October 27th, 2008

Walking around the city is amazing; it’s one of the things I’m really enjoying here. There’s no need to join gyms and find artificial methods of getting in some cardio- you simply walk everywhere! There are gorgeous cobble-stoned promenades, lovely parks with fountains, street painters and musicians; all amongst the colorful fall foliage. They call this the “Golden Autumn” since the leaves all turn gorgeous shades of gold and yellow. People are enjoying the “Indian Summer” we’re having this year, and so park benches are filled with people talking and enjoying the weather. All is not rosy, however. There are a few issues that make walking through Odessa, rather irksome.

#1: Stray dogs. This is a major issue for people, but practically a deal-breaker for Arun. He is… shall we say, ‘pet-averse’ to begin with; and this fear only multiplies with the possibilities of rabies. It also doesn’t help that his Ukrainian colleagues from work have told him horror stories of being bitten.

#2: Cars parked on sidewalks. This is perhaps, unavoidable. In the busy downtown areas, the roads are simply not wide enough for the Lexus RX’s and BMW X5’s parked everywhere (I’m serious, there are so many fancy cars here! Arun’s sure they’re all Russian mafia members.) There are local cars as well; and regardless, these streets were built for wagons, not automobiles- so they wind up being parked all over the sidewalks. It makes for some tricky navigation.

#3: Construction. Odessa seems to be in perpetual construction. I suppose I should be grateful for the restoration efforts.

October 26th, 2008: Museums

Arun pulled a Zoolander today. We spent the day taking on the Odessa sights. And we went to a couple of museums: The Literary Museum and The Archeological Museum of Odessa.
In the archeology museum I pointed to a model of a chariot and explained that the nomadic tribes (Scythians) used to live in the 4-wheeled and 6-wheeled wagons.
Arun takes a look at it and says, “How is that possible? It’s so small! There’s no way a family could live in that!”
The literary museum was wonderful. The museum, itself, was once the home of a Duke. (Aristocracy had winter homes in Odessa because of its relatively mild climate and gorgeous seaside and beaches) The rooms meander through Odessa’s literary history. We saw books from Gogol’s visit during the Decembrist Revolution, and works from Pushkin. There were three rooms that were clearly content from Communist times. It was the only area that did not have anything translated into English, much to Arun’s disappointment.

Anyway, afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at Bobby and Andrea’s house. A ton of fun- both of them have a great sense of humor and their three daughters are incredibly lively and gregarious. We had a wonderful meal, and a ton of great conversation. I’m loving the ex-pat community out here!

October 25th 2008: Fashion

Let’s talk fashion. Ukranian women are very fashionable. This Fall, the outfit of choice seems to be short skirts or tight jeans with hose (of so many colors and styles it’s amazing) finished with boots. Now, some women do this look very stylishly and tastefully; others, not as much. Still- women everywhere are in hose and boots. Now, the average Ukranian household income is about $300 a month; so how do they afford to keep up with the latest styles? The answer? Pleather. It is everywhere- purses, boots, and jackets. And it’s an affliction that does not discriminate age- it affects the young, the middle-aged, and the old. Now, I finally know what Arun meant when he said all the women here had “shiny purses.” Pleather abounds; so much so, that it makes you wonder if you ought to retire that Coach purse and obtain a large shiny pleather bag for yourself. Of course, good sense prevails. Still, isn’t that what fashion is all about? You see what’s around you; and if it’s pleather, then suddently, THAT is what you must have. Don’t hold your breath, I don’t plan on getting myself a red pleather coat and some knee-high red pleather boots with sheer black panty hose. But knowing that Arun is all about fads, I’m just hoping he doesn’t come home with some.

October 24th 2008: The Ballet

Last night, Arun and I went to the opera house to watch a ballet. We’re lucky, really, because the opera house opened last year after a renovation project that took 12 years to complete. The opera house was gorgeous, and I’ll have to post pictures of it later because I didn’t take my camera. I guess I just don’t feel like a tourist here, knowing that I’ll be living here for an extended period of time so I haven’t felt compelled to haul my camera everywhere. We had box seats and I must say that the hall was probably superior to even the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg. There was gold leaf, ornate architecture, the plush red seats and the gorgeous curtain. What was unusual was that the stage itself seemed to be either marble or granite- not wood. Anyway, the ballet was in a Turkish setting- a fight between the pirates and the gypsies with their beloved princess. Gorgeous costuming and lively music caused everyone to clap in beat frequently during the performance. The highlight, however, for me was Arun’s hilarious commentary throughout the night.
Arun was paying rather close attention to the prima donna’s solo. During the applause, I asked him what he thought, wondering if he caught the wobble at the end of the last pirouette.
Arun: “I thought she did a great job. I liked her costume- it stayed up!”

