Murses, Salo & Contraband Caterpillars

We have been back in Kyiv a little over a week.  Gio returned to school very happily but I suffered through my first ever bout of jet lag.  Yes, we have lived overseas for over 5 years yet this was my first time succumbing.  Perhaps it has something to do with being in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy.  Anyway, last week was a complete fog for me.  Here is what has been going on in the lives of the Bellis lately....

Gio and I ate our customary final meal in the USA at Five Guys. 

Happily filled with fries and our last taste of beef for a while, Gio fell asleep quickly after boarding our 10PM flight to Munich.  As a rare treat we were sitting in what Gio named the "fancy seats" (i.e. Business Class).  Once his chair became a bed he fell fast asleep (yes, I brought his beloved comforter on board) and stayed that way for 8 straight hours.  In fact, it took two flight attendants and me to lure him awake once we landed.  Chocolate got involved at one point. 

Once back in Kyiv the first thing we checked in our luggage was our 8 caterpillar larvae.  They all made it!  In fact, the first day we were home they all climbed to the roof of their jars and began to form chrysalides. It seems the 24+ hours they spent trapped in my luggage had no ill-effect.

Gio returned to school with his new "big boy" scooter.  So many children now bring their scooters to school that Mr. Mark set up a parking space for each.  Here is Gio's spot.

A terrible picture of the chrysalides. Time to transfer them to the "butterfly garden." 

I bought Paolo a new lunchbox.  I think he was very pleased with my selection.

Friday brought the area all around Gio's school into the center of town to a complete standstill.   Ukrainian officials, in their unending attempt to boggle my mind, decided it would make perfect sense to organize an international bike race on the busiest traffic day of the week, shutting down every major road between school and our apartment.  Things got ugly and there I was in the middle of it all.  Good times.  Jet lagged and cranky, this was a day I was longing for the tame and relatively mild traffic jams of DC (yes, those of you who have never experienced traffic in developing countries, count yourself lucky!).

So here is what happens when you have lived overseas as long as we have.... You discover a new familiar product at your local store and FREAK OUT.  Have I ever bought Miracle Whip in the USA?  No way.  Did I buy this jar out of sheer delight and homesickness?  You bet I did. 

Sunday we walked the ten minutes from our apartment to the giant stadium (have I mentioned the pluses of living smack dab in the city center?) to watch the final game of the local soccer (sorry, Paolo, FOOTBALL) team, Kyiv Dynamo.  

Although he looks intent on the game here, Gio was really mostly interested in the wild colors of the players' shoes. 

Though how he could see the colors from our "nose bleed" seats, I have no idea.
 Yep, I bought the cheap tickets.  

At halftime we snuck into the nicer section to visit with Gio's beloved teacher, Mr. Mark.  We are certain he was delighted for more Gio time on his weekend off from preschoolers. 

We finally transferred the chrysalides into the butterfly garden and the wait continued.....

The following series of photos were taken today as a glimpse into a typical day for Gio and me.  I was also inspired by my good friend Merilee's blog.  She is a master at capturing Ukrainians and their unique look.  For some fun, take a look at her latest entry...http://mcdougalfamilyoverseas.blogspot.com/2013/05/kievs-morning-commute.html

As an addendum to Merilee's expose, I thought I would show you the summer look of the unique species that is the Ukrainian man.  The most common denominator of this look is the MURSE (that is, male purse)....

 On the metro to school this morning.  Male uniform: white/gray/tan pants, sandles (often with black socks) and, of course, the murse.

I enlarged this one just so you can really savor it.  I walked through one of our local markets after school drop off this morning.  Yum.  Unwrapped meat on an 80F day.  Mmmmm.  The whitish chunks about 5 meats down the row? Salo.  Look it up and salivate.  It is wildly popular here.  I just cannot embrace it.  

This morning I discovered that our first butterfly had emerged.  It was the first school morning EVER that I was able to get Gio to leap out of bed.  We sliced up oranges for our new pet and doused some flowers with sugar water.  When I came home mid-morning 3 more had emerged.   

On the metro back to school to pick up Gio I found another fine example of the male Ukrainian.  Here are the alternative option to the sandle- the white woven shoe. Often the toe is also very pointed and curled upwards.  I wonder if I could ever get Paolo into a pair of those?  Note the murse.  

Even the familiar shorts-t-shirt-flip-flop look is accentuated with the male purse. Why has this not been embraced in the US, I wonder??  

On the walk from the metro to school- a very typical Ukrainian apartment building.  When people say to me, "Oh, I hear Kyiv is a beautiful city," my mind cannot help but think that, yes, there are gorgeous spots, especially in the city center, but the vast majority of Ukrainians live in the depressing Soviet-style apartment blocks far from the center of town.  

I was a bit early for school pickup so I stopped at a favorite coffee shop .  Yes, that is her dog sitting in the chair next to her.  Am now thinking of bringing Enzo along for my next tea break.   

School pickup usually involves a bit of extra time on the playground.  Here is Gio with his long-time best buddy Josh.   

Josh will be moving up to Kindergarten next year (he is a bit older than Gio).  Luckily they can still have lunch together next year and a shared recess!

More murse action (and the denim-on-denim look captured so well on Merilee's blog)

A new shop has opened across the street from our building.  Shiny striped suits in abundance.  Another male fashion must around here. We really need to leave Ukraine before Paolo adopts THAT look. 

Once home Gio was delighted to find 6 butterflies in our habitat.  We are watching the last two chrysalides hoping to actually get to witness one emerge.  For anyone in the US who wants to do this fabulous activity, I highly recommend it.  A link: http://www.insectlore.com/