Visiting Kyiv for the First Time 🇺🇦

Kyiv, Ukraine 2021 in Pictures

When I first arrived in Kyiv, I was apprehensive. I had no understanding of this part of the world and none of my friends had been here before. Sometimes when I’d tell them, I’m going to Ukraine — they’d reply “Don’t do that” or “You’ll get kidnapped.”

So naturally in response I booked my flight to Ukraine. How could a trust an opinion from someone with zero experience in the situation? I wouldn’t let their fear or my own angst stop me from such pursuits.

While at the boarding gate in the London airport, I noticed a dialect from a language I’d never heard before. This gave me a sense of adventure and discomfort. Two feelings I tend to thrive on. I boarded the airplane while maintaining my image of confidence, even though inside I was a bit nervous about what I was getting myself into.

I was fortunate enough to have a local friend meet me at the airport upon my arrival. This helped me ease my way into this new country. We took an Uklon (similar to Uber) from the airport to my hostel in an area called “Golden Gate” or “Zoloti Vorota.” This is one of the nicer and more central areas of the city. Once settled in there we took a walk and found a view overlooking the city, specifically area called Podil.

The first night, when I walked around and spoke English out loud I was scared that it would make me a target. In my mind I was still hearing the fearful words from my friends who knew nothing about Ukraine.

“Do I look like I’m not from here?” I asked my companion.

“You look like you could be from anywhere. But your English… it’s too good to be from here.”

Slowly I began to realize that I was in a safe place. That there were no guns like in America. At least I didn’t have to have that fear in the back of my mind. I learned that most people minded their own business and no one was going to bother me. Only one time did a homeless man ask me for money. When I told him I didn’t have any cash on me, he looked me in the eyes and apologized for asking. I was surprised by his humility.

Soon I practiced some general Ukrainian words and phrases. I always learn how to say “I don’t speak (insert language)” first, depending on the country that I visit.

“Я не розмовляю українською.”

Along with “hello, goodbye, yes, no, thank you, excuse me, sorry and I don’t understand.” These are usually the pillars of surviving in any foreign country.

This was a solid start. At least people will realize that I don’t speak Ukrainian. Also I can show them some respect by not assuming that they speak English. Luckily there were many English speakers. Generally anyone under age 30 could speak English relatively well. The older generations, not so much.

I once went into the supermarket and asked four people if they spoke English. All of them said no. I realized that maybe they spoke a little English but we’re just uncomfortable doing so. All I wanted was to find some peanut butter! Turns out it’s not super common in Ukraine.

Before long, all the autumn leaves had fallen from the trees. It became colder and darker as the days passed. By 16:00 the sun was down.

I stayed at the same hostel the entire six weeks of this journey. At times it was nearly empty, in other moments there were lots of people. A few nights I had a six person bedroom to myself. Happily I met some other Americans there. One guy even knew a skydiving friend of mine back home. Small world gets smaller.

I accessed Arsenalna Station, the deepest metro in the world. The first time I took the escalator so far underground I felt uneasy and claustrophobic. I said to my friend “Damn we’re going deep underground.” and that was only the first of two moving staircases that plunged far into the earth.

I continued to meet new people through the hostel, social media and friends of friends. I signed up for the gym. I even had a little bit of alcohol one night. By a little bit I mean about 10% of one drink that I shared with a girl at a bar. I don’t really go to bars and clubs and I don’t drink alcohol. I’m more of a library and cafe kind of guy. At cafe’s in Kyiv I’d notice about a 9:1 ratio of women to men. Meaning that for every ten people in the cafe, about nine of them were women. Not a bad place to hang out if you ask me.

There were a few times that people said to me “You’re the first American I’ve ever met.” I guess not too many Americans wander all the way over to Ukraine. Also Ukraine is filled almost completely with Ukrainain people. There isn’t a wide range of different cultures there. It bring comfort to the people of its country knowing that most of the people there are of the same single nationality.

Some of my favorite aspects about Kyiv:

• Metro Frequency. At some points of the day it comes every thirty seconds. Incredible.
• The cost of living.
• Vibrant blue-eyed people.
• The straightforward attitudes of the locals. They may not be super over-the-top friendly at first interaction, but they are direct and mean what they say.
• The honesty about their feelings.
• The street musicians.
• Low rate of violent crimes. The absence of firearms.
• The simplicity of the flag. The wheat field and blue skies.
• The vibe and culture of the cafes.
• Uniqueness of the language.
• The pride and peacefulness of the people.
• Brave foreigners who find they way to Kyiv.
• Dogs are allowed in restaurants.
• Everything can be paid for digitally with Apple Pay.

I don’t want to address this, but I feel I have to because it influenced my state of mind. I was in Kyiv from Nov 3rd — Dec 13th 2021. The news articles and images began to appear with titles about a potential Russian invasion into Ukraine. Biden and Putin were having a Skype call.

My American friends and family began sending me familiar fearful messages such as:

“I think you should leave.”

“I’m seeing some pretty sketchy images of Russia building its forces on the borders of Ukraine.”

“Better to get out of there.”

… and so on.

My feelings of being alarmed came in waves. Yet I was always grounded by a conversation with a Ukrainian local. Their sentiment “Fear tactics in the media, nothing to worry about.” Although I was slightly worried.

I couldn’t decide if I should just ignore the media or be afraid. This situation was very unfamiliar to me. Ultimately I decided to take some time away from Ukraine. Not because I was too scared to stay, but mainly because I was tired of the increasingly cold-dark weather affecting my mental health.

Some days I didn’t want to get out of bed. I would wake up at noon to cloudy, sunless skies. It would be totally black outside by 4pm. I felt like I was living in the shadows. I didn’t see a ray of sunshine for nearly two months.

I realized I needed to shake things up and make a change. I chose to travel somewhere warmer. So the difficult decision to leave Ukraine was made. Part of me was really missing Hawaii so I decided to travel to an island nearby called Cyprus. I knew nothing about it, but I was familiar with the vibes of being on an island. So I booked the tickets and went on my way.

Overall, I fell in love with Kyiv. It really was one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. I never knew I’d be so drawn to this country, but I was profoundly curious before arriving. I remain that way. It had a heartfelt effect on me and I’m grateful that I didn’t let the fears stop me from visiting this unique and mysterious place. I will return to Ukraine when the time is right. 🇺🇦