Russian Tales

[JohnnyCNote]

Talking about the GAI (Municipal Auto Directorate, if memory serves, aka traffic cops), I know a pilot for Aeroflot. My aunt's business partner, who's a Ukrainian along with the pilot, helped him get a Ford Contour a few years ago. He shipped it to Helsinki so it wouldn't get stolen, and drove it back to Moscow.

The problem was he was perceived as being rich and was constantly being pulled over by the GAI for bribes. It got so bad he finally gave up and sold the car to a draft board official so that he could keep his boy out of the military. For those of you not familiar with the Russian armed forces, the lower ranks are treated worse than the "new meat" in a tough prison.

That's how Russia works.

This pilot, maybe 10 years ago, was getting about 1 mil rubles a month. That worked out to about $700 at the time. While that's nothing for an international airline pilot, he was well off by Russian standards. He also got lots of perks, including travel all over the world, so it wasn't all bad. Also, Aeroflot puts its best planes on the overseas routes.....

[Roundabout]

I'd be afraid to drive anything but a Lada, Moskvich, or Zhiguli over there. Driving a "western" car can have bad consequences. One of the biggest hassles is where to park the damn thing. If you don't keep it in a lot overnight, it's likely to be stolen or stripped. So you constantly have to worry about it. And any foreign car has to use unleaded, which can be found there but is more scarce and expensive than the low octane junk their cars can run on (like 64 octane).

Anyone driving a foreign car is suspect and likely to be pulled over with or without cause. There are GAI (meaning: GosAvtoInspektsia and pronounced 'gi-yee' by locals) checkpoints along most main roads with a cop standing by the side of the road waving cars over seemingly without reason (of course, we know the real reason, shakedown). Therefore, I don't rent cars while there, and luckily most people I know have their own so they can take me wherever I need to go.

Also, they have minivans ("gazelle") that are run by private operators that can take you between major cities for a nominal price. I think we paid something like the equiv. of $2 to go about 75 miles. But even the gazelles get pulled over, at least ours did. The officer argued with the man driving for a moment, looked in the back where we were, messed around a while and finally let us go. The driver wasn't speeding or doing anything wrong, but they don't need a reason to stop you.

Of course, in Moskva, you can ride the subway everywhere. And it's cheap. Plastic tokens used and about 8 cents a ride (at that time). The metro is convienient, fast and fairly safe, compared to riding in a taxi. It goes everywhere and costs little, so in town, it's the method of choice for getting around.

In Kiev, they have a halfway decent subway, but not as elaborate as the one in Moskva. More buses than subways. But the city is smaller and somewhat easier to get around in.

Next subject - Food? What did you eat while there?

[JohnnyCNote]

So it's GosAvtoInspektsia . I was thinking Gorodskoye Avto Ispravlenie. I was in Moskva twice: 6 weeks in the summer of '92 and 4 months in the fall of '93, both times as a student studying Russian. The 2nd time I was there during the October Uprising when they stormed the White House. I got a job as a translator at CNN behind the scenes. Their office is on Kutuzovsky Pr, just down the street from the bridge where the tanks were shooting at the White House. It was a pretty intense situation, but at least it was limited to that area. That night the upper floors of the WH were ablaze. That was quite a sight! Even the local Muscovites were impressed.

While there I cooked my own food most of the time since I was in a dormitory at Komsomolsky Pr Dom 6, just down from the Metrostantsiya Park Kultury. It was a great location. The 2nd time there were some more affordable restaurants opening up. There was a place called Flamingo's, that served mainly chicken dishes, but I can't recall exactly where it was. Then there was Rostik's, at GUM, which was an amazing efficient fried chicken place. I used to get a "piknik" (10 kuskov) and take it back to my room. I could never resist the temptation to open the bag a little bit and let the fried chicken smell fill the metro car.

I don't eat red meat, I should add, but I do love chicken, and there were plenty of places to get it. There was another place in the shopping area at the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel that had good rotisserie chickens. Otherwise, I'd get a frozen German Suppenhun along the street and cook it up. I'd try to get a much as possible in Russian stores or from street vendors, then get the rest at the Irish House, Sadko or Stockmann's. One thing I loved was the bread. It was the freshest I'd ever had (the stuff they sold on the street), and sometimes was still warm from the oven.

