Critters- Can you spot them?

Well, even though I thought about retiring the blog- I can't seem to keep myself away from it.

So as suggested- I'll come by and post periodically :) but you'll have to excuse the infrequency.

So, I couldn't resist posting about all the critters that are in our backyard.

There's a family of quail that hang out by one of the trees- they're a regular sighting.

There are hummingbirds GALORE. But I have yet to be able to photograph one.

I've caught sight of some bunnies.

But the other day- I was SUPER excited to see two white-tailed deer!

(Not the best quality since these were taken on my iphone)

So I thought I'd take this blogging opportunity to tell you about some random white-tailed deer facts:

• White-tail deer have good eyesight and acute hearing, but depend mainly on their sense of smell to detect danger.

• Males' antlers are shed from January to March and grow out again in April or May.

• White-tail deer have numerous scent glands on their legs for intraspecies communication.

• White-tail deer wave their tails characteristically from side to side when they are startled.

• White-tail deer may bound at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.

• White-tail deer are good swimmers and often enter large streams and lakes to escape predators .

• Antlers do not serve as weapons against predators, but are used during the mating season, when the males fight to breed with females.

• White-tail deer are the most nervous and shy of deer.

So that's it! Everything you've ever wanted to know about white-tailed deer :)

San Diego

Arun is in San Diego just about every week.

When we talk in the evening, I ask him how his business trips are going.

Arun will always tell me, "Oh.. I'm just grabbing some dinner downstairs." or "I'm not doing much... just hanging out in the hotel."

What a liar! I finally had the opportunity to tag along with him on one of his adventures and realized what a FABULOUS time he has there!

He's tried all the great restaurants in the Gaslamp district, grabs appetizers and lounges at the hotel with a view over-looking the Pacific, and has managed to take in ALL the sights!

I can see why he downplays the fun, because in contrast- I'm usually eating leftovers and watching whatever is left on my dvr.

On our first night in San Diego- we headed out to Old Town to eat at the Cafe Coyote- ohhh my lord the Mexican food there is amazing!

There are women making fresh tortillas constantly- and they are consumed as rapidly as they are produced. YUM!

Fish Tacos there are just amazing and I am reminded of the fact that THIS is the type of food I always categorized as 'Mexican' and never quite enjoyed Tex-Mex in the same way.

We headed out to La Jolla and walked along the beach to the famous coves and enjoyed all the funny critters. This squirrel reminds me of the 'evil hamster' in those commercials. And of course who can miss the yelps of the seals?

We spent another evening with our friends Tania and Sergio at an amazing restaurant: The Prado in Balboa Park.

http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/theprado/

The architecture and beauty of the area truly made us feel like we were on one of our European

trips.

Late night ice cream at Ghiradelli's, amazing seafood restaurants on Coronado Island... and I'm thinking that Arun's little secret is out.

I'm going to have to find a way to join him on more trips out to San Diego.

What a TREAT!

As an aside- this is my 100th post on this blog.

I'm thinking about winding it up unless I hear some overwhelming response otherwise.

I'll post again when life gets interesting.

It's not Unpacking... it's Organizing!

The hardest part of the unpacking process hasn't been getting us out of the boxes- nope, it's been getting stuff organized.

And I've been on an organizing frenzy!

It's also a multi-step process: line the shelf- sanitize all the dishes and then- yes, color-code them into coordinated cabinets. (see below)

Steam-clean, wash, sanitize, arrange, organize.

Even my towels are now color-coordinated into my linen closet.

And I purchased and assembled a shoe rack and then put all my shoes into color coordinated bins in the garage.

My closet? Yup- that's color coordinated too.

Moving has also been such a great excuse to get RID of stuff. We have donated enough to clothing to Goodwill to keep them going for a month!

Now, while I've been compulsively and meticulously organizing our stuff, Arun's been doing his share. He has used his skills with google and the phonebook to coordinate all the people we need for our move.

For example, our plasma tv can't have a tail to the outlet- so he hired an electrician to get the outlet moved.

