My Trip to Ukraine
A few people here were interested in hearing about what I thought during my recent trip to Ukraine. I apologize it has taken me so long to write but life and work has kept me busy since I've returned. I apologize for some weird formatting; I'm having some troubles with the editor here.
I was in Kiev from August 31 - September 16. My original plan was to spend a few days in Kiev, go to Lviv, then spend a few more days in Kiev before I left. I ended up spending the entire trip in Kiev for a few reasons.
1. I really liked Kiev and there was much more to do and see than I anticipated.
2. Due to the language barrier, I wasn't sure I would be able to figure out the train to Lviv and I did not want to end up in France or something. 
I must admit that I was nervous about this trip. I have traveled to many countries but this was the first time I'd be in Europe, let alone Eastern Europe. I spent many, many hours reading everything I could about Ukrainian culture so that I would not accidentally offend somebody or cause trouble. I also studied and memorized the Cyrillic alphabet. After my first day in Kiev, though, all my fears went away.
It was an exhaustingly long flight but once I found myself in Boryspil, I was extremely happy/excited. I could not believe I was actually in Ukraine!
I'll condense my trip, otherwise this post will be the size of a short novel.
As a Westerner, here are some of my observations and experiences during my first trip to Ukraine (in no particular order):
- I can not tell the difference between Russian and Ukrainian language. I would have to spend quite a bit more time in the country, I think, to be able to hear the differences. Also, listening to people speak to each other, I was amazed at how fast the language sounds. It appeared to me that Russian/Ukrainian is spoken at no less than 500 km/h. 
- I was surprised by how much foliage there is throughout Kiev. Many days I just went and sat in a park and people watched while enjoying the nice weather.
- The traffic is crazy. If I tried to drive in Kiev I would be in an accident within 5 minutes. It also amazes me that more people are not run over. I found it amusing that cars drive and park on the sidewalks but it made sense after seeing how narrow some streets are.
- I have never seen so many expensive cars in my life! Everywhere I looked there were BMW's, Mercedes, Porsche, and a few Ferrari's and Lamborghinis. I was really surprised to see so many high end cars.
- I really liked the architecture. It seemed like an interesting mix of Soviet and European. Cobblestone roads, round top cathedrals, etc. Beautiful.
- Ukraine, or I'm guessing mostly just Kiev, is more expensive than I thought it would be as far as lodging and eating out. Of course eating at restaurants and cafes is more expensive than cooking at home but making food at home was not really an option for me.
- Public transportation, however, was cheap. Especially the metro. Speaking of the metro, I have never seen such long escalators!
- Ukrainian food. Ok I was nervous about this. I am NOT an adventurous eater. I usually just stick to what I like here in the USA. I was determined to try various Ukrainian dishes though.
Borsch is delicious. I rarely ever eat soup in the USA but I REALLY like borsch! 
Akroschka was also really good.
Shuba was a bit more....exotic to me. It was good but the fish taste was a bit too strong.
Salo. I was warned by a few Western men about salo who really don't like it but I did not think it was too bad. A bit salty for my taste but not bad at all.
Kvass was something else I was warned about. From the description of what Kvass is, it did not sound appealing to me at all but I actually really liked it!
I also tried various Western food to see how it compared with what I was used to. McDonalds (I'm so ashamed to admit I went there) tastes the same.
- It was very surreal to be walking around Maidan after seeing what took place there not that long ago.
- I was NOT expecting there to be giant shopping areas when you go down the underground street crossings. I became lost SO many times just trying to cross to the other side of the street. 
- I could not believe how well the women in high heels can walk in some of those areas without breaking their foot.
- People in Kiev apparently like sushi. There were a few times I was trying to find a Ukrainian restaurant and all I could find was Asian or Italian food.
- The cathedrals are really beautiful. Absolutely amazing.
There is a stereotype in the West that Eastern Europeans and especially Russians (probably just because you hear much more about Russia in the USA than you do the other countries around Eastern Europe), are somewhat "cold" and stern in their manner. I think this mostly comes down to simple cultural differences.
However, I found the Ukrainian people that I met to be extremely nice, friendly, and warm.
The number one thing I wanted to do in Ukraine was meet and speak with people but I wasn't sure that would happen due to the language barrier. I was told that many people in Kiev can speak some English but I was not sure how to find these people. 
My wish came true though and I met some wonderful Ukrainians. Probably the most notable was a young couple named Eduard and Sasha. They both speak excellent English and were very curious about my trip to Ukraine. Ed offered to take me around Kiev on his day off work (Sasha had to work) and I greatly accepted. We walked all around the Andriyivskyy Descent area as well as a few parks and other places. Seeing the sites of Kiev, answering Ed's questions about the USA, and him answering my questions about Ukraine was one of the best days during my trip.
I believe I have a few new friends in Kiev now and that made the entire trip worth it.
There were a number of times that random people came up to me and started talking in Russian or Ukrainian. I believe they were asking for directions or help finding something. This happened once when I was with Ed and after he told the stranger that I was from the USA, he explained to me that they thought I was from Eastern Russia or somewhere. I thought that was funny because the LAST thing I thought I would be mistaken for is a Russian or Ukrainian. 
Almost everyone I met asked me what I thought of Ukrainian girls, which I also found amusing. I said I thought they were lovely; I only wish I could communicate with them! 
I could write so much more but I'll stop here as this post is so long already. I really, really had a great time in Ukraine. I will definitely visit again and this time I think I'll be comfortable enough to head towards Lviv or elsewhere.
I have also applied for a 3 year Russian visa so my next report may be about my first trip to Russia!
Thank you to the members of this forum/website that helped answer questions I had before my trip and sent me messages offering advice and guidance!