I was looking for a cheap toaster oven, but could only find more expensive Panasonic, etc, for $60+. One day at GUM I asked if there where any Russian-made ones, and was told to check out Elektrotovary, in the next shop. Sure enough, I found exactly what I wanted for about $15. When I got back to the dorm I proudly announced my "narodny elektroroster sovetskovo proizvodstva!", which got a good laugh. I had a time finding an affordable skillet. All they had were those Tefal ones for $40+, so I was looking for something cheaper. Finally a couple of American women whom I'd helped guide around town bought me one as a gift. I gave it to a Russian woman as a going-away present.

I'd love to go back for a couple of weeks to see how it's changed. I'd also like to see Kiev, and more of StP, as I was only there for a day on a very rushed trip. I have seen the town of Petrozavodsk when we took a cruise up to Kizhi, along lakes Ladoga and Onega. Plus on the train to StP I got to see some of the Russian countryside.

I was a Russian linguist in the USAF and learned the majority of my Russian at the Defense Language Institute (basic and intermediate courses). I got my BA in '94, but haven't found any opportunities to use it. When I speak it they're shocked to learn I'm an American. Usually they ask if I'm from Riga and tell me I have that sort of accent. I got interested in Russian many years ago, although I'm not of Russian descent. I'm a little rusty, but still speak it quite fluently.

What brings you to that part of the world?

[NamPla]

Well, the thread is called "Russian Tales"!! 8)

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1430/is_n10_v14/ai_12297352

I love this story!

[AlecWest]

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1430/is_n10_v14/ai_12297352

Woo woo ...

During Gorbachev's short reign before the Soviet Union collapsed, and during a period of 'glasnost', I remember hearing of notes released by the Soviet space agency. In theory, before Mariner landed on Mars, the Soviets attempted to land a probe but it crash-landed. At least, that's what was reported at the time. But according to the released notes, the craft actually soft-landed ... then sent back telemetry indicating it was being approached by "something." And, once that "something" got to the craft, telemetry fell silent.

Woo woo...

And now, today's news:

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=10754142

[Roundabout]

What brings you to that part of the world?

Well, the biggest reason: I'm married to a Ukrainian

In the past, (before marriage) I was sent there by my company when they were looking for new locations for service centers. I met my (future) wife when she was a translator for us.

I was in Moskva the same time as you then, it seems. I went around the last week of Oct./first week of Nov. of 1993 (IIRC, I have to get out my old expired passport to get the exact date). We could have crossed paths on the Arbat

Went to GUM, just like you, to do a little shopping. Did the usual, Lenin's Tomb, etc.

Met up with some local girls and spent some time running around with them. One lived on Volgogradsky Pr., and we went to a restaurant there near her apt. that wound up costing a couple of hundred $$ before it was all over. Caviar, Borshch, all the usual stuff. Since that used up a lot of what was allocated for food, we wound up buying some stuff at a local gastronom, and the rest of the time eating at Mickey D's and Pizza Hut (on Tverskaya, where they still had the $$ side and ruble side of the restaurant).

I only went once to Moskva, the rest of the time I've spent in Praha and Kiev. I like both of those places far more than Moskva. If you haven't been there, you should go. Kiev costs less than Moskva as a place to visit and have fun, not dirt cheap but cheaper than Russia. I haven't been to Peterburg/Leningrad but would love to go sometime, also to Riga. I've heard Riga is a lot like Praha, very scenic.

Moskva is just a large city, somewhat dirty, like a lot of large cities around the world, and very expensive. Still, it was an experience I will never forget. This year, though, it's back to Kiev and Odessa, maybe Crimea. I think we'll be going by May or June, if the schedule fits.

Not planning any more trips to Russia soon, but maybe sometime in a few years.

[JohnnyCNote]

Moskva is big, dirty, crowded, expensive, stressful - but there's something about it that I like. I always feel at home there for some strange reason. There are actually some nice, peaceful areas, some surprisingly close to main thoroughfares, where you'll find parks, etc. I can find my way around using a map and public transportation.

