The Kiev Life Through Jamie's Eyes: Finally Saw Kiev!

After a week of just going to school and then coming straight home with my host family, I finally got to spend a day in downtown Kiev with my group. I haven’t been out to see anything because my host family did not want to show me how to use public transportation. They don’t like to use it so they usually just drive me everywhere. I haven’t been able to go out and explore, but on Saturday I finally did! It was so much fun. Some parts of downtown kind of reminded me of LA, only I couldn’t read any of the signs or understand what anyone was saying. We met at a McDonalds on Main Street and Oksana showed us around. We walked down the middle of the street because it was blocked off so cars could not drive on it. There was a huge stage, lights, and filming equipment set up in the middle of Independent Square because at eight o’clock that night they filmed a dance TV show that is kind of like So You Think You Can Dance, only with a whole bunch of dance groups from all across Ukraine. Oksana told us to try to get on TV, but we were not close enough to the stage to be seen. We then walked to Saint Michael’s Cathedral. This is the place that everyone comes to take their wedding photos. A few people in my group joked that it reminded them of Temple Square. We saw about 6 different wedding parties when we walked up to the cathedral and then probably 6 more when we walked out. We went inside (the girls had to cover our heads with our jackets) and looked at all the spectacular architecture. It was just recently remodeled so everything was extra visible and shiny, lots of gold. Then we went to Souvenir Street. This is a long street with a lot of different booths set up with a whole bunch of different knick-knacks and hand made crafts that people sell. It was so much fun to look at all of the different Ukrainian art and styles. This street goes on forever too! There is so much to look at. We then got to go on a boat ride around the river that goes down the middle of Kiev. It was really fun because we got to see a lot of the major sights of Kiev and how they are scattered all around the city. There were also beaches! I don’t think they are going to be occupied much longer though because the weather is starting to turn cold. When the boat ride was done we switched tour guides. Lila, a principle at another one of the schools that some of the people in my group teach at, met up with us. She then took us up a hill to a park that had a statue of a priest (can’t remember his name) that was responsible for starting the Catholic Church in Ukraine. We had a lot of fun taking pictures up there because it was a secluded place so we could finally act like crazy tourists. We have learned how to pose for pictures the right way in Ukraine and now do it in many of our pictures. You can’t smile and you have to stand in the most awkward position. It is hilarious! Then from there we walked to the Arch of Friendship. It is a representation of the friendship between Russia and Ukraine. I thought it was just going to be an arch off in some trees, but when we got there it was like a party spot under the arch. There was American music blasting and also some little carnival rides. We again got to take some crazy pictures because the environment wasn’t so serious and we didn’t stand out too much. This ended our tour of downtown so we went back to Main Street and met up with some other people from the other groups that are teaching in Kiev. We broke off and did our own things. My group headed back to Souvenir Street, we started at the very top this time, and made our way down more slowly. Then we went back to Independent Square, on Main Street, and tried to watch some of the dance show being filmed. I didn’t see much because I had to leave to head back home. Lila showed me how to use public transportation. FINALLY!! I learned which bus I have to take to the edge of town, then I get off that bus and go to a smaller bus that drives me out of the city to my willage (that’s what they call villages). It takes me about an hour and a half to go home from downtown, but now I know how to get home! This means that I can now stay out with my friends after we are done teaching and explore more. I’m so excited. But I was so tired when I got home. We did so much walking that my legs were so sore. I’m so glad I was able to go out and about though. Kiev really is amazing!