Pickpockets, Three-Legged Dogs, and the Po Po

Living in a small town in a foreign country has robbed me of a few things: My anonymity, my comfort zone (which was once so kushy!), and my wallet. Yep, got my wallet sliced out of my bag at the bazaar the other day. Ironically, I was shopping for wallets when it happened. (My life is such a storybook!) I felt a slight tug on my bag so I pulled it closer to me. It wasn’t until I went to pay for something at a different store that I realized my wallet was gone and my bag had a huge slash down the side of it. Goodbye passport, bank cards, and money. Hello realization that being so far from home is even harder than I thought.

I am partially glad I had this experience, though. One, I have never been robbed before. Now I know how it feels! Two, I got to see how the Ukrainian police do business. Three, I got to admire the three-legged dog at the police station. Two+ hours “downtown” was very enlightening and if you want to hear more about this experience, it will have to be behind the veil of e-mail or on the phone, not on the blogosphere (do people still call it that?).

My amazing counterpart helped me at the police station and I even got reimbursed for the money that was stolen, which I thought was very interesting. Another positive note: two days later, a man found my wallet—without the money and Ukrainian bank card, of course—but he returned my passport!  So, everything is A-OK. Yes, there is one naughty pickpocket out there greedily slicing up purses, but there are also so many good people willing to do the right thing. So, I consider myself the luckiest unlucky person and still very happy to be here in Ukraine where I am surrounded by so many friendly and caring people!

Morning Bazaar

The sun rises over the bazaar every morning to reveal that it is alive! I’m not sure what time they all set up shop, but at 8 in the morning, the market was bustling. I have made a half victory today. I bought eggs from a woman (1 грн/egg) and asked her where I could find good cottage cheese (творог) and sour cream (сметана) and she brought me to a few babushkas. I tasted their home made products and they were rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. I prefer a little more sour, but I bought from them—14 грн for ½ kilo of творог and $28 грн for a liter of сметана. I think that's slightly expensive. It is my goal to taste all the products at the bazaar, in time, so I can compare tastes and prices.

As of right now, I know no vendor's name. They may have told me their names, but it's hard to understand what everyone says to me. I have been told I speak Russian cleanly and with only a little accent. So, I can speak, but I can't always understand. I did, however, chat it up with all the vendors and though I do not know their real names, I have my own for them: Egg Lady, Herb Lady, Mushroom Lady, Sweet Apple Lady, Chicken Lady. These are just temporary names, I promise. Sweet Apple Lady was one of the first food vendors I met. She had the warmest smile as Logan and I explored the bazaar for the first time. Egg Lady advised me on fresh dairy products. Mushroom lady helped me buy mushrooms because I wasn't sure how much I needed. Chicken Lady sold me chicken, behind a glass counter for about 40 грн/kilo (a kilo is about 2 pounds, by the way). I think this is expensive, but I'm not sure yet. Herb Lady sold me dill for 3 грн a batch (which is about $0.40 USD). I found out that she has a twenty-year-old daughter who wants to learn English. Well, either that or her mother wants her to learn English. She wanted my phone number, but I told her I'd start an English club soon and that her daughter could come and speak English with me. Baby steps.

On my way back home, I saw a pick-up truck with a big container in the back and a line of people waiting for their turn to purchase something...I think. I'm actually not sure what they were waiting for. I think my next goal will be to find out what the Pick-up Man is all about...