I also saw more of the seedy underside of Moskva while with my Russian friends. Most people would be surprised how diverse the city is. Did you ever get to the flea market at Izmailovski Park? It was one of our favorite places. There was no telling what you'd find there....

[Roundabout]

Yes, it's definitely dirty, crowded and expensive. You would think that with the locals only earning the equiv. of about $200/month on average, that the place would be super cheap. Not true of course, and everything is very expensive.

The guy that went along with me was crazy about Piroshki, buying them on any street corner - since they're for sale everywhere. I was a bit skittish to buy food off the corner like that, God knows what's inside them and where they've been.

The girls that hung out with us loved going to McD's and ordered everything on the menu, whenever possible. Big Mak and Cocktail (milkshake, if you remember) for everyone! At least it was relatively cheap to go there. We had to wait in line at the one on Pushkin Sq. outside in the cold and snow. I think back then there were only a couple of them in the city, of course there was one on Arbat.

Another thing that surprised me was how long these girls could walk in the cold without freezing. After walking for two or three hours, you lose all your body heat if you don't go inside somewhere and warm up. Finally we went and saw a production of Swan Lake in a theater at the Kreml' - not exciting, but I was happy just to warm up.

Also went into a museum in the Kreml' that had Faberge eggs on display, but of course they wouldn't let us take pictures or video inside. There's the usual Babushka sitting around on her fat ass making sure you don't do anything untoward inside.

I made several hours of video in all, some of it didn't come out because my camcorder heads got clogged and didn't record, but luckily it cleared up for most of what I was taping. I would have been upset if I'd gotten home and all my pictures were ruined.

We rented an apartment with two bedrooms and one bath, and the people in charge of renting it gave us some food and vodka to get us started when we arrived. We wound up getting drunk and going out in the evening to get more vodka at a kiosk nearby. There were drunks pissing on the side of buildings and one nearby passed out in the snow, laying on his side. Talk about local color!

Still in all, we never felt threatened in any way, though we wandered all over the city and being obvious foreigners. No one ever bothered us, with the exception of one guy that bugged me about my camcorder in the subway. I just pretended like I didn't understand him "Ya ne govorit po-russki" was my standard answer to anyone bothering me. He finally got tired and wandered off.

I never made it to Izmailovski Park, or to any flea markets there in Russia, but I've been to plenty in Ukraine. I figure they have the same general stuff. Some food items, produce mostly, caviar, soap, TP, clothes, purses, and various and sundry items that most people need there from day to day. It seems nothing is thrown away there, as long as there's some serviceable life left in it (and even if there isn't ). They'll even save bottles and packaging items that we throw away every day, since it's not as easy to come by there.

I know what you mean about it feeling like home there, in a sense, it does for me too. I like the gritty feel and lack of too many rules like we have here. It's so foreign, it feels good. Unlike most of Western Europe, which still feels too much like America, Russia and Ukraine still retain their intrigue from the cold war days. Everything looks militaristic and utilitarian, somehow it feels like a throwback to something a hundred years ago. You really feel like you're on an 'adventure' and not just in another tourist trap.

I'm looking forward to going back this year, it's been four years since I've been over there. My wife is itching to get over there, and see her new niece that was born a couple of years ago. As for me, I just like watching the girls walk by that are dressed to the 9's, unlike most American women. 8) I just have to remind myself "you're married" since it's easy to get carried away (literally, it seems).

[slimmx]

I'd be afraid to drive anything but a Lada, Moskvich, or Zhiguli over there. Driving a "western" car can have bad consequences.

Hi guys. What's up Roundabout!!!! Sorry guys, I am in a hurry and can't read your long posts but one thing caught my attention. AHAHHAHAHAH Lada, Moskvich. I don't think it's true about driving "western" cars in Ukraine or Russia. THey are all over the place and you won't surprise anyone with anything over there. Of course, most people own old foreign cars because they are more reliable than new Russian cars, but there are many new expensive cars. Most people do put their cars in garages, and cars get stolen but it's not that bad. I don't remember exactly but I think in 2002 Russia was #1 importer of Mecedes-Benz in the world. I am talking about new Mercedes. Even in smaller cities there are new foreign cars. While most people are "poor", things are not as bad as some people imagine. About a week ago I saw a debate on Russian channel about some politician saying that things in Russia being not as bad as TV makes it look. I don't know if it's true, since there are some pretty fuc*ed up places but still........