Our third garage door didn't have an automatic garage door opener, so he hired someone for installation.

Last Saturday, we had 9 'visitors' (as Arun likes to call them) in our home doing all kinds of things:

a guy to take away our 180 empty boxes, someone to assemble our formal dining room table, a guy to fix our Comcast (since the Dish guys manage to cut our internet when they installed our satellite), a plumber, carpet cleaners, landscaper etc. etc. etc.

So here's the tally of the workload:

Me: unpack 180 boxes, arrange and organize entire household contents

Arun: call service-people

Yeah- next time, I think we're going to switch roles!

But all's well that ends well- and ladies and gentlemen- we are now MOVED IN!

Our House

Well, folks- we have finally moved into our new Tucson home.

We had 184 boxes and so much furniture, it makes your brain hurt.

Arun, of course, immediately freaked out- "Just throw everything out! How are we going to unpack all this stuff??"

The "we" in that sentence, is a royal 'we' because what ensued was that Arun left for San Diego for work, and I spent 72 hours in a frenzy of unpacking. But guess what? I did it.

Even though the movers told us that people "live out of boxes for months," I had us completely unpacked in three days.

The problem with unpacking by yourself is that the other person has no IDEA how much work this stuff takes.

Arun returned home from San Diego and commented, "This place looks a LOT better."

Thanks...hon!

Anyway, so the neighborhood we chose is in Sabino Mountain.

It's right next to Sabino Canyon which is one of the most highly visited tourist attractions in Tucson- tons of great hiking and outdoorsy activities.

To get atop our neighborhood, you go down this GREAT road that just elevates you to views of the mountains surrounding us, and the city lights below us.

The gates open to a gorgeous clubhouse and pool, where people watch the sunset against views of the entire city.

You then pass by the two-million dollar properties perched atop the cliffs and down to our more modest street.

We have a three-car garage, two-story home with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, formal living and formal dining, and loft.

Those are the specs.

THESE are the pictures :)

So first up are the Formal Living/Formal Dining area (top)

Then the kitchen (I LOVE the cherry cabinets!) (bottom)

We turned one of the upstairs rooms into Arun's office (top)

I have an office as well (not pictured)

And then a guest bedroom awaiting visitors!! (bottom)

Our patio is so amazing- facing right into the desert. We have an orange tree in the back, and there's a little family of quail that live right beyond our fence!

More pictures to come, but that's it for now! :)

Day Trip from Tucson

One of the enormous benefits of living in Tucson are all the wonderful things to do here. There are beautiful Spanish missions from the 1700's, gorgeous hiking trails and desert museums... and there's Mexico just a quick hour and half drive away!

This weekend, Arun and I began our usual evening repartee of choosing where to dine.

"I'm craving Mexican food," I announced and just knew Arun would try to lobby for Asian fare.

To my surprise he said, "Mexican sounds good."

"Great! We haven't tried Mi Nidito... what do you think?"

"Nah, something more authentic... let's drive down to Mexico for dinner!"

So off we went! It's about an hour and half to the border- Nogales. A very leisurely drive with speed limits of 75 most of the way. There was absolutely nothing at the border to get into Mexico. We called La Roca to try to figure out how to get to teh restaurant, and they insisted that we stay where we were and that they come meet us and escort us to the restaurant. WOW! http://www.larocarestaurant.com/

While there, we learned some interesting tidbits from some friendly fellow diners.

• Apparently- they pipe in water from AZ, so the water was completely safe to drink. Well, as safe as any other American tap water!


• Sonoran food is known for its lighter tomato sauces, chunkier salsa, fresh veggies, and (my favorite) lightly grilled, small corn tortillas. YUM!!

Arun and I spent a long time deciding what to get from their little 'blackboard menu.'

He decided on a traditional chicken burrito, enchilada with roja sauce and a chili relleno combination platter. I went with shrimp enchilados.

