It's Melting!

All the snow is melting in Kyiv.  They did such a good job working to haul it out as it came down last week that getting around is not as bad as I thought it would be.  It's still cold and we might have some cold rain or snow this week.  I am SO ready for spring weather!  I can't believe it's April 1rst!

Blizzards And Such

I loved the "Little House On The Prairie" books when I was little and I always wondered what it would be like to really have lived through the long winter.  All that snow!  And blizzards too!  I could never fathom what one was like!   I never even saw snow til I was twelve and then it was a quick trip to the mountains and it was hardly that impressive.

Today is my fourteenth anniversary since coming to Ukraine and since then, I've seen a lot of snow.  I've seen a lot of cold weather.  I've been weather as cold as -30C.  Kyiv had a pretty big snowfall last December and it was on the books as the biggest snowfall since 1930.  I don't know any of the past historical data, but I can tell you that within the last two days, I've seen more snow at one time than I have ever seen in my entire life!  It is literally pouring down.  It let up today for a couple of hours today and just snowed lightly but it is back to the heavy stuff. 

I went out for a walk and there's not a lot of activity on the streets except for the police who are out in force and shoveling the sidewalks.  I appreciate that effort very much.  It's one thing to crawl through the snow yourself and another to have to haul a heavy bag of groceries in it.  I stocked up on some extra food so I will be hunkering down until the snow stops.  

-19C And Getting Lower!

The ice on the inside of my window.

The temperature dropped abruptly this week and as it lowered so quickly, my body did not have time to adjust to the change. It was something like -15 C but "feels like -25C." Your body does adapt to weather this cold but the first couple of days are a bit difficult. I didn't realize how cold it was outside so I left home without long underwear. I have not worn long underwear here during the last couple of winters as the cold had not bothered me but by the time I was walking through an outside market on the way to our Day Center, I realized that I was not dressed warm enough and realizing that my long underwear at home was wearing out, I decided to invest in something that I could put on as soon as possible.

I went up to the kiosk and asked a big woman wrapped up in a thick coat and huge fur hat, "Do you have these in my size?"

Clothing sizes at kiosks are a mystery to me. I have given up figuring out and translating my size and just ask the ladies to give me what they think is my size. They are great at this and I have never bought anything that didn't fit.

"Yes! These are the warmest. I will get you your size. Where are you from anyway?"

"Los Angeles, California! I NEED LONG UNDERWEAR, there's no -15C weather in Southern California!"

She laughed and I shoved the tights into my purse and hurried to our Center. When I arrived I was asked, "Are you frozen?" I could only wave the long underwear in the air as an answer. "Go put those on right away!"

It takes a lot to shut down Ukraine and even today in -19C weather, there are babushki outside our market selling away, wrapped up in thick coats.

But the rumors for this week is that it could get as low as -33C and that schools may shut down. The coldest I've been in is -28C so it could be an interesting week.

Honestly, I don't care how cold it gets as long as I can see the sun!

Fall

Fall has arrived in Kyiv and while we still are experiencing beautiful sunny days, there is a tinge of coldness in the air and the leaves are starting to turn colors. Fall means it's time to prepare for winter so on street corners you see huge bags of onions and potatoes that people buy to get them through the winter as food prices go up considerably in the cold months. Some turn to canning and preserving although younger people seem not to do it as much as it is a lot of work and time.

I saw this couple in the market on my way to the Day Center and I had to take a photo. I love seeing old couples out walking together. It's rare sight.

Summer Cleaning

I've probably posted about this somewhere in my last blog but I still get overwhelmed with the whole "summer clothes/winter clothes" concept so I have to share this with you again. Originally from California, I am used to ALL my clothes staying in my closet or chest of drawers ALL year. In Ukraine, due to the small apartment space and the concept of wardrobes, twice a year all the summer clothes go into my suitcases and the winter clothes are unpacked for use and then vice versa when the weather changes. Oh and yes, there is such a thing as fall and spring clothes that overlap until the summer or winter weather gets extreme.

This is what my bed looked like this afternoon as I hauled everything out and cleaned my wardrobe. (Yes, there's a bed underneath it all!)

After letting everything air out, I will pack up my winter clothes tomorrow and I will arrange to have one falling apart suitcase that is packed with recycled clothes to be taken to our Humanitarian Center.