I was born in Ukraine, my dad is Russian and my mom is Ukrainian. I haven't been in Ukraine in 7 years but things didn't get worse from what they were as far as I hear. It actually got better.

JohnnyCNote did you say last time you were in Russia was in 92? If it's so, I think it's like night and day compared to now.

Roundabout
"Dazdrasvuet Zheltaya Revoluzia. Mozhet teper oni uma nabirutsya. Ya nehochu po angliski pisat chtobi topic nezakrili."

[slimmx]

I know what you mean about it feeling like home there, in a sense, it does for me too. I like the gritty feel and lack of too many rules like we have here. It's so foreign, it feels good. Unlike most of Western Europe, which still feels too much like America, Russia and Ukraine still retain their intrigue from the cold war days. Everything looks militaristic and utilitarian, somehow it feels like a throwback to something a hundred years ago. You really feel like you're on an 'adventure' and not just in another tourist trap.
:

WOW guys. AHHAHAHAHAHA .

[Roundabout]

Hey Slimmx. Kak u vas dela? Haven't heard from you in a while. I was thinking about what you said about the cars, but judging from what happens to cars in Ukraine, I'd still be reluctant to drive an expensive car there. A friend of my wife's had his car windshield broken out for no reason the last time we were over there. He had made the mistake of parking it outside his kvartira overnight, and when he got up in the morning, it was smashed.

He seemed to feel like someone was just jealous that he had a 'western' car, because they didn't steal anything from it, they just wanted to do something bad. Kind of like how some people will scratch a new car in a parking lot here, just because they're jealous.

I do see quite a few foreign cars there, but I am pretty sure they aren't parked out in the open at night. You have to have a secure place to keep them. The problem is, most apartments don't have any nearby gargage, which means you have to take a bus to where the garage is located, and it's a big hassle. Even if you don't have a foreign car, you still have to keep it under lock and key, when you aren't using it.

Maybe things will improve a bit with the new administration, but it will still be some time before you can feel really safe parking where your car is unattended.

That doesn't mean I don't like it there, like I mentioned, it's kind of an exhilarating feeling to be where things are very different than here. I would even consider living there someday, if things improve enough to make it feasable. Since I'm married to a Ukrainian citizen, I could get permanent residency fairly easily.

Roundabout
"Dazdrasvuet Zheltaya Revoluzia. Mozhet teper oni uma nabirutsya. Ya nehochu po angliski pisat chtobi topic nezakrili."

Interesno. Ya dumal, chto revolutsia byla oranzhevaya, a ty govorish zheltaya...Yuschenko zainteresuesta toboi :P

[slimmx]

HAHAHAAHHA. I was in a hurry. I am now ebarrassed. Of course it was "orangevaya."

[Roundabout]

Durak!

Just Kidding

[JohnnyCNote]

Privet! Last time was the fall of '93, and the difference between then and '92 was amazing. Speaking of cars, once a friend proudly announced, "Dzhon, vse ehti Mercedes i BMV spizhnnye u zapada!".

(That's , "all these Mercedes and BMW's were 'stolen' from the West", only the word for "stolen" was a bit more colorful)....

[Roundabout]

Privet, JCN!

I saw a report on Dateline or similar program, where they showed how cars being stolen from here in Orange County (CA) were showing up in places like Poland and Russia. They actually traced one specific car by VIN number and confronted the guy that was trying to sell the car. Basically he just laughed at the reporter. The police wouldn't do anything at all, or they're in on the deal (more likely). The insurance company here wasn't interested, either. They had already written it off, and the cost of returning it to the USA, even if it was possible, was not feasable. They just charge higher insurance rates to make up for these losses, so in the end, we all pay the price for these stolen vehicles.