Guess what I learned? EnchiladOs... is NOT a funny way of saying enchiladAs! So when my my plate arrived, I looked in bewilderment at this shrimp-green pepper- onion concoction smothered in red 'curry-type' sauce. Arun was the one who ultimately figured out that the vowel.... made all the difference! It tasted amazing, and I got corn tortillas and rice to go with the dish and was stuffed to the brim in no time! The shrimp... were the size of mini lobsters. SO good! We didn't save any room for dessert, even though we had picked it out when we o

rdered our entrees. Next time, we'll have to save room for it!

So with that, we ended our night. There was a huge wedding party going on at the restaurant, so we had fun enjoying the music streaming through!

We are DEFINITELY going to be doing this again!

In fact, we're told a nice weekend trip from Tucson is a place called Rocky Point. It's a lovely seaside resort town: http://www.cometorockypoint.com/gallery.html

Until next time amigos!

Less is More

I am a packing... and unpacking machine. I can sort and place all of our earthly possessions into four samsonite suitcases in an hour and half. I can then unpack and shelve/hang these same possessions in two and a half hours. So count em'- 4 hours is all it takes for us to move.

For those of you who have never had to move, trust me- that is pretty remarkable.

I know this process takes four hours because I have had to do it 3 times in the past two months... as we have moved from apartment to hotel to hotel to hotel.

It's not so much the process that astounds me anymore.

It's the fact that we are able to live our lives on SO little!

Admittedly, most of our posessions: furniture, kitchenware, rugs, window treatments, clothing etc. are in storage in Plano.

But for the last 10 months, we have been able to live out of four medium-sized suitcases. And we are fine!

I feel as though I have enough clothing and shoes and accessories.

I haven't felt an overwhelming sense of loss.

And I suppose that's what's most shocking.

That you really don't need much to live!

It's a reminder of the excess in our American lifestyles.

Arun and I, in fact, speak with dread about getting all our stuff out of storage.

Afterall, more stuff means more stuff to take care of!

Drycleaning bills, laundry, maintenace only multiplies with stuff.

Our lives are infinitely simplified and mobile because we are without all that 'stuff.'

It's a life lesson; one of many we've had as expats.

Thakuma

I really can't believe I am having to write about yet another loss in my life. My paternal grandmother, 'Thakuma' passed away this weekend. My father had just returned from visiting with her; and I am grateful he was able to spend quality time with her.

Thakuma was a tiny lady in stature, but had an enormous personality. Her wit and willpower stand out the most in my memories. Even until her last days, she was fiercely independent- jokingly telling people who tried to help her, "Why are you helping me, do you think I'm old or something?"

Thakuma's wedding story is one for a novel. She and her sister married two brothers! My grandfather saw Thakuma when his brother was marrying Thakuma's sister. He knew the instant he saw her, that she would be his bride. This is during a time when arranged marriages were a standard in India; and so my thakuma would often joke that she had a 'love marriage.' (Though they never met again until their own marriage!) She married my grandfather under British India, when laws had recently changed to push back the age at which girls could marry. Indian tradition in the 1930's dictated that girls marry at the socially acceptable age of 16 or 17. Thakuma had already been betrothed to my grandfather, but they had to wait until she was 18; much to the anxiety of her parents.

Thakuma never had an easy life; in fact, it involved sacrifice and hard work. You would never hear stories of this from her- I have never heard a complaint from her in my life. Her family was her focus, and her pride and joy. Thakuma had four boys (my father was the youngest of the boys) and then two girls. My uncle Abu Jethu, my father, and my aunt Joli Pishi look just like her. And it's my father, my uncle Nodha Jethu and my Joli Pishi who have inherited her sense of humor.

Thakuma spent a year with us in California when my brother and I were growing up. I have memories of her knitting sweaters and crocheting (she was VERY talented). She taught me how to knit, and when I showed her my handiwork; she would examine it, undo it all- and tell me to start again! She was a perfectionist. I remember her braiding my hair and giving me a pat on the back to indicate when she was done. I remember our trip to Las Vegas with her, and Sea World.
With her passing, I know a part of my father is lost. He has supported her from the day he started working. I think my father is a testament to her because it is rare to have a child unfailingly support his parent in the way that my father has supported my grandmother. I do know, that my father has the peace in his heart that he has done as much for his mother as humanly possible.

