LuvSlav
5/9/2016 08:25 EST
I have been in Odessa for almost two weeks now so I feel I can give an honest appraisal of my experiences so far.
Those who said I will get sick were absolutely right. I still have the sniffles from the flu I got my first few days here. So much for "I haven't had a cold or the flu for 15 years."
Odessa is a beautiful city that has a wealth of art and amazing architecture. At the same time it has been allowed to deteriorate and if things don't change I fear Odessa will crumble to the ground one day.
Coming to Odessa instead of one of the other cities was a decision driven only by my poor Russian language skills. In Odessa, I have been able to buy nearly everything I need, go out to restaurants by myself and find my way around thanks to my limited Russian vocabulary, being able to read the signs and the relatively large number of English speakers here. Even those who don't speak English have been very patient and helpful. And google translate has actually helped me on occasion too.
Now I find that during the months I will be here, Odessa is overrun with foreign men looking for a "good time" gal and rents are climbing above my limit of affordability due to the influx. Capitalism at its finest and its most corrupting at the same time.
As it stands today I am still unsure if I will stay the whole 90 days as I had planned. I may decide 30 days is enough for this trip. I just don't think hunting for a potential mate here at this time of year is a good idea.
One day my Russian will be at a level that will allow for extended stays in other cities but for now I had a choice of Kiev (that I figured I couldn't afford) and Odessa.
One thing I do not feel is unsafe. In fact, I felt more in danger leaving my apartment in Dallas than I do here. That is one thing I didn't expect.
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extremevx
5/9/2016 08:55 EST
My wife and I were there the other day at the levis store. You are correct. I here much english spoken. Though, I think the roads are much worse than nikolaev in places. We went also to the mall out by fontanka. Also, we thought we'd see if we could find Kens house since I hear it sounds out as very american. Couldn't find it but we did go down to the beach and sit and drink coffee. We looked around the area and decided if we were going to build or buy a house it would be in either fontanka or the next village north. My wife seen a few delapidated homes next to beach that could be torn down and build new as the property was prime location. I guess when ken has his barbecue we'll find his american home then. Lol.
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MichaelTryn
5/9/2016 14:24 EST
Take care of yourself buddy! Yahoo posted a story about some guy that got the crap beat out of him in West Virginia. You can see the military pic of some officer on Yahoo. Some people take offense @ the American military, or maybe it was bacause he is running for public office. We've seen those stories @ sports events that one "should NOT be wearing improper attire!" Ex: don't wear a Boston shirt to Yankees stadium or you're looking for trouble. One can get killed in Houston for that matter as the demographics is NOT the same as North Wisconsin! There are places in Chicago one does not go without the cops escorting one.
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LuvSlav
5/10/2016 02:31 EST
Good idea to buy a ramshackle house, tear it down and build the way you want it to be.
If you want another location to check out I've heard that Ilichivs'k (not sure of the spelling) is a nice place to live. It is on the coast just to the south of Odessa. Never been though so I cannot vouch for it first hand.
Just looked it up and found that the name has changed. It is now called Chornomorsk. From the photos online it looks like a tiny city with lots of green. Might be worth a look. Google Maps.
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LuvSlav
5/10/2016 02:45 EST
In Odessa at least the fruits and vegetables are far better tasting than any I had in my 10+ years in Dallas. I was both a little taken aback and pleasantly surprised to see a staff member at the local supermarket pouring carrots from a burlap sack into a bin to sell and each carrot had a thick coating of dirt on it, even some clumps of dirt. That is what I'd call farm fresh.
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MichaelTryn
5/10/2016 09:35 EST
Our vegetables our coated with preservatives and GMO most of the time as we know to keep in the store longer,so the tomatoes shine etc. unless you go to Whole Foods. I grew carrots in my yard a few yrs ago, and my lot is lower than the neighbor. Our louzy Chicago climate dumps rain like in Texas, 5 inches at a time in the summer.so half of my small yard gets flooded. I would like at least 2 acres, but the we would like to be near the tram in Portland which has a better climate. One can't have everthing: "enjoy the farm mkt in Ukraine."
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kkmail
5/10/2016 12:13 EST
Sounds like your downtown LuvSlav..Life is different on the outskirts and I would love to pick you up and show you !! Let me know...Pm if that's something you might like...
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kkmail
5/10/2016 12:16 EST
Fontanka 1 ! There's only one entrance take it and go to the beach.. See all them benches people sit on and view Odesa, turn around !! You'll see my house ! hahahaha.. Dam missed ya again ! 050-884-7383 ! There !!
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kkmail
5/10/2016 12:23 EST
If you LuvSlav or anyone decides to do that, George and I just finished up the 2nd house here in Fontanka. I'd be glad to share some very valuable info..I've also built stuff and remodeled house's in California. Different scenario here i'll tell ya !! 1/2 the cost and twice as easy !! Permit's ? What are those ! Why do they have those hahahaha.. Cool...
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LuvSlav
5/11/2016 06:32 EST
The unknown sauce they put on food in restaurants tastes ok but I sure wish I knew what's in that stuff. I recently had beef ravioli in "pesto sauce" which was sort of light green but tasted more like a very thinned down mystery cream sauce, couldn't actually detect any basil flavor at all.
I suppose that's to be expected; their country, their way of cooking. And up to this point I've been pretty good at keeping the attitude of "when in Rome" in all things. But green-ish cream sauce in place of pesto is going too far. Hahaha. Just one small thing I noticed in the past week. When in Rome.
On another topic, doing laundry and having to hang dry everything has taken some getting used to. But now it's just part of my routine. Funny how the small luxuries we take for granted seem less important here. Well, I wanted to "go native" as much as I can anyway.
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smmoravec
5/11/2016 09:12 EST
The first time I rented an apartment, the owner showed me around. When we got to the washer machine I asked "Oh, is that one of those dual washer/dryer combos?". She smiled and led be to the porch where the "dryer" was. LOL! Yeah...I have yet to see an actual clothes dryer in Ukraine.
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LuvSlav
5/11/2016 11:16 EST
Smmoravec, you had a porch?!? Lucky man.
Actually, in the place I'm staying for another couple of weeks there is no place outside to hang dry the laundry. If there were I wouldn't use it because a large number of pigeons have taken up residence right outside my window (no porch, no balcony). I don't think bird crap on my pants and shirts would make a good fashion statement. LOL
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LuvSlav
5/11/2016 11:23 EST
All kidding aside, I too scratched my head over the no dryer issue at first. But now I honestly can't say I even miss having a dryer.
You'd think it would be such a big deal, a show stopper maybe. But... nope, don't really care about it now. Step 1 on my journey toward going native maybe?
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smmoravec
5/11/2016 14:11 EST
Yeah, I had two apartments in Kiev, both had screened porches, it was nice. My last apartment in Odessa just had one of those clothes hangers thingys.
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smmoravec
5/11/2016 14:12 EST
Those towel heaters they usually have in the bathroom work well for drying your clothes. That was kind of weird the firs time I saw things pipes sticking out of the wall.
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LuvSlav
5/12/2016 08:55 EST
That is a good tip Smmoravec. It will come in handy should I visit UA again. Unfortunately, right now the apartment I am staying at is on city heating, which has been turned off since I moved in (and who knows how long before that). So those cool towel warmers are just a decorative item now. LOL
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