The first time I went to Eastern Europe, back in the fall of 1991, I traveled to Praha...and there was no problem taking a somewhat more expensive car that I'd rented in Amsterdam over the line into (what was then) Czechoslovakia. I had an Opel Omega (or was it Astra? I rented both at different times, I forget which costs more) and crossed the border quite easily.

I went to Praha 6 times between 91 - 94 and each time, they (car rental companies) became stricter about what kind of cars you can take from Western to Eastern Europe. The last time, when I went to Praha and Warsaw, they wouldn't let me take anything but a Ford KA - if you've never seen this vehicle, it's smaller than a GEO Metro. Basically a roller skate with an engine.

Even then, my plates, both front and back, were stolen in Praha when I was staying at a local B&B. I got up in the morning, plates were gone. Big problem, since the car was from Germany, I'd rented it in Frankfurt and there was no way to go back and get new plates.

I had to get the local police to make me a document in case I got stopped, that I could show to not get fined. I actally made cardboard plates with a felt tip marker, and drove the car several hundred miles to Warsaw, where the local cops stopped me. They didn't speak English, and they made me come to the station.

In the end, they were looking for a bribe to let me go, but I shouted at them and they backed off, believe it or not. They just told me "GO." I guess that's the only word in English they knew. I didn't want to start speaking Russian, that would cause even more problems...

I wouldn't even think of driving the car to Russia, even though it wasn't far to go. If it was stolen completely, even though I wouldn't have to pay for it, it would be a nightmare of problems. I eventually drove it back to Germany and returned it in Berlin. I never heard any more about it, or the plates being missing.

Cars are very often stolen and wind up being sold in Russia or Ukraine, and not much is done about it. Russian mafia has gotten a big windfall since the fall of the Berlin Wall, with all kinds of things, and trafficking in stolen vehicles is just one of them.

[JohnnyCNote]

I've heard that Warsaw was a big transit point for spizhnnie (do you know this word?) cars. One racket I heard of was that a German would be approached and asked to simply wait a day or two before reporting his car stolen in exchange for some cash. Then his insurance would pay for a replacement while his old car would wind up further east.

Get a load of this. We went to a Mexican restaurant here in Jacksonville tonight. When I spoke some Spanish to the waiter, he said he didn't speak. it. When I asked where he was from, he said Hungary. That's quite a journey, from Budapest to a Mexican restaurant in Jacksonville, FL! I surprised him when I said I'd been on an Ikarus bus in St. Petersburg.

Once I got into a taxi in Moscow - a brand new Volga. I asked the driver if it was a good car. He answered, "nyet!".

I know one thing that's surely gotten worse in Moscow - the traffic. It was horrendous in '93. Have you driven much in the ex-USSR? I've often wondered what the roads are like between the major cities, since they lack a major autobahn or Interstate Highway system that we take for granted. I usually picture two-lane roads with lots of trucks and potholes.....

[NamPla]

One of the best Russian short-story tales I read was:

Ilya Varshavsky "Robby"

...about an arrogant up-start family robot...

Hilarious!

[slimmx]

I've heard that Warsaw was a big transit point for spizhnnie (do you know this word?) cars. One racket I heard of was that a German would be approached and asked to simply wait a day or two before reporting his car stolen in exchange for some cash. Then his insurance would pay for a replacement while his old car would wind up further east.

That's what I was going to say. Most of the cars that are being stolen from Western Europe are stolen that way. They approach someone, give him/her a small sum of money and ask them to wait before reporting the car stolen.

I don't rememember the exact year but I think it was 93 or 94 when my dad bought a pontiac boneville. Someone actually gave it to him for some unpaid debts. It was brand new and at that time there were only 2 in Crimea. It was a whole big deal. It had air conditing and automatic transmission, which was very uncommon. We had two cars, boneville and audi. My dad drove boneville only when he had to take a business trip or we went to visit our family. The reason for that was that my dad didn't want "mafia" taking notice of him. He did that for about a year until he had a car accident. After the accident it wasn't so desirable anymore and we drove it around the city after that. He was stopped by "melizia" a lot. They would always make smart remarks. Like what do you have to do to get a car like that?

[Roundabout]

He did that for about a year until he had a car accident. After the accident it wasn't so desirable anymore

He was stopped by "melizia" a lot. They would always make smart remarks. Like what do you have to do to get a car like that?

That's what we call here a "cop magnet"...any car that stands out from the crowd, attracting unwanted attention from police and others.

I'm just as glad I don't drive in Ukraine when I'm there, I'd rather let someone else deal with it when they're stopped. I've driven in many countries, but Ukraine isn't one of them. When I see GAI everywhere on the side of roads and such, it doesn't make me too confident about "testing" my driving skills there.

I know one thing that's surely gotten worse in Moscow - the traffic. It was horrendous in '93. Have you driven much in the ex-USSR? I've often wondered what the roads are like between the major cities, since they lack a major autobahn or Interstate Highway system that we take for granted. I usually picture two-lane roads with lots of trucks and potholes.....

The traffic isn't too bad, at least in Kiev, as far as I can see. But the road conditions aren't the best either. In general, between major cities, they tend to be a bit better kept up than roads connecting villages...unless the village has a resident with friends in gov't

There's a nice 4-lane divided highway connecting my wife's town with a small village nearby, which ends abruptly when you get there. I found out that was the exact reason, because "someone" wanted it built. The population of the village is only a hundred people or so. Of course, similar things go on here in the USA too, with congressmen's pork barrel projects, many of which waste $$$, but no one does anything about it.

I did notice they were doing a lot of resurfacing work on the highway leading north out of Kiev the last time I was there, right around the Coca-Cola plant that's several miles out of town, they made the road almost like new, western standards. Possibly Coke paid for it, willingly or not

[slimmx]

[quote="Roundabout I did notice they were doing a lot of resurfacing work on the highway leading north out of Kiev the last time I was there, right around the Coca-Cola plant that's several miles out of town, they made the road almost like new, western standards. Possibly Coke paid for it, willingly or not [/quote]

The roads are "shit" over there. I talk to my uncle who lives in Crimea. He just turned 21 and we were talking about what kind of speeds we are able to achieve while driving . He said that he doesn't drive fast because the wheels will fall off. The roads are pretty horrible over there.

I remember between Feodosiya where I lived and Sevastopol there was a road built by Germans during WWII. This road holds up better than the roads built 30 years later. That road is a joy to drive on.

Roundabout
I think I know what road you talking about. I remember my dad saying that it was the best road he ever driven on. It was very wide and like reddish color.
The roads in Kiev should be good, it's the "zheltiy " capitol city after all.

The roads in New York are bad too, but that's just because there is a lot of traffic. They just fill in the holes and it creates a very bumpy drive. Five minutes away from New York they meet "Western" standards.

[JohnnyCNote]

A friend told me when the tanks came out during the Putsch against Gorbachev in '91, they were all over the sides of the roads where they'd slid off due to drunk an/or inexperienced drivers. He thought it was quite amusing, despite the gravity of the situation.

When I saw the tank, they were shelling the White House:



[img]http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=moscow+revolt/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=13947b657/EXP=1110860314/*-http%3A//image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2003/10/03/russia933.jpg[/img]

[Roundabout]

The roads are "shit" over there. I talk to my uncle who lives in Crimea. He just turned 21 and we were talking about what kind of speeds we are able to achieve while driving . He said that he doesn't drive fast because the wheels will fall off. The roads are pretty horrible over there.

You'd be afraid to drive very fast anyway, with GAI everywhere. I think we never got over 60 Km/h in the Zhiguli we were in (mother-in-law's car). Even then, they were watching for cops. What really cracks me up is the sort-of compliance with seat-belt laws. Everyone just lays the belt across them, without actually attaching it to anything. Guess that avoids the ticket for not wearing it...

I remember between Feodosiya where I lived and Sevastopol there was a road built by Germans during WWII. This road holds up better than the roads built 30 years later. That road is a joy to drive on.

As is the autobahn in Germany. Made for high speeds. Love it.

Roundabout
I think I know what road you talking about. I remember my dad saying that it was the best road he ever driven on. It was very wide and like reddish color.
The roads in Kiev should be good, it's the "zheltiy " capitol city after all.

