Some photos of the flowers
September 24th, 2001
Some photos of the flowers left in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kiev while I was there.
Archive
Archive for September, 2001
Originally the whole purpose of
September 23rd, 2001
Originally the whole purpose of this thing for me was to keep people up to date on my doings during my Kiev trip. Now that I’m back, the question is whether or not to keep updating it. My task for the day is to figure that one out.
People have already been asking
September 22nd, 2001
People have already been asking me how things here appear to be different after the events of 11 September. There have to be at least two answers to that question. Of course there are the obvious changes: more flags flying, drivers seem to be a bit more polite, etc. That’s all very cool, but the interesting stuff, which is also the part hardest to adjust to, is the potential long term subtle change to the American psyche. Everyone who is here underwent the transformation together. Maybe I did too, as I was surrounded by Americans at the time, but it will be tough to tell what its all about for a while.
I did finally make it
September 21st, 2001
I did finally make it home 5 days late. Today is just the first opportunity I’ve had to pay any attention to the blog. It sure is good to be home.
Notes from 19 September I
September 21st, 2001
Notes from 19 September
I was supposed to be home 5 days ago. Funny how things work out or don’t. Other than the fact that I’ve been away from home, I can’t complain about the last few days. On Monday night, I capitulated to my western-ness and went to a Irish pub (run by an authentic Irishman) near the Golden Gate for some good steak and chips. While I was there, I got to talking to a Londoner who used to be in the oil business (and traveled quite a lot) but has lived in Ukraine for the last 9 years. Our conversation ranged far and wide, but of course eventually touched on the terrorist attacks. I was very interested to hear his thoughts on things as an admitted outsider, but one with a global perspective.
He made a few observations about American culture that were uncomfortable to hear, but which I know to be true nonetheless. For a very long time, Americans have mainly looked inward from our borders. If we gave notice of the outside world it has been limited to a glance unless our citizens were involved. Usually then, once our involvement ended, our view turned inward again. This has pervaded at least our education and politics, and perhaps our business practice as well. To pick just one example, our lack of emphasis on seeing that children learn other languages has the ramification that it is more difficult to then learn about other cultures. We insist that the games be played by our rules [perhaps because we don’t understand, and can’t, as a culture, be bothered to understand the rules others use]. We wear sunglasses when we look at world events.
I left Kiev as planned on Tuesday, but didn’t make my connecting flight in Frankfurt. The flight was an hour late getting into Kiev, and landed about 25 minutes late in Frankfurt. All transit passengers were sent through another security checkpoint before being allowed to proceed to the departure gates. The queue to the security checkpoint was long and slow and they didn’t prioritize the order of people. Even though my flight was to leave in 20 minutes, I was not allowed to jubp the line. Of course it left without me and about 10 others from Kiev. Lufthansa did put us up for the night.
Today, I went through no less 4 checks. I left plenty of time to get through, and today the lines moved very quickly. So I arrived at my gate with 3.5 hours to kill before departure. I’ve filled the time by watching. All arriving international flights, no matter how big the plane, are unloaded not through the jetways, but down stairs to busses. Presumable these people are then sent through security again. Did you know that the cockpit windows of an Airbus A-340 can be opened? An airport employee washes the exterior of the cockpit windows by opening one and leaning outside with a squeegee. It is quite an intricate dance they operate here. The concession stands now list prices in Euros (January 2002 the currencies are replaces), and Deuech Marks. They accept payment in Marks and Dollars. Do the major international airports in the U.S. accept other currencies at concession stands?
Let it be said for all time that laptops are not ideally sized for use on aircraft. At least not in steerage.
The Ukrainian society is pretty
September 16th, 2001
The Ukrainian society is pretty interesting. For a somewhat closed society, they may actually have more personal freedoms than we do, or at least than we had. For instance, no such thing as an open container law here. You want to walk around and drink a beer? Go for it. You want to cross the street outside of a crosswalk with traffic coming on? Go for it. Don’t endanger others, but if you want to be stupid on your own time? Go for it.
