We spoke of our work with Oksana Osnach and Andrey Lopushinsky in an earlier post. They have resurrected a traditional Chumak artform, images on fish. Here is a video from a local television station in Kherson who covered their activities in a news report. For those who do not speak Russian/Ukrainian you can click on the Closed Caption icon at the bottom of the video and then click on the Setting Icon (gear), click on Subtitles, Automatic Translation, and then select the language you would like to see. It is not a prefect translation but it will give you a general idea of who Oksana and Andrey are and how they decided to do this traditional art. Contact Oksana Osnach by private message on Facebook @oks.osn for more information or to place an order. Pieces can be shipped anywhere in Ukraine.
Window on America
Every Sunday Tom Laughlin and Sveta Zorina from Caravela host the Window on America meeting at the Gonchara library in Kherson Ukraine for cultural exchange between the United States and Ukraine. Window on America sites are funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. You can see Tom on the far left and Sveta on the far right of the picture.
Business Club Kherson Ukraine
Every Friday Caravela has a business club meeting led by Tom Laughlin. The purpose of the meeting is to give business owners the opportunity to talk about their opportunities and challenges as well as get ideas and support for their business activities. From left to right we have Oksana Osnach who is an artist and runs an art school, Tom Laughlin who has a training and consulting business, Sveta Zorina who has a English school and translation business, Oksana Voronina who has a custom embroidery and apparel business, and Aloyna Yashuk who is a yoga instructor.
Traditional Ukrainian Images on Fish
We are delighted to work with Oksana Osnach and Andrey Lopushinsky who have resurrected a traditional Chumak artform, images on fish. The Chumaks were salt traders in traditional Ukrainian society who hauled salt and other goods in ox drawn wagons. They painted religious icons on dried fish to protect them on their journeys. Contact Oksana Osnach by private message on Facebook @oks.osn for more information or to place an order. Pieces can be shipped anywhere in Ukraine.
Financial Planning Class Kherson Ukraine
English Proficiency Exam Preparation
Presentation at Window on America in Kherson. How to prepare for the IELTS, TOEFL and other English proficiency exams. English with Russian translation.
Custom Mask for Local Artist
Designs by Voronina did a custom mask for our office mate, Світлана Юр'єва (Svetlana Yurieva), a local artist in Kherson. You can see examples of her work at https://www.instagram.com/svetlana_jureva/.
Bags for Kherson Chamber of Commerce and Industry
In cooperation with local artist Світлана Юр'єва (Svetlana Yurieva), Designs by Voronina embroidered special bags for the Kherson Chamber of Commerce and Industry with their logo and a sturgeon which is native to the Dnieper river that runs through Kherson.
Sewer Pipes and Ukrainian Neighbors
My wife and I own such an apartment and are currently in the middle of a battle to replace sewer pipes which are beginning to leak into the elevator shaft which threatens to render the elevator inoperable. Each of the apartments must pay to replace its section of the sewer pipe to remedy the problem. After a month of attempts to get all of our neighbors to pay their portion of the repair, the building director has decided that she cannot allow the situation to continue because of the threat to the elevator so, as of noon today, she will turn off the water to our section of the building until the sewer pipe is repaired.
So, what's the problem? Well, there is one old neighbor who lives alone and says that he simply doesn't have any money to pay for the repairs. Another neighbor says that it is not his problem because it's not leaking into his apartment so everyone else should pay to fix the pipe. Although this kind of battle is not unique to Ukraine, the way that everyone is dealing with the situation is somewhat different from what many expats might have experienced back home. Everyone is filling their bathtubs and preparing for the water to be turned off for some period of time.
Although it's impossible to know exactly what everyone is thinking I can relate some of the sentiments that have been expressed to my wife as she tries to deal with this situation. There are two primary categories of reactions. A small number of residents feel that it's not their responsibility and the remaining residents don't want to pay more than their share to fix the pipe used by everyone in the building. I offered to take a bucket of excrement to confront the neighbors who refuse to pay their share but my wife counseled against it. The reason is simple. That would be unacceptable behavior and turn everyone in the building against us, even the ones who are also suffering from the situation.
So, we sit here with a bathtub full of water waiting to see how long it takes for the situation to resolve itself.
Caravela Helps Ukrainian Startup
Tom Laughlin and Sveta Zorina, of Caravela Ukraine, were recently given a contract to supply executive, marketing and sales management services to Designs by Vorinina, a Ukrainian clothing company. Oksana Voronina of Kherson Ukraine was given a grant from The New Generation Community Center, Kherson Local Employment Partnership which she used to buy an embroidery machine to start a clothing manufacturing company. The grant is part of the Inclusive Labor Market for Jobs in Ukraine project, implemented by the International Labor Organization and funded by the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark. She named the company Designs by Voronina which offers custom embroidery services and is creating a line clothing and household accessories.
