Back in my body

Traveling across multiple time zones does something odd inside my head.  I feel displaced/dislocated as though part of my spirit hasn't caught up with me yet.  Fortunately, I got to Kyiv in the evening so it was almost normal bedtime anyway.  I slept fitfully Wednesday night and finally got up around 10 Thursday morning.  I read and did email and thought I should be hungry but I wasn't.  Somewhere around 2pm, I got hungry so I went downstairs to the supermarket and stocked up on staples.  When I got back up to the apartment, I made a sandwich and prepared coffee (instant - it seems that I drink instant in my apartment here.  I can't stomach it when I'm home.) and when I went to pour milk in it, I noticed that the milk seemed thick.  When I looked at the label, I realized that it wasn't milk, it was a kind of cultured (read "sour") milk.  I thought briefly of drinking it anyway but decided that would be disgusting.

A note about entrances:  my building is pretty secure.  First one enters an iron gate with a magnetic lock.  It requires a magnetic key to open (both coming and going).  When I was stepping out on the way to the market, I didn't notice that there was a bar at the bottom of the gate that I had to step over.  My foot got caught and I fell.  A young couple were having a smoke outside the gate and the man came running to help me up.  My foot was caught under the bar so halfway up, I fell again.  I could see the woman thinking "poor old drunk."  No harm done, very mildly scraped knee, dignity in tatters.  The second entrance is into the apartment building.  It requires a different magnetic key.  Then up a few stairs to the elevator.  I am on the 9th floor of a 9 story building.

About 4pm on Thursday, I decided I'd take a walk to begin learning my neighborhood.  I walked for about half an hour noticing that I felt much better than on my previous trip.  Less achy legs and shortness of breath.  On the way back I stopped at the market again and bought milk.

When I woke up Friday morning, I read for a while and had breakfast then went to see if I could find my way to my old neighborhood.  The first 20 minutes of the walk was sharply uphill.  When I got to the Opera House, and crossed Volodymyrska Street, the way was downhill to Khreshchatik St., the main street of Kiev where the trendy shops are. I stopped at an ATM (called Bankomat here) and my card was refused.  I found another bank's ATM and my card was refused again.  I had only 100 Hrvnia (about $12).  I stopped into McDonalds for a cappuccino and then walked back to the apartment.  I Skyped my bank and they promised to remove the "Ukrainian block" from my account but it would take 24 hours.  I no sooner had calls out of the way when I got a text from my friend, Sergei, asking if I'd like to meet for supper and beer.  I agreed and our meeting place was down by McDonalds.  So I repeated the journey feeling good to be getting so much exercise.  We went to a place we frequently go to called Shato, stress on the last syllable, and spent a few hours catching up and talking and laughing non-stop.

The walk home seemed shorter.  I read for a little while and went to bed.  I woke around midnight, read for a little while and dropped back off to sleep.  On one of my middle of the night trips to the bathroom, I walked right into the edge of a door - leading with my forehead.  I wondered as I fell back to sleep if I'd get a big bruise or a black eye.  I didn't.  When I woke up, I was surprised that it was 9:15.  I never sleep that late.  I boiled a few eggs and made a cheese sandwich for breakfast.  I got a note from my bank that I should be able to use my card in the Bankomat with no problem.  I'll walk up to Glossary in a bit to have lunch and see my friends who work there.  Jenia texted me this morning to remind me he was working.  I have to be back to the apartment by 5 for a skype conference call to Chicago.

Click here for a few pictures of my apartment: