In which I got sick and Jason paid a "fine"

So... we both got sick last weekend, but for whatever reason, Jason got better and I did not. I had, as the Brits euphemise, a "jippy tummy" for a good week. I kept thinking that it was my imagination, so I kept plugging on despite the pain. We had a meeting in Kiev to attend, so off we went. TMI warning: read the rest of this paragraph at the risk of wanting to gouge out your eyes. I think, though, that when I got diarrhea in the National History Museum in Kiev... and all they had were squat toilets... and then I realized that there was no TP... except for the pamphlet I had in my back pocket that some schmoe had handed me when we came out of the metro... Yeah, it's times like that, that you think... okay, well, first you go "Oh sh@t!" and then:  "Hmm...maybe I'm still sick. That would certainly explain a few things." So, forgive me for not writing, but I was probably in the bathroom (Still TMI- sorry!).

We went to Kiev for an Education USA seminar. They are a branch of State and their offices are below the Fulbright ones in Kiev. They were training advisors from all over the FSU and Europe and we were asked to talk about applying to graduate school along with a two others who'd been roped into it (a Ukrainian guy who is a professor of Electrical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Tech in Rochester NY and another Fulbrighter from Buffalo State). I contacted our grad school and they sent me a powerpoint and some details that I shared along with my personal experiences. Jason talked about the role of chairs in the process, the influence of the administration (what? from a Political Scientist??), and the process in general. I got this picture of shoes for sale at a nearby magazine. I know, I know... I'll have to get a pair for the flight home:

In our "spare" time (we were there for about 36 hours!)- we visited the, e-hem, National Museum of History and the National Art Museum. Both were located a short walk from our hotel- the Sunflower B&B. (If anyone comes to visit Kiev, we'll stay there) We had wanted to go to a Cossack village, but the weather turned and we didn't feel like traipsing around a pseudo village in the mud (incidentally, we are going to the real Zaporozhye Sich stronghold out on the island of Khortitsa in another week).

In any case, visiting museums has an interesting challenge that is absent in the west- the little old ladies. So, in each room and hallway that you enter sits a little old lady/security system. Now, I don't think they could actually stop me if I wanted to dart away with some Napoleonic War memorabilia, but they do watch you like a hawk (unless they are asleep or talking on their cell phone), so you feel an obligation to dutifully stop at each display and see if you can decipher any of the Ukrainian. Sometimes they stop you and point out stuff- "you've got to look at the fill-in-the-blank" and, if you get lost in the warren of rooms, there is always one to point you in the right direction. It is what it is... and I now know more than I wanted about the currency of Ukraine from pre-history up to the contemporary era.

Jason is now official- he has his "green card", which is actually blue and looks rather like a passport. He managed his final step before we left for Kiev- registering where he lives at the "ZhEK". Well, the registering at the "ZhEK" went fine, but they sent him to the police who found "irregularities"...irregularities that could be remedied by starting the entire process over OR a floating fine. Jason was advised by our real estate broker to pull out some cash and make it visible. The 200 Grivna (about 22 dollars) was enough that they used their "discretionary authority" to sign off on his residency. Jason asked about a receipt and he was told that they were closing for the day and he could come back tomorrow... He ran into a student from India, who was having similar problems, but his "irregularities" were costing 50 Grivna. He shook his head and said it was just like India.

NOW: it is my turn. We are going to Frankfurt at the beginning of April to begin my visa process. We could not until Jason was official. I have to do it outside of Ukraine. We were advised that some foreign countries and cities are "transit points" and cannot offer the specific service we need. I wrote to several embassies and consulates and Frankfurt was the only one that wrote back and knew what I needed- much to Elizabeth and Thomas' chagrin! I did like their message back about costs, though, it gave me a price in USD and said something about the person at the consular desk knowing for certain- ha ha! I translated that to "they have some discretionary authority if they find irregularities"...

This last Saturday was the last day of "Maslenitsa" or Butter Week, which is the Orthodox Slavic version of Mardi Gras. Now, begins Lent, which ends at Easter the first Sunday in May. We kept hearing music and whooping from our windows. When we got to the fancy, peanut butter-carrying grocery store, we found out why: there was a Maslenitsa festival in Freedom Square under the watchful eye of Lenin. So, there was a whole section serving up blyni, crepes, which is the traditional celebratory food, and various folk music groups and dancers, etc. Jason snapped a few photos with his camera phone...

The pillar says: Wide Maslenitsa

Jason loves the Easter Chicken

Some poor schmoe trying to climb the greased pole to get to the prizes up top... he almost made it.

Lenin watches over some folk singers...