Maybe the one on this map, the M20. Between Kyiv and Chernihiv, it's not too bad at all (about 75 miles). Some of the distance is done well, and it's much like driving on any 'normal' road over here. But when you get to villages, you have to slow down to a crawl for the assorted cows, chickens, pigs and occasional babushka crossing the road. If you speed, you'll get nailed by GAI.

The road between Borispil' and Kyiv is very good too, since it connects the airport and the city. I haven't driven east of the city, but the roads north and west aren't all that bad, IMO.

[slimmx]

[quote="Roundabout"]

The road between Borispil' and Kyiv is very good too, since it connects the airport and the city. I haven't driven east of the city, but the roads north and west aren't all that bad, IMO.

Yeah, that's the road I was talking about. The one that connects the city and the airport.

[Roundabout]

On another note, I just read on Ukrayinska Pravda that Ukraine is going to remove the visa requirement for EU nationals by the first of April.

It doesn't look like they will do the same for North Americans (yet, anyway). I hope they do, it will make it much easier for us to visit more often. As it is now, the visa costs $100 and a lot of red tape.

I think they also expect that the EU will make the visa regime easier for Ukraine nationals to visit the countries of the EU, already there was some kind of scandal in Germany when they changed some rules for visitors there.

Eventually, maybe Ukrainians will be able to visit Western Europe and the USA without so many difficulties. It's a major hassle for both directions.

Still planning to go there this year, within a few months from now. Haven't got tickets yet and don't have a firm date, but it will be before fall of this year.

[adam]

A charity I work for bought a van for an orphanage in Ukraine, so the kids could get to and from the hospital. It was reported stolen the first week they got it, and we later found out the director of the orphanage sold it to the mafia (or whatever the Ukrainian equivalent is) and kept the money for himself. That guy still runs the place despite our best efforts. We just donated 10 new computers to them. Hopefully the mafia has no use for computers.

Food? What did you eat while there?

varenikis...lots and lots of varenikis. In fact, I think that's about the only thing I did eat. I wasn't too keen on rotten fish.

[Roundabout]

Adam,

Yes, that's sad when even the director of a place intended to help children takes advantage of the generosity of others. I don't know how people like that can sleep at night, really.

As for the computers, I'd have to say that pretty much anything would be useful to criminals, if they can sell it for cash. They don't care about the computers at all, but they can be sold on the market for $$$, they might do it. I hope that doesn't happen.

How did you find out about the van being sold ("stolen")? Of course, once it's gone, it's gone, not much can be done at this point. I came close to buying a van for my brother-in-law over there last time I was there, it was about $7,000 (Mercedes mini-delivery van). It would have been good for him to earn money with, because the delivery business is a pretty good one there for some reason. He was working for some guy that owned a van and driving it for him, but he wants to start his own business doing it, since it's lucrative.

I decided against buying him the van for one reason: there was no safe place to store it when it wasn't being used, and the possibility of it being stolen was very high. He was quite upset with me, since I had hinted that I might buy it for him, but in the end, I think it was for the best. I'd be better off to just give him $7,000 as a gift, he could live for several years on that amount there. If the van was stolen, it's just money out the window.

So I really understand your concern about what happened, sorry to hear it. I can't say that I'm surprised, though. It seems that it's too big of a temptation for thieves and crooks, when there's easy money to be made. You should have them send photos of the kids using the computers you bought, for at least some kind of evidence that your efforts aren't being wasted there. You almost have to go yourself to make sure that what you expected to be done will be done, since the person that runs the place doesn't seem like he cares.

[adam]

You almost have to go yourself to make sure that what you expected to be done will be done, since the person that runs the place doesn't seem like he cares.