Thakuma had always told us that she wanted to pass in Benaras; and indeed, it is in the land of the Ganges that she did rest.. She lived her entire life in a traditional four-story courtyard style house- where Ravi Shankar used to play as a teenager; and I am grateful she passed away in that home. She lived a full life- filled with children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. She will be remembered through all of us.

Food in Tucson

I should mention that there is some GREAT food in Tucson. And we have done a pretty good survey of what this city has to offer, so far. Most of it is pretty readily found on the internet. I'll give you a quick rundown of our favorites so far:

Rosati's for Chicago-style STUFFED Deep Dish pizza, Grimaldi's for New York style, Gee's for dim sum, El Charro's for Mexican, Ali Baba's for Lebanese, Ha Long Bay for Vietnamese, Korea House for... well Korean, and Zemam's for Ethiopian.

As you can see, the variety is superb! [The benefits of being in a college-town and a very open-minded culinary town.]

But there are some restaurants that tend to not make the Zagat Surveys or internet listings. One example is a little haunt called El Cuero Canelo. This little place is in the 'hood! It's located in the South side of the city- near the airport, in a predominantly Mexican part of town. And the food is AWESOME!

What's not to love?

It's cheap.

Everything is decorated in the colors of the Mexican flag.

And their centerpiece? The Mexican Hot Dog!

[see picture -right]

There's also a great little bakery across the way called Estrella. The churros are just fantastic, and I was going to take a picture of it, but ate it instead.

Sorry!

Life in Tucson

So I thought I'd write about random observations about Tucson. They may not be as interesting as all the nuances of life in Ukraine, but we have certainly noticed quite a contrast between Dallas and here, so we may as well document it!

People are REALLY into health and fitness here. Hiking, biking, running, gym-nuts. People are tan, lean and in-shape! It's really motivated Arun and me to work out and think about what we eat. [Then again, I just introduced Arun to BJ's pizookie, so this may be a lost cause.]

Tucson is GORGEOUS. The mountain ranges [Catalina, Rincon, and Santa Ritas] circle the city and the beautiful dessert cactus and greens make for some lovely terrain. There's a view from every part of the city, and you can't help but enjoy the beauty. Pretty different from flat-flat and more-flat Dallas.

People are REALLY out-doorsy here. It seems people linger on patios and decks and by pools all day long. During the day, it is impossibly hot here, so it makes me wonder why people don't hibernate in their air-conditioned abodes like they did in Texas- but they don't! Evenings are awesome, so it makes sense that people always choose the outdoor seating option in resaurants.

People are REALLY, REALLY nice. So much so, that Arun's constantly commenting on just how NICE people are here. It may be the 'small-town' mentality, or the fact that good-weather and good life just makes people relaxed and happy. Or maybe it's all those endorphins from working out?!

There is ONE highway in Tucson. One. It's the I-10, and doesn't even cut through the part of town that would be most useful. It is so bizarre to always be on surface streets to get around the city, but that's the way it is. I will say that the roads are wide and well-built to handle the traffic. After fighting 75 in Dallas, this is a BREEZE!

There are a lot of scary reptiles and critters here. By scary, I mean little geckos- but Arun and I are not a fan! We've seen quail families, rabbits a-plenty... and I'm told there are deer as well. Now, there's one critter people keep talking about- and it's the havilena. It's some kind of wild pig, and I'm scared out of my wits that I'll run into one. I'll be sure to take a picture when I do. But for now, I'm adjusting to the lizards.

There are some interesting traffic differences. One I love- the other- ugh!

So you know when you're sitting in the left lane trying to make a left turn on the green yield? And oncoming cars are coming and coming, and you realize you're going to have to sit through yet ANOTHER cycle of light to make that turn? Well, Tucson has the answer! AFTER every green yield light for left turns, the light briefly turns into a green arrow. So you don't put yourself in an uncomfortable (and dangerous) hover mid-lane to try to sneak a turn between on-coming traffic. It is GREAT. If you don't know what I'm talking about, come visit and drive around and you will see the wonder!

As for what I hate... they are installing a dozen speeding cameras all over this city. Ugh. Surprises in the mail.

Anyway- that's it for now!

Transition to Tucson

I thought I'd share a few more anecdotes relating to our transition back to American life.

So mid-last week, we decided on a quick snack at Taco Bell. After enjoying our lovely meal, Arun gets up and walks out the door. Noticing that I wasn't right behind him, he puts his head back in.... and I watch as his perplexity is replaced with the realization that no- in fact, they do NOT bus your trays for you here like they did in fast food places in Ukraine.

Secondly- we've faced some sticker shock. After spending a few hours in the MVD (when did they change this from DMV??) Arun nearly fell out of his chair upon hearing we owed the state $470 in car registration fees and taxes. The clerk seemed somewhat smug when she announced, "Arizona has one of the highest fees in the country." That's something to be proud of? At least their license plates are pretty.

Perhaps, what's struck me a lot is when Arun has asked sales clerks and cashiers if they 'accept credit cards' and gets a look of absolute bewilderment in return. I'm sure they're wondering what cave he just crawled out of!

The last tidbit I'll share is our transition to life in Tucson/Arizona/Southwest. Afterall, Arun's biggest adjustment is the fact that we're not living in his beloved Dallas/Texas/Collin County.

For some reason, the stuff West Coasters tend to LOVE are just not striking a chord with Arun. His first experience walking into Trader Joe's? He didn't seem impressed. When he told me he was craving a milkshake, I insisted he try In n' Out. Verdict? Still not impressed.
What??!
Yet, he'll get excited about finding the most random things in Tucson. Sit-down Pizza Huts for example have sent him into a giddy tizzy. Seeing that there was a Benihana in town was exciting news. And of course the local Indian, Vietnamese, Sushi, Teppan, dim sum and Korean places have recently passed the test. The only letdown so far? Apparently- no Krispy Kremes in town. I think he'll live.

As for me. Let me tell you how nice it was when I found the local NPR station. And I've already scouted my little independant film theater. I'm home!

Culture Shock

Admittedly, we'd only left the country for about 8 months.

Still, there's been subtle tweeks we've had to make to readjust to American lifestyle.

The first couple of days, I kept cracking up at Arun's observations.

On our roadtrip to Nashville, Arun couldn't get over how packed the restaurants were.

"Look at all the PEOPLE!" he marveled at the Cracker Barrel.

"Our water has ICE in it!" he said excitedly, when the waitress dropped off our drinks.

"I didn't even have to ask for a STRAW!"

Hilarious.

Admittedly, even I've had to get used to wait staff coming by every few minutes to check on us.

"You doing ok?"

"You need anything else?"

"Can I get anything for you?"

It all feels very foreign after the very hands-off approach in Ukraine.

On the other hand, boy do I miss the table-clearing efficiency!

For me, it's been a different kind of adjustment.

In order to send out Mother's Day cards, I asked the front desk of our hotel (Hilton, of course!) where the nearest post office was. Being car-less, I decided to walk the 4 blocks... afterall, what's four blocks? While walking, it quickly dawned on me that I was the ONLY one walking. I felt rather self-conscious- something I would have never felt in Odessa.

When I couldn't find the building I approached a man getting out of his car in the parking lot.

Now, my Russian got 'passable' in Ukraine... but it never came to me as second-nature.

So what that means is- I would have to think through what I wanted to say, before saying it- essentially, formulating the sentence in my head prior to making any faux-pas.

So when I got to the guy, I realized I didn't need to USE my prepared "Izvinitya- gde Pochta?" And on one hand, it was a relief to just ask, "Excuse me, where's the post office?" but on the other hand, I felt rather disappointed.

Finally- tv. I have yet to adjust to the fact that I can watch all my favorite shows in REAL time instead of on You Tube after some merciful poster uploads the latest Make Me a Supermodel (yes, I admit it- guilty pleasure) or Grey's Anatomy or The Office. Sigh. Happiness.