Website https://designsbyvoronina.blogspot.com/
Instagram/Facebook @designsbyvoronina
IELTS and a weekend in Odessa
Lesia and Sveta took the Academic IELTS test in Odessa this weekend. They took the test so that we can work together to help people prepare for the full range of English proficiency tests including IELTS, TOFEL, and other English proficiency tests. See more information on our Services page.
Protecting Your Money In Ukraine
No Water for Two Days
I was almost arrested at the airport in Ukraine...almost!
I used to carry a short (16 inch) collapsible baton in Ukraine for self protection, primarily from the stray dogs in the small city where I live. On a trip back to the U.S. I had it in my luggage and the security screening at the door entering the airport noticed it. Here's what happened.
- The person running the x-ray machine asked me to take out the baton.
- She called over her colleague and they chatted for a moment. Then she asked me to wait.
- An airport security guard came over, shrugged and called someone on his phone.
- A second airport security guard came over, they talked, he shrugged and he called someone on his phone.
- A third airport security guard came over, they all talked and he said to me, "criminal" while pointing at the baton. He called someone on his phone.
- Two airport police officers showed up, looked at the baton and they called someone. I used my phone to translate a question, "will I make my flight?" They shrugged.
- Forty minutes after this all began two men in officer uniforms showed up. One was clearly the person in charge.
- Here's what happened next.
The guy in charge picked up the baton with his thumb and index finger as if it were a dead rat. Looked at the two police officers and said something in Ukrainian that I didn't understand. From the look on his face it looked like he was saying something like, "Are you stupid?" Then I heard them say something about a "military weapon". He then held it between his index fingers and said something like, "It's only this long." By now the security guards had scattered and the two police officers where clearly looking for some way to do the same. The officer in charge handed me the baton, said something in Ukrainian, and shook my hand. I said thank you, smiled and never brought that baton to the airport again.
In Ukraine, like many cultures and societies classified as "formal", there is always one person in a position of authority who interprets the rules and has wide discretion in their application. Submitting to their authority is usually the best initial strategy. You can always argue later. If you begin by arguing you'll be challenging that authority which is rarely a good idea.
Lining up in Ukraine
First, some caveats. I live in Kherson Ukraine so my experience doesn't necessarily translate to all regions of Ukraine. I didn't speak Ukrainian or Russian when I arrived so, some of what I have experienced is due to a lack of language skills. Finally, no one in Ukraine likes the way lines work so this isn't difficult only for foreigners.
Second, some history. There are three different generations here that overlap somewhat in their experiences depending on their exact age and where they grew up There is the soviet generation that has lived the majority of their life in the soviet system. There is the post-soviet generation that lived a significant part of their lives during the chaotic period in the 90's and early 2000's. Then there is the non-soviet generation that were children in the post-soviet period but became teenagers in the last 10 to 15 years. The non-soviet generation has grown up with smart phones, the Internet, and many have been educated outside Ukraine.
Those from the soviet generation talk about lines as challenges they had to overcome for their very survival. Lines were long, products were often in short supply and there simply wasn't enough time to stand patiently in every line necessary to get what you needed to survive. This is when the practice of holding a place in line seems to have originated. You would come to a line, find out where you were in that line and then go reserve a place in another nearby line, the whole time moving back and forth between lines to keep your place. This practice is still observed today.
Those from the post-soviet period experienced a slightly different dynamic. They talk about an emerging practice of finding either sneaky or aggressive ways to move to the front of the line. The techniques vary from elderly men and women aimlessly wandering to the front of the line as if disoriented and hard of hearing to the self proclaimed upper class who simply walk to the front of the line and ignore the peasant hordes standing in line. Some of this is also still practiced today.
One additional difference between Ukraine and other countries is the responsibility the shop or office staff to maintain order in the line. They don't usually take any responsibility. They look up when they are done serving someone and whoever is standing in front of them gets helped next. If you are standing at a deli or meat counter the line will typically follow the person behind the counter so as to be position to be helped as it is their turn.
So, here's how it usually seems to work today. In the photo for this post you can see the line outside a bank. The number of people allowed in the bank is limited because of the pandemic so people need to "line up" outside. I did not need to stand in this line but, if I had, I would simply walk up to the group, ask who was last in line, and wait until they went into the bank so I would know I was next.
If you are at the train station with multiple windows you'll need to navigate the complex and confusing process of figuring out which window or windows will do what you need and then hoping that you reach the front of the line before the person leaves without a single word about where everyone should now to go get help.
If you come to Ukraine expecting clearly defined lines with everyone waiting their turn enforced by the staff of the shop or office you will be very disoriented. Take an interpreter who knows the language and the culture, be patient, and learn how it really works. You'll eventually figure it out.