Dealings with a Second Hand Clothing Pimp in Kiev
Sep02

Dealings with a Second Hand Clothing Pimp in Kiev

My grandfather, for the sweet man that he was, had an extremely thrifty side: he loved to haggle. It was a part of his upbringing in Ukraine. Get something at cost or lower, if at all possible. So, when I was invited to visit one of Kiev’s largest second-hand flea markets to find a jacket, I was overjoyed to give my bartering chops a go and make my grandfather proud. What gems would we unearth in the second hand wonders of Kiev? I envisioned myself strutting around Nashville in a large fur coat and ushanka that I’d score for $5. We stepped off the subway and into second-hand heaven: an endless sea of countless shirts, jeans, jackets, belts, shoes, bathing suits, and even wet suits spilling out.   The options were unlimited. We finally picked our store, in search of a jacket that had both personality and practicality to suit Alex’s needs for his upcoming trip to Finland. (It took us longer than it should’ve to talk ourselves out of going through the long rows of 90’s-style leather jackets.) We finally found the winner that possessed functionality and a little bit of color. As Alex put it on, a pretty young girl sporting a fanny pack approached us. I’d seen similar young girls manning the other stores and found it to be strange. They were essentially attractive shepherds, watching over the used merchandise. “Can’t I just hold onto this and look around?” Alex muttered. The girl was now hovering right next to us. It was time to haggle. We asked how much in broken Russian. She whipped out her cell phone, opened the calculator app, and handed the phone to me. She wanted us to give the starting price. “10 hryvnia?” I suggested. My cheapness knows no bounds, even when dealing with a currency that is worth about 1/8th of my own. “I don’t want to insult her,” said Alex sensibly. We settled at 50 griven. I handed the phone back to the girl. The girl laughed and shook her head. “Ni, ni!” She typed in 100. Now this is real bartering, even if done through a sad cell phone calculator, I thought to myself. We were about to counter-offer at 70 when a slick looking man with dark features and well-fitted jeans approached us. He gave us the once-over and muttered some things to the girl in Russian while giving us disapproving glances. The girl answered with submission and skirted away. He was the Boss, I realized; the Clothing Pimp in charge of all these young girls. When you start asking too many questions and disrupt the process and...

Read More
What DO you pack for 1 month in Ukraine, anyway?
Aug29

What DO you pack for 1 month in Ukraine, anyway?

I’m currently meandering around Ukraine and Germany in an attempt to explore the lands and cultures where my grandparents came from to honor their past and pass on their heritage! As usual, it’s bound to be an adventure with a fair share of misadventures… I’ve been met with a lot of enthusiasm and support when I explain to friends and family of the upcoming Motherland Tour and the hunt for learning more about the culture my grandparents came from (thanks, y’all!). Then there’s the occasional “You’re doing what?!”  that I try to let roll off my shoulders but can’t help but wonder for a split second if the whole thing is actually crazy.  When I started packing for this I finally accepted that I am not a backpacker and I should stop pretending to be. After spending 3 months on the road for work, I got into a groove living out of my small rolling suitcase. It would throw off my packing equilibrium to switch to my awkward toploading-pain-in-the-butt 40L North Face. “Packing for shoulder season is difficult” — my excuse for overpacking. Also trying to learn from past mistakes here… I figure it’ll be nice to only do laundry once a week instead of twice a week when I went overly minimalistic on past trips! Clothing 2 tank tops 2 3/4 length shirts (for autumn) 1 light 3/4 sleeved sweater (for autumn/Orthodox churches) 1 dressy top 1 pair jeans 1 pair leggings 1 black ruffle skirt 2 casual dresses 1 scarf (for covering head in Orthodox churches) undergarments 4 pairs of socks 1 bathing suit rain jacket   Shoes Sandals (kinda dressy) Merrells Flip flops (for shower) Chuck Taylors (that I hastily wore to the airport and am hoping Frankfurt’s banking district won’t judge as I saunter around on my layover)   Electronics Canon T3i (with awesome PVC pipe pistol grip that my dad made! Thanks pop!) 0.45mm wide angle lens Kindle Unlocked iPhone 4 HP Mini Memory cards 1 TB Passport hard drive (I LOVE THIS THING.)   Toiletries Shampoo, Conditioner (full-sized, too much hair to justify travel sized!) Face wash Hair jazz Sunscreen w/ moisturizer Razor Deodorant Wrinkle-release spray   First Aid Kit / Medicine Bug spray Allergy medicine Pepto Bismal / Imodium Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine Advil   Misc Quick dry towel Silk sleepsheet Elastic travel clothesline Passport / Credit cards Notebook Ukraine travel guide & phrasebook   Ancestry Stuff Copies of paperwork: My grandma’s family tree (in German), my grandparents’ certificate of marriage in Wiesbaden, my grandma’s address in Mainz, instructions for their travel to Mainz-Bremhaven-New York City. Screencaps from my grandfather’s trip to Ukraine in 1992  ...

Read More
The Greek Island of Aegina (Photo Essay)
Jan12

The Greek Island of Aegina (Photo Essay)

During our 4 days in Europe in 2009, we hopped over to the Greek island of Aegina. The weather was downright spectacular, and Aegina blew us away.                 Is anything better than Europe in May? If you visit Athens, you must make the ferry trip to Aegina. Ferries depart from Piraeus, and get your tickets as soon you can – they sell out...

Read More
Venice at Sunset (Photo Essay)
Aug02

Venice at Sunset (Photo Essay)

Although I was dirt poor in the spring of 2009, I was able to score a $375 roundtrip ticket from New York to Milan. My friend Ashley and I then took the 3-hour train to Venice, which was unbearably hot by day – but breathtaking once the sun decided to dip beneath the horizon.  Armed with my new Nikon D60, I snapped away as the different shades of yellows, oranges, and blues danced across the waterways, but was easily overwhelmed – this kind of beauty is impossible to capture in a lens. At dusk, sunlight is very delicate and forgiving – only making room for the slightest detail, and colors are at their richest. It’s what the folks in film production call “magic hour”. Needless to say…Venice is in my top 5 for sunsets.   Where was your favorite...

Read More