I will say, that we are very lucky to have such a soft landing back in the US.

In many ways, we've been sheltered from sticker-shock because Raytheon's very generous relocation package has made the adjustment to American prices, that much easier.

More fun transition stories.... soon!

Back to the US

Our flight back to the US was absolutely exhausting!

Since there are no straight flights out of Odessa, we had to connect through Budapest and then stay overnight in Rome. Now, trust me, I'm not really complaining about a layover in Italy! And it's a good thing Arun and I have been there before, because we were really able to maximize the few hours we had in the evening to enjoy the city.

First thing's first- we headed straight for some dinner. And the pizza was amazing as well as the ravioli. Even though we were stuffed to the brim, we couldn't help but stop for some gelato as well. Oh yummmm!

Next stop: Trevi Fountain.

And since clearly the coins in the fountain brought me back to the city, as promised, I simply had to throw three more coins in!

We walked to the Piazza di Spagna and finally decided to reluctantly head back to the hotel. The next morning, we were awoken to sounds of construction in the suite above us. Great... right before a trans-Atlantic flight. But perhaps I should be thankful that we didn't MISS our flight, per usual!

Rome to Chicago was fairly uneventful; but very comfortable thanks to all those upgrade points from Arun's Exec. Plat status. And finally, our flight to Atlanta got us in at close to midnight. I made a straight beeline for the bed.

The next morning, Arun simply HAD to satiate his 8-month craving for dim sum, so after we loaded up our cars for shipment across country, we headed out to Canton. Let's just say that there was a lot of soy sauce on Arun's shirt by the end of brunch. It's the one food that he's willing to make a mess for!

Saturday was a VERY long day because we drove 4 hours (each way!) for a wedding in Nashville. Needless to say, we got back to ATL at 3 in the morning to get a few hours rest before our 8:30am flight. And guess what? We arrived at the airport to find out that the flight had gotten canceled. Oh, how we lamented those few extra hours of sleep we could have gotten!

Dallas- Oh what a day!

We had dim sum (again!) at Arun's favorite place- Kirin Court. And we were so lucky to have so many of our friends join us. We hung out with Brad, Bhavna and Sachin, Dorea and Danny (and Dylan!) and all I remember was being giddy about seeing everyone. I don't even remember the food at all!

Then Arun decides to head for Fun Asia to catch a last minute Hindi Movie. Poor Brad, he always gets dragged to the most B-rate films!

Shoborna and Iqbal met up with us at Zyka for some lassi and catching up.

And then we were off to Thai Chilli for some dinner with Priti and Suneel.

By the time we caught our 11:30 flight to Tucson, we were stuffed, and could barely make it to our seat before our eyes shut in exhaustion.

But we made it! Back to the US!!
Stay tuned for our adventures :)

Bowling for Borsch

Perhaps I have been rather nostalgic about my time in Odessa, because as much as I'd like to write about our move to Tucson, I keep being drawn back to my memories in Odessa.

So I'll write about one of my outings- a day of bowling!
Yes, believe it or not, bowling is a fairly popular pastime in Ukraine.

And I'll answer the very first question that is sure to be on your minds:

Do they wear the funky shoes when bowling in Ukraine, as they do in the US?

And the answer is- Yes.... yes, they do.

I went with Valya, Yulia and her boyfriend and we had a grand ole' time.

My biggest challenges involved trying to figure out what shoe size I am in European measurements.... and trying to decide what kg ball was the right weight for me (not that it made much of a difference in my ability to bowl since this was my second time bowling in my life.)

Also- one of the few times in my life, I managed to break a nail. Geez.

I always thought that only happened in the movies; and discovered that it is actually somewhat painful.

We bowled a couple of rounds, drank some fruit juice, hung out, took pictures and called it a day! Oh, and the winner? Yulia's boyfriend, who of course had never bowled a day in his life! At least I did manage to bowl one strike! [I took a picture of the screen right after I accomplished this feat!]