Realizing that Arun wasn’t really watching the dance, but more the costumes I asked him which of the trio of ballerinas currently on stage he felt was the best.

Arun: “Well, they’re all the same…. One’s shorter than the others”

So that was really the extent of Arun’s knowledge of the ballet.
At one point he got rather excited-

Arun: “Wow, the ballet is a LOT shorter than the opera.”
Me: “That’s the end of the first act.”
Arun: “Oh”

Other great comments included “They’re ballet-fighters!” (referring, of course, to the pirates) and “I like how they run-leap!” (grand jete)
Anyway, what’s really rather impressive is that in the last four weeks, this is the third time he’s been to performance arts. He’s already seen an opera, a theater and now a ballet. That’s really more frequency than his hindi movies back in the States.

We both really did have a good time though!

October 23rd 2008: First day

My first day in Odessa has been a blast! I spent the day with Dawn- the wife of one of Arun’s coworkers. She showed me around town and hours flew by as we talked- and talked- and talked some more. In the evening we spent time with a couple of Arun’s friends visiting from Azerbaijan. They are two of the most wonderful people you’ll ever meet; and somehow reminded me of Balki and Larry from Perfect Strangers. Idamir is a native-Azerbaijanian; and Anoosh is from Santa Barbara (woo! Californian!) I could not stop laughing the entire night as I tried to learn about their experiences in Baku. Some examples of the comedy:

Population Discussion

Me: “So how many people live in Baku?”
Idamir: “Well, there are about 8 million people in Azerbaijan. Officially, they state that there are only 2.5 million people in Baku, but due to jobs; there are really probably 6-7 million.”
I glance over to Anoosh. He shakes his head softly and puts up two fingers.
I start to laugh. “Anoosh says there’s only 2 million.”
Idamir: “Well, it FEELS like 6 million.”
Anoosh smiling, “No….there’s 2…”
Idamir: “Well, they must ALL come out when I go out then, it’s just so crowded!”
Anoosh: “Feeling crowded doesn’t exactly double the population.”
Idamir: “It just FEELS like 6 million.”
Anoosh quietly puts up two fingers again and shakes his head.

Malls and Shopping

Arun: “So do they have malls like they have here in Odessa?”
Anoosh immediately starts to shake his head no.
Idamir: “Of course!”
Anoosh smiles and mouths no.
Idamir: “What do you mean? There’s Nargis Mall, and C—Mall and the one by the coffee shop”
Anoosh: “Those wouldn’t really be called malls.”
Idamir: “Why not?”
In the meantime, Arun and I are laughing at the discrepencies in perspective. Idamir, is of course, defending his hometown. Anoosh is trying to bring things to an American perspective.

Beaches

Arun: “They have beaches there right?”
Idamir: “Yes! They are beautiful!”
Anoosh: “I wouldn’t swim in them.”
Idamir: “Well, the government will be cleaning them up. And then Baku will be like Dubai!”

Mexican Food

Arun: “Do they have Mexican food in Baku?”
Now- I really don’t know why Arun was so interested. He doesn’t really care about anything except Chinese food; and he would rarely suggest having Mexican food even when we were in Dallas.
Idamir: “Yes, it is very good!”
Anoosh: “Well, it’s really more like a gyro with cubes of melted cheese baked on top…”
Idamir: “It’s very good”
Anoosh quietly shakes his head.

Anyway, one of the most charming evenings I’ve had. I am simply counting days down until we visit Idamir and Anoosh in Baku.

October 22nd 2008: Our Apartment

So I really have to begin by describing the apartment that Arun picked out. It’s really one of many dichotomies. On one hand it is ultra-mod. Clearly designed and decorated by a bachelor. I spent over an hour taking my first shower because there were so many gadgets and gizmos in the darn thing. It lights up- there’s music- there’s a foot massager- and more hoses and spigots than a car wash. We also have a fancy Jacuzzi tub; with the works.

I love the floor to ceiling windows in our living room; we can watch brilliance of the sun setting at dusk.

And we have amenities that you can’t take for granted in Ukrainian apartments- a dishwasher, a microwave, and a washing machine with extractor.


On the other hand- it is retro 70’s. Our hallway has a lighting fixture that shines a neon pink glow over the ceiling.


The drapes in our bedroom are sheer beige with large brown polka-dots. All in all, though, I love it. It’s all brand new- and of course, anyone who knows Arun knows that he wouldn’t have it any other way. The hardwood and marble floors are easy to keep clean. Everything’s comfortable and I can definitely start calling this ‘home.’