Warmth of Strangers

Vorokhta, Ukraine May 5, 2019

It amazes me that people who, were they to greet me on the street, I would not recognize, immediately remember me when I greet them in their habitat.

That happened today with the "bicycle man" (as I think of him}. He has a thriving business renting bicycles to hikers, backpackers etc, who comprise the largest portion of the visiting population in the non winter months here in Vorokhta a Carpathian mountain town that lives on hik`ers and skiers.

For the last three years I've climbed up the mountain here and made friends with people who live in the hills.  They don't see many (any?) Americans here and they sure don't speak English so it's kind of fun for us to see if we can communicate.  Also i want to see how easy or hard it is for me to make it up the hill as I "mature".

Alas, I don't think I'm going to meet my friends and test my skills this year.  It has been raining every day.  The forecast is for it to continue And the "sunny breaks" don't last long enough other than to lure you up the mountain to great regret when the storms come.

Last year I made it up on a fine day and was planning to go back the next when torrential storms hit.  I thanked the gods for my not being caught in that storm.

But I can reacquaint with bicycle man.  He apologizes for his English, Everyone does who speaks some English here.  English here is, I guess, a bit like French in Russia in Tolstoy's day. Highly prized and regarded.

He said I'm the first person he's talked to in English this year so he is kind of rusty. Because of this lack of English speakers this is where I would choose to spend a few months to really learn the language.

Here it would be a matter of survival and quality of life to know and be able to use it without the ease of just slipping into English. Ukrainian is a beautiful language both visually and aurally.

One of the things we talked about is the new President who was elected here May  2`1.  He's a comedian who played a President in a TV series who ends the corruption.  My friend says people didn't vote for the President elect. They voted against the previous President and boy did they.  Like 3 to 1. The greatest landslide in Ukrainian history.

He tells me the real power lies with the parliament.  Not a good thing since I understand they can't live on their salaries so they get bought by the oligarchs.  That and the fact that the new President is close to one of the oligarchs who owns the TV station that hosted his show doesn't augur well for a change here. And there's that story that billions went missing from the big bank the oligarch owned.

My friend says unlike in the U.S. ..... searching for words he raps on the window ... then he raps on the wood frame for what it's like in Ukraine.. I suggest he's speaking of relative "transparency".

Of course with Trump transparency has gone out the door with all he has to hide. Sad.

There was a lot of hope in this country with the 'Revolution of Dignity" in the Winter of 2014.  I came to Ukraine for the first time soon after.  There were still tents in the main square and barricades next to the Ukraine Hotel where I stayed and returned this Spring.`

The tents and barricades are of course long gone.  I was glad to see, however,  that "The Heavenly Hundred"  those who died in the demonstrations have not been forgotten.  Their pictures have been made more permanent and better protected by surrounding small brick walls.

But the hoped for improvements never came.  In fact the currency lost 3/4 of its value. So the people especially with savings ended much worse off.

My friend says we'll know in a year if the election means change.

I've taken an "anecdotal" poll of people I've met here and I think this wait and see attitude is common and for good reason given the country's history.

Well it stopped raining.   This morning I  couldn't believe what I saw out the window.  Snow.  And its snowing hard. They are forecasting 3-5 inches.  Unbelievable.

4 guys from Kyiv, 1 from  Poland and an American 

I had a couple hours to kill before my afternoon train to Kolomiya so I went to the restaurant for a bowl of borscht and while there met some 40ish guys from Kyiv.  They asked where I was from and when I said "Ya Americanitz" one jumped up and eagerly shook my hand.  They were having a grand time and insisted I join them in a drink.

I figured they were backpacking or hiking and asked it the rain had dampened their spirits.  But no they had just come here to walk around.  4 of them were friends and they had just met the 5th guy who showed me his passport which listed his last name as Vorokhta.  Now how improbable is that?

Well i joined them in a quick toast and then headed for the train.

And so it was, on an otherwise cold and dreary day that I fouund myself by the rail with my spirit warmed and optimistic.