Impressions

The most common question posed to me as I left Ukraine was:

“What will you tell people about our country?”
It’s a very poignant question- asking a stranger to ‘judge’ one’s country; and their expectant eyes let me know that my opinion was very important to them.

“I’ll tell them that your country is very misunderstood.”

And surprisingly, this vague answer seemed to satisfy them.

As I look back on my time in Ukraine, I think it is, indeed, a country that is very misunderstood. I’m sure, like many others, you may initially envision a snow-covered landscape- filled with people wearing fur coats and grey hats with ear-flaps. Perhaps images of concrete Soviet-style architecture pass your mind. Or perhaps, your mind draws a blank- you have no preconceived notions of Ukraine.

Whatever your initial visceral reaction to the word, “Ukraine,” I am certain that beaches, sea-side cliffs, and expensive ski resorts aren’t the first thing that come to mind.

And possibly you'd never imagine a country filled with people who are surprisingly chatty.
Certainly, I think the geography and beauty of the country is greatly underestimated. But that is not the only thing. I believe the weather is greatly misunderstood as well, in that people imagine that Ukraine is much colder than it really is. Odessa, in fact, only faced a handful of snow-days this winter.

Most importantly, I think many aspects of Ukrainian culture are misunderstood.
I was greatly surprised by Ukrainians’ close relationship with extended family.
Any time I enquired about whether an individual had any brothers and sisters, their response almost always included their cousins. This is a very “eastern” concept; a much more extended definition of 'nuclear' family. Most Ukrainians can not dream of moving away from their families; and in fact, some consider the distance of a mere 7-10 km from their parents as an enormous distance!

Ukrainians have certain cultural nuances I found intriguing, because while there are many similarities with typically European mentality, there are other times that I found Ukrainians more similar to Asian cultural values.

Certainly, like many traditionally "western" Europeans, Ukrainains love to purchase fewer items of high quality rather than numerous items of lower quality. Ukrainians love being outdoors- walking along promenades and parks. They love fresh foods, fresh-cut flowers and fashion.

However, concepts of meals and eating more often correlated to things my own experiences growing up in an Indian household.

For instance, Ukrainians eat meals rather late. Dinner is generally around 8pm, which would be considered rather late by American standards.

They prefer to drink room-temperature water rather than water filled with ice- this is not just because of water quality but it's because it is thought to be better for digestion. This is actually very similar to what my mother told me when I was growing up.

They prefer to eat 'warm' meals for lunch, such as a bowl of borsch- as this too is thought to be better for the body.

Ukrainians have more respect for parents, authority figures, teachers; than I have found in the rugged individualism of Americans. Perhaps this stems from their Soviet past, but their notions of listening to their parents and needing parental approval for their lives' decisions is in many ways very 'eastern.'

And finally, Ukrainians are in many ways more sentimental and emotional. Their ties to people and relationships are deeper than one would initially imagine. And we learned this first hand with the torrent of well-wisthers that came by as we bid our farewell.

My Farewell

No doubt about it. What I will miss most about Odessa, are the people I met here.

My very first day in Odessa was spent with Dawn; and you can't ask for a better welcome. We talked for hours that day, and I felt so 'cushioned' in my transition. Although I have many memories at the Freeland's- a day spent learning the art of collage, our Thanksgiving feast, a lunch with yummy salad and pumpkin soup.... I think it was that very first day that will remain with me forever.

Any time spent with Bob and Andrea were sure to be filled with laughter and fun. What an awesome couple; always a joy to be around. They are the couple I aspire to be! Our night of playing Pictionary could only be topped by their impromptu number of "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" Lunch at their house was the first home-cooked meal we had in Odessa- I'll never forget them, nor Abigail, Emily and Iris.

One of the dearest people in my life here has been Natalie, my boss- who has always been more of a friend to me than anything else. Always supportive, relentelessly caring (she offered to arrange for a physician when I called in sick one day!), and perpetually smiling. I will miss her as well as the wonderful teachers at the OLSC- Irina (who called me Antaruchka from the start), Alexis, Vickie, Natasha (such a gentle spirit!), Sveta (cutest son ever!), Marina... all were absolute sweethearts!

