Chernivtsi! Finally!

First 2 Days in Chernivtsi
My first glance out the train window early Monday AM was of a lot of nothing, except snow.
Hmm.

Then we started getting closer to town and I started seeing a lot of life…streets, neighborhoods, etc. We finally arrived at 9:30. I was eager to meet Mykola. He greeted me before I even had a chance to put my foot on the first step down off the train! I liked him immediately. He helped us with our caravan of luggage, and as soon as we got into his SUV, he said to me, “I like to meet people. I do not like to see them go.” Mykola is chair of the American Studies Department at the university and speaks near perfect English, something that has been very valuable!

We drove immediately to the flat, a very charming place that is larger than I expected. It has a very European feel to it…high ceiling, narrow and tall double doors that separate each of the rooms. It even has a little balcony, something I hope to be able to use when the weather gets nicer! Mykola worked hard to find this and I am grateful. Plus, the flat is in a great location. I can walk to the building where I teach in about 8 minutes.

We went grocery shopping after organizing and unpacking. This Ukrainian supermarket had all the usual food, plus a bank, electronics stores, clothing stores, a Pizza Celentano (a popular national chain) and a bowling alley. Thank goodness I like pizza, as it is everywhere. I was able to buy things I like, especially items I “shouldn’t” eat out bc of water issues. I bought tomatoes, pickles (they had them in the deli section and they are so good!), broccoli, soy beans, pasta, tomato sauce from Georgia (the country, folks, not the state), lemons, sparkling water, cheese, bread, pineapple, and even low fat yogurt and microwave popcorn! I also bought a hair dryer and almost bought a heater. It is cold here and the furnaces freaked me out a little bit at first bc the process of heating the flat and heating water is rather extensive. I decided to wait though and I am glad I did bc Mykola and Lilliana (the woman who owns this building) found a small electronic heater.

We then drove to the cell phone/internet store. I was eager to get internet access. We purchased a plan with KYIVSTAR. I wish I could write how it actually is written, as opposed to the Anglicized version, but my keyboard does not have Cryllic letters. Basically, I got mobile internet, which means this thing plugs into my USB port and I can get internet service anywhere I like…sitting in a café, at the university, etc. Excellent. I was prepared to go old school if need be ( I brought a lot of books to read) and I will read those books, but I really, really didn't want to. It is nice having the internet bc this is how I am keeping in touch with people back home.

Tonight, I made dinner at the flat and was fairly proud of myself for being creative in the kitchen. There was an unexpected knock at the door, and when I opened it turned out to be my neighbor from the 2nd floor, Andriy, who came to introduce himself and bring a plate of pompushkas as a welcome. SO SWEET. Reminds me of how things used to be in the US. Those pompushkas went fairly fast. Anridy and his wife are grad students at the university.
Today the high was in the mind 20s and the low tonight is 1 degree F. COLD. Thank goodness for these complicated but beautiful furnaces. It is colder than it is in Moscow right now.
Tomorrow is a big day, as I get to meet my 4th year students for the first time! I’m eager to meet them and learn from them. I learned 2 new expressions today, the expression for Good Evening and Good Night. I have Good Day (anglicized sounds like Dobryden) down and use it about 25 times a day.