That is exactly what we do several times a year. We go and inspect the facilities to make sure they are actually implementing the things we are paying for. The orphanage in question is terrible about this. I filmed the whole thing (yes I know that project I've been talking about is way past due, but hey law school keeps me kinda occupied) and it wasn't until after I reviewed the tape that I realized what had happened. We went from room to room watching the students. Well when I looked back at the footage I saw the same kids over and over again. They were sneaking into other rooms and swapping clothes to fool us into thinking they were each unique classrooms. So they obviously only showed us their best, brightest, and HEALTHIEST. It scares me to think that they just shoved all the neglected kids into some closet somewhere, but I think that's exactly what happened. But we have to keep working with this orphanage because they are by far the most needy in the area.

We know that the van wasn't stolen because it never even made it to the orphanage. The driver was paid to take it directly to a location owned by this mafia. We later found out the director of the orphanage was the one who paid him. They didn't even try to cover their tracks.

[Roundabout]

It sounds like they had set up the whole deal ahead of time, premeditated. The fact that they are scamming you makes it even worse, knowing that the help that you're trying to give isn't getting to where it's supposed to go.

That's really something, if they actually got the kids to change clothes to fool you. I wonder what they have to gain by showing the healthiest kids...you'd think by showing the neediest kids they'd be able to "sucker" you out of more assistance.

What did they say when you confronted them, if you did in fact confront them? What did they say when you told them you knew the van wasn't stolen? I'm sure they'd deny any knowledge of what happened to it, in any case.

Even though the orphanage is needy, it seems like you at least need to threaten them that aid will be cut off unless the shenanigans are stopped. I can't even imagine how it must burn you up that these people are taking advantage of kids this way.

Out of curiosity, what city is the orphanage in?

[adam]

The orphanage is called Sphola, and that is also the name of the city. The charity I work for is very large and operates in several countries spread out across 3 continents. They've got lots of money and give lots of money, and I guess they just aren't able to follow up on everything. I don't know why they didn't do more about it. This actually happened several years ago and we've done ALOT with this orphanage since.

My impression of many of the Ukrainian orphanages are that they are very bureaucratic. We give them all of this stuff but if we cross the wrong line they won't deal with us anymore, and that's when the kids start dying...literally. They want our money but not our help because they don't like interferance...but we won't give them money unless they let us ensure its actually used properly. So they hide things from us. That's why they showed us the healty kids, so we'd think that our money was being put to good use. Believe me, they do not need to make themselves look more needy. The facilities are completely inadequate and even in the orphanages that are adequate, they receive virtually no funding from the government. I'll have to look back at my notes, I think they get the equivalent of 1 US cent for every 1 child for every day. That's not nearly enough to pay for even a perfectly healthy child's needs, and they all have a large amount of very sick and disabled kids as well.

[Roundabout]

I wasn't familiar with Sphola, did a Google search. Only found it mentioned on the HopeNow website. Probably just a typo, the name of the town is Shpola, I think.



I suppose the charity you're working with is very large, like you said, it's hard for them to follow up on everything. And I guess that's exactly what they're counting on to happen. When there's no consequences if they steal things, that's bound to happen, unfortunately.

It's crazy, but I am sure it's true, what you said about them being bureaucratic...give us the stuff and leave. I heard some of the same thing after the tsunami in Indonesia, where the government basically said to ours: give us the money and aid, but then get out. One aid agency that happened to be Christian had a problem because the gov't there accused them of proselytizing, and threatened to throw them out of the country.

They want the help, but anything beyond that is verboten. Sounds like what happens to your charity, too. I don't know if they are as overt in Ukraine about this (as regards charities helping out at orphanages), but it's kind of sad that they know they can have such a negative attitude and still get the aid. Not only that, but to have the gall to steal the aid whenever and wherever they can...all I can say is 'Kudos' to your charity for hanging in there in spite of this.

Sad to say, but like my wife tells me, no one there really cares about orphans - or old people that have no means of support. Well, I shouldn't say no one, but not enough people care to help. The government should do more, and hopefully with the new president, things will improve some. That remains to be seen. Thus far, things have actually gotten worse, according to my mother-in-law. They've reduced the pension amounts and she also mentioned the cost of 1 KG of apples is now 15 Hryvnia (about $3.00 US). Needless to say, the average person can't afford those kind of prices. So inflation is getting much worse, and nothing is getting better yet.

This only means the temptation to steal whatever you're donating is going to get worse before it gets better, it seems.