a real local

I've been here for almost six months, and I can finally call myself a real Kievlianka. I noticed the difference this week in the subway, when I found myself exasperated and audibly sighing, wondering why the person in front of me was walking so darn slow. Then I realized that she was an 80-year old lady with a cane carrying a huge sack of something or other on her back. I felt horrible, and had to remind myself to chill out.

The pace of life here is so fast that it makes New York look sluggish. It's also brutal and Darwinian. You can get annoyed at (and knocked over, and bruised by) the onslaught of commuters, who push, jostle, and kick each other as they literally run in transfer stations, or you can join them. I've always been a fast walker, but I swear I can walk twice as fast as ever now!

Another new pastime that testifies to my new aggressiveness: a game called "Yield to Me." My biggest peeve about living here is the constant invasion of space. People will push you, smack into you, or force you to swerve to avoid hitting them--forget about an apology, or even an acknowledgement that they might be doing something annoying. Now, I've discovered that if you look tough and don't move, THEY'LL swerve to avoid hitting you! Especially true if you're wearing lots of fur.

I think I've discovered the key to surviving in Ukraine. Time to go home!