For all of you who have known me for more than 30 seconds, you know I like to travel, and sometimes get frustrated with American ways and politics. Hence my current location halfway around the world. I know, I know, I'm working for "the man", but that's for another day. The point is that sometimes I get frustrated and bolt. But since I've been here I've developed a better grasp on just how much other countries depend on America and the financial stability of our country. I had always known this, of course, and it was first brought to my attention here when I learned that both Galya and Sergei, my host parents, are out of work due to the "crisis", which is pronounced "keesees", but since my host family has their own garden, so while they're affected, they're getting by.
Nothing seriously hit me until I visited Rachel's host family last night. We were preparing for a long night of Euro-discoing (a whole story thereof itself that is told the next paragraph down), and we were sitting at the kitchen table drinking vodka and talking to her host mom, who, by the way, decided that I was hungry and therefore prepared an entire plate of bread and cheese sandwiches, none of which I really wanted. Anyways, so we're talking to her, and Valya's (Rachel's host mom) main thing is that she wants her youngest daughter to move to America to get a job and send the money home to Ukraine. It doesn't matter what kind of job, just any job. So she kept asking us whether we thought it was a good idea or not, and we said honestly, right now, no. There's no way she'll find a job in America without being able to speak English, especially when so many Americans are out of work. This is when it hit me how much this family has been affected by the financial situation in the States. Valya works part-time. Her youngest daughter is in school in Kiev, and when she's not in school she works part-time too. Her oldest daughter (the hipster one from the previous entry about the birthday party) has two jobs and basically makes all the income in the family. She had been a nanny in Germany and was sending all her money back to her mother, but for some reason isn't doing that anymore.
All of this and yet while they know they're not doing well, they also know that they have a roof over their head, food on the table, and family and friends. And that's all they need.
On a lighter note, I went to the disco last night and danced to really bad Euro techno. I'm talking really bad! But alas, I danced anyway. Rachel and I were the only Americans who went, and apparently everyone in the disco knew we were Americans. Could it have been the fau-hawk, tennis shoes, and black vest in a room full of super made up, high heeled, bare skinned women? Possibly. But I think it was Rachel's moo-moo shirt. While there we met this guy who had actually lived and traveled around the States for 2 years, so his English was amazing! He went on and on about how America is amazing and he wants to go back and live there after he graduates from University and how after 4 months ofHe was also gay and loved talking to Rachel and I about both San Fransisco and New York. When we toasted before taking a vodka shot, as is tradition, he actually went to far as to say "cheers bitches!" My kind of guy! So we exchanged numbers and I've decided that he's my new best friend.
So the moral of the story is this. . . while I apparently want to leave America at every chance, many people want to get in and stay there. When I get back a road trip is in order to get me to see the "land of opportunity" in all its glory.
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