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Published: December 5th 2007
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October 15th - Trip, arrival and homecoming
Down to the station on the double and onto the morning express to DP. Apparently the Ukrainian version of an express train is simply one which runs during the day with really uncomfortable seats, because it doesn't seem any faster or slower than the usual night trains. I have rather a lot of difficulty with my seat, its not written obviously on my ticket and my understanding of Russian isn't great. I asked the original doorman by making a seat with my hands, and he told me what I thought meant 15. Turns out it was 55, and I was confronted about 2 hours into my journey by a man who woke me up to kick me out of my seat. Eventually, we found a new one.
One row behind me and on the opposite side of the corridor, I couldn't help but notice a couple getting rather intimate with each other, it was disgusting. They started with kissing and heavy petting, which I only noticed in between dozing. Then he put a sportsbag over her crotch, and appeared to get her off. Then the sportsbag moved to his crotch and after a
while she sat on him and started grinding for a while. They were seemingly oblivious to where they were, they weren't very noisy, but anyone nearby could hardly escape the fact that this couple were having sex on two plastic bucket seats on a crowded train.
Anyway... we got to DP and Alla and a friend (damnit, why am I so shit with names?!) met me at the train. I was soon to discover that this was approximately 2/3rds of the English speaking population of Dniperpetrovsk. We headed through the traffic to the university, and then down to the scene of the
accident where the two had organised to distribute some household goods to the people made homeless by the accident. Seemingly this was not as easy as its sounds, as this distribution is both a political and organisational issue and after a few hours we head for lunch frustrated.
After lunch and some web surfing, myself and Alla's understudy spend an enjoyable going around the town on some of the trams, seeing what sights there are, the monument (with a great view of the town) and a closed war musuem, with almost entirely functional weapons outside to play around with. After this, a little to eat and back to meet Alla, and we get a crowded Marshrutka to her home.
Alla's family turn out to be the most hospitable people I've ever met. I spent an evening I'll never forget with her papa and mama, herself and her older sister, and her lively little 6 year old nephew, who, Alla aside, probably spoke more English than the rest of the family combined. But that didn't stop them for a second. It was the older sister's name-day and we had some great food and a round of toasts with some home-made wine. Since I couldn't understand any of their toasts, I contributed my own incomprehensible one in Gaeilge too 😊 Afterwards, they refused to allow me to share the fold-out couch bed (there was 3 double beds for the 6 of us), instead insisting on a room for me, and the little nephew slept between his grandparents. The next morning, they somehow managed to all leave without waking me, and when I woke, Alla had just returned from the morning's interview and Mama had cooked some hearty porridge for us in the kitchen.
16th October - A day in Dnipropetrovsk and an evening journey
I took the one hour walk into the town centre, encountering some interesting sights on the way. This is certainly a view of how the Ukraine really lives, the people came in all varieties, the roads were dusty and the external areas were unkempt thanks to the lack of money available to spend on their upkeep. We met for lunch again, this time meeting another one of Alla's friends, a backroom-IT guy, giving a glance into the IT industry that's supposedly going to steal our thunder. Then over to the bank and along the road to Shevshenko park (note: every town in Ukraine has a Shevshenko park) and across a bridge onto an island on the Dnipro. I was quite nice, the air was marginally cleaner and they sold some nice icecream.
On the way home I dropped into a medicine school (out of intrigue) and got some token gifts for Alla's parents. On the way back into town I witnessed two cars having a minor on-road crunch, bringing traffic to a standstill, although sadly I forgot to take a photo. Onto a mashrutka with Alla, in terrible traffic, and slowly back to the parents apartment where once again, great food awaits. My gifts are not received so nicely, apparently it's not really appreciated in Ukrainian culture, which I guess is the way it should be really... but I still refuse to take them back!
Goodbyes are exchanged, and then on to the station, where I hop the night train to Sevastopol. This time there's a nice couple in the car who speak reasonable English between them. We share some food, including the fantastic homegrown apples Alla's parents gave me for the journey, and myself and the husband drink beer from tin cups, chat slowly some more, and head to sleep.
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