. If you want to visit don't worry! 4/5 of my visitors have been able to avoid them ;)
It almost feels unnatural now to not immediately take my shoes off when I enter a house. So unnatural that I actually think I'll take this cultural difference home with me. When I was in America for a short time in December I kept getting annoyed because when I would go to go outside I'd have to walk back upstairs to get my shoes since I always forgot them.
3.) Phone calls
In Ukraine if you have a quick question you don't shoot off a text, you call someone; if your phone rings and you're doing something you don't silence your phone and call back later, you answer; if your making plans you don't just text a time and place to meet, you call and discuss it. My 24-year-old American self was truly thrown off by this when I first arrived because the only time I ever called anyone in America was when I was leaving a bar and trying to get a roommate to pick me up and drive me home, but now it's become much more normal for me to call instead of text all the time.
4.) Shots shots shots
Drinking culture in Ukraine (that I've experienced) is crazy different then in America. For starters, mixed drinks and cocktails are not much of a thing, especially not while drinking at home. Just shots, often chased with pickles. Also instead of having a few drinks with dinner and then "going out" and just having drinks, people in Ukraine almost always eat while drinking. I was once at a meal that started at 2 pm and didn't end until 1 am and we just ate and took shots the whole time. (Actually this picture was taken the next morning, because I was told the only way I was going to feel better was if I had another shot.)
5.) Leftovers for breakfast
Basically there is no "breakfast food" in Ukraine, you just eat whatever is left from the night before. I've actually only ever had "pancakes" (they're more like crepes) for dinner before while living with a host family. Now that I'm living on my own I typically make oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, but occasionally I'll still have whatever is left from the night before.
6.) Potatoes, dill, and mayo
I don't think I've had a meal yet in Ukraine (made by a Ukrainian) that there hasn't been at least potatoes, dill, or mayo in one of the dishes. Bonus points for getting all three in one dish.
7.) Marshrutkas
Marshrutkas are busses that are used not just to get around but how you live life. Public transportation is the second most common way to get around in Ukraine (behind walking). Thankfully right now I live in the center of my town so I don't have to use marshrutkas to get around too often, but to get between cities I have to take a marshrutka. While it's usually very cheap, sometimes being on a bus with 10 too many people shoved in just doesn't really fit with my claustrophobic personality. Bonus points for when they just don't show up. (Double bonus when they don't show up and it's two in the morning, but thank goodness for helpful/caring Ukrainian friends that helped me out.)
8.) The way you buy meat and fish
I never really thought about being a vegetarian before coming to Ukraine, but I think by the time I leave here there's a very good chance that I might. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday on my way to school I pass these very shallow bins filled with live fish and water. It's very common to buy the fish like this in my town. I also avoid going into the butchers. In America, I would buy thin chicken breast fillet strips, packaged in plastic with clear expiration dates, sometimes already pre-seasoned. Here, you go into the butchers and buy a chunk of meat, usually with bones and all the fat still attached. Also in the winter it's pretty common to just see different meats and fish hanging outside, this isn't as common in the summer but I have definitely seen some full chickens sitting out in the midday heat in the summer
9.) Wild dogs
98% of the time I really like the wild dogs (the 2% is in the middle of the night when I wake up to dogs fighting outside my window.) They just run around town and are looking for food and I haven't had any bad experiences yet with them. During training Emily and I became pretty much best friends with one of the dogs, but I have yet to find my best friend dog here in Romny.
10.) Life just being a big "Wait what?"
I've gotten really good at nodding and smiling in agreement with conversations even if I totally don't know what the topic of discussion is. I realized one night after having a whole conversation with my host mom that she was asking an entirely different question ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Sometimes I'm super confident and think I know what's happening and then I blink and realize I was totally off. But I've gotten pretty good at just rolling with it and going with the flow and that's what makes this such an interesting and fun experience.