Someone joked that it keeps the population pretty smart. Evolution in action.
I’m doing my best to
September 16th, 2001
I’m doing my best to keep things normal here, but I have to admit that the wind is going out of my sails. These past two days with no work (I can’t get in to the Mission) have left me too much time to think and loose the focus that kept me steady. VH1 on the satellite TV has preempted all their programming today for a day of rememberance and are playing every heart-wrenching song they can drag up. CNN is reading letters that schoolchildren have written to the policemen and firefighters in NYC. That’s almost too much to bear.
Yesterday I joined another expat for a few hours and we went to Hydropark, the Coney Island of Kiev. Its a pretty neat place. The beaches they have put anything I’ve seen to shame. They guy I was with used to go to the Jersey Shore all the time and he says that compared to this place Jersey is a joke. It costs all of 15 cents (the price of metro fare) to get in. A good bottle of beer costs 50 cents. Hard to go wrong.
I visited the apartment of this guy later in the evening. His wife and daughter are there, as are three Ukrainian sisters from the far west of the country who are studying at the University a block away. They’re professional musicians, playing a Ukrainian instrument called the Bandura. Imaging a cross between a harp and a bass that is shaped something like an oversized tennis racket and you’ll be close. 63 strings on this instrument and it is played with both hands by picking the strings. These gals play and sing — the harmony was so tight. They also sing a capella. Aside from traditional Ukrainian and Russing songs, the family they are staying with has helped them learn some American spirituals and hymns. They don’t speak much English and are largly singing phonetically. Well, last week, after the attack, they took it upon themselves to learn America the Beautiful and they sang it last night for me. There was never a more beautiful rendition. Amazing.
As I read what I
September 15th, 2001
As I read what I just wrote and posted, it occured to me that something might need a little more elaboration. Being an American living or travelling abroad when a major, life-defining event happens in the States can be incredibly difficult.
This is the second time this has happened to me (In the late 70s I was overseas when Star Wars came out. A trivial example to be sure, but for a kid it was real). Even though I have only been gone a little more than a week, when I step off the plane back home, the entire culture of the United States will have changed in ways I won’t understand because I was not there. I will be an outsider in my own country. I know the old America, the America of last week. The culture shock that I will experience will be made all the more difficult by the fact that this is my country and I know how America thinks and works. At least I did until last Tuesday. I will again, but it will take time to figure out.
I was right. The event
September 15th, 2001
I was right. The event at the Ambassador’s residence was interesting. The event was intended to bid farewell to people whose tour had ended and welcome to those whose had just begun. Abruptly the focus changed, of course. The Ambassador is a youngish man and a wonderful speaker. He said a few words, and then turned things over to anyone who wanted to speak. One gentleman led the crowd in a prayer, and then people — Ukrainian and American alike — who wished to speak were welcomed by the Ambassador and allowed to address the crowd.
After they had spoken, the Ambassador again addressed the 70 or so people present, but directed his remarks at the children in the crowd. He told them to remember not just the fear and tragedy of the past week, but moreso the ideals of freedom and strength of character that America continued to show despite attempts to terrorize us. Not many eyes were dry by the time he finished.
Seconds after he stopped talking, a small group of people in the back of the group began to sing the National Anthem. Soon the entire group was softly singing along. As we sang the words, “…ramparts we watched were so gallantly gleaming,” the volume rose and rose. At the last line of the song, “Oh say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet raise ore the land of the free and the home of the brave?” everyone was singing, almost yelling at the top of our lungs. There will never be any doubt in the minds of anyone in attendance of the resolve and pride of the American expat community.
Tonight should be interesting. The
September 14th, 2001
Tonight should be interesting. The Ambassador is hosting a “Hail & Farewell” event (not quite sure for whom) and I’m going along. There will be some acknowledgement of the events of the past week, I’m sure. I am somewhat interested to see how he handles it.
This is majorly unfamiliar ground, since I don’t know anyone here in town, but I figure I can hang out with just about any crowd for an hour or two and find some way to entertain myself.