Then there's Helen; with whom I clicked with from the start. Whether we went out to lunch for some borsch, or spent time chit-chatting, or went out dancing at the Palladium; we always had fun together.

There are so many others; I couldn't possibly capture all the wonderful people in a blog entry.

So I'll end with a big THANK YOU to all the people who have come into our lives in Odessa.

Keep in touch! We will miss you!

Arun's Farewell

Today is my last day in Ukraine.
Feels like it was yesterday I landed in Odessa.
I remember all the questions I had when I reached the Continental Hotel late at night last September.

What would work be like?
What about the people I'll work with?
How will it be working with the Ukrainian people?

Then there were some very practical concerns:

How would I search for apartments?
Should I live downtown, as most expats did? Or closer to work?
There were barely any internet listings- not that I could understand it, if I tried.
I took a full month of apartment-hunting accompanied by my coworker Vova (interpretation help) before I finally settled down.

But really, that was just the beginning.

How do I set up internet? Once again, I relied on the Raytheon interpreters to help me locate the Tenet office. Even filling out the form was an obstacle because it was entirely in Russian, and I needed their help for even that simple task.
The TV channels were Russian news stations and Russian reality shows. I had my office-mate Sergei call someone to install the Satellite so I could at least have BBC and CNN (and yeah, a few Hindi programs too.)

In many ways, life here was a struggle and there are a few things I won’t miss. The smelly marshrutka buses (whenever people coughed, I always feared TB.) The stray dogs. The smoking.

But overall, if I was asked if I would do it again? Yes, I would.
I never realized how relaxing it is to walk to work. I would walk through the marketplace and by the time I reached work, I would feel clear-headed and ready to start. Compare that to battling traffic on highways or playing the Monday morning airport shuffle; and I realize how much simpler life was here. It also helps that work starts at 9 am rather than at 8 (that extra hour of sleep is nice.)

Language was a huge barrier.
But people were always willing to help.
We used to live in such a bubble in the US. Most people are busy with their own life and their own stresses- and there are a lot more of them there.

It was great to meet the close-knit expat American community here and we definitely made some new friends. It was so easy to spend time with people- you can just pick up the phone and get a group together for dinner. In the US, we would have to plan a dinner weeks in advance.

I will take a lot of great memories from my time here in Odessa and I learned a lot about the people and culture in this part of the world- all of which I will cherish throughout my career.

Dash to the Finish

Arun and I have been trying to enjoy our last few days in Odessa. We can't believe our adventure here is coming to an end!

Both of us are becoming increasingly nostalgic for our carefree days as expats.

So in the last few days, we've run around town eating at our favorite restaurants, visiting our favorite sights, and spending time with our friends.

Thought I'd share some of our latest photos of fun:

This building is called the 'one-wall' building because of the very odd angle that creates the optical illusion that is indeed, one-wall deep.

This bridge is called the "mother-in-law" bridge. As the story goes, the mayor built this bridge because he so enjoyed his mother-in-law's cooking that he wanted easy access for meals and therefore constructed this bridge between his home and his in-laws'. The bridge is now popular for newlyweds to come and place engraved locks on the rails. And when that couple has children, they add a little lock to it! Very cute!

If there's one restaurant I will miss the most in Odessa, it's Yokohama. They have a spicy shrimp that I crave and my absolute favorite dessert: molten chocolate cake with green tea ice cream. Ohhh how I'll miss this! (And yes, I did break into the cake before taking the picture.)

If there's one thing Arun will miss- it's the street-side Schwarmas that Ukrainians and Ex-pats avoid like the plague but Arun's absolutely addicted to.... hey- to each their own!

And of course, as Arun pointed out- we'll miss the interesting fashion. (The Fall knee-high stiletto boots over jeans is now being replaced with platform stiletto heels of Spring time)

We'll miss walking around town and simply running into random performers, neat churches, fun statues and beautiful architecture. We went to Primorsky Blvd and ran into a event showcasing Belarussian singers.

And finally- we'll miss being able to walk to Arkadia Beach.