Th Th Th Thats all folks!!!!

My time in Ukraine has come to an end. I think this is probably the hardest blog I have had to write & I started to write this on the 5th of June ! There have been a lot of people in my life in the last 9 months that have helped me, become friends with me, encouraged me and just been there for me..... but more about them later.

Have I enjoyed my stay here? Yes for the majority of the time I have.  This is part of Eastern Europe, is non English speaking and at times can be a little frustrating! Working for 9 months with no family & none of my usual friends. I wont lie, it has been tough emotionally, but at the end of the day, you get out of bed and do what you were sent here to do and get over the emotional side of things. Build a bridge........so to speak!

Would I recommend other people to come to Ukraine? Definitely...... but not during Winter! To all my PML work colleagues, if you ever get the opportunity to visit the Ukraine plant or do an STA , jump at the chance. It is an experience that will change your outlook on life and make you a better person, but don't expect it to be easy. It will not be like Switzerland!

Ukraine is different to any place that I have ever visited and I have learnt a lot about it and its people. I have struggled with some aspects of Kharkiv life, but I expected that it would not be easy living here . Kharkiv is not a tourist spot, so there are not a lot of places to see or visit, however, out of the region, Ukraine overall is quite nice (during non winter months), as you the readers would have seen from the blog. In the end, Language was really no barrier if you see the people on a regular basis.

Cmak, notice the car
parked on the footpath!
.... Because ... its convenient
to use!


I have become very good at sign language, shopping att my local Cmak supermarket became quite easy over the last few months. Most of the girls in Cmak smile now when they see me, when I first went in they looked worried, like "here we go again that woman that doesn’t speak Russian" !The trips to the hairdresser, while scary at first, became easier. The girls simply talk in Russian and point to the wash basin if they want you to go there or tilt your head forward in the want to get to the back of your neck! Just like at home really. Restaurants are hard if you don't have a Russian interpreter, (like Princess ( Mashka)) or they don't have menus in English. Even when they do have them in English, the translation can often be poor and when it says Chicken, you might get ...... well.... whatever!

VOLGA's! The VOLGA became a part of our daily life in Kharkiv for 8 months & Mishka & I in particular have many stories to tell about the cars and their drivers. Smelly, really smelly VOLGA's, fast VOLGA's that are controlled by kamikaze drivers with no respect for safety (no seat belts in VOLGA's), slow VOLGA's that hit 5th gear at 50km/hr, drivers that love to toot their horns, drivers that love their music and insist on playing it so loud that you cant hear yourself think, and my favorite VOLGA driver, although at times too fast... Mr. "Australian Open" who knew all the tennis results of Australia and had great pleasure telling them to me in Russian during the trip to work.!

The VOLGA
outside the factory.
Relatively new
and more often
than not, you get
old smelly
VOLGA's




My favorite
VOLGA
driver, Mr
Australian
Open - Tennis
nut!







We even had an accident in a VOLGA! In winter, there were many VOLGA's driving around with MISHKA and MERRIN written on the windows though the condensation! Of course, in the middle of winter, when the ICE was on the inside of the VOLGA window, your fingers stuck to the ICE, so you couldn't write anything on the window. At the moment with the weather so warm, you melt inside the VOLGA as the windows don't or can't wind down so its like a pressure cooker on a 35 degree day!  Oh on the last Tuesday before I left Kharkiv I even found a VOLGA with seatbelts! So I put my belt on. Unfortunately, I was wearing a white shirt and the seatbelt was black with dirt, so I ended up looking like a grot all day & for the final dinner! Yes, the VOLGA..... will remain in my memory forever!

I have lost weight and gained weight during the 9 months. I think in the end I'm back to what I was when I left Australia.  As I couldn't read any of the packaging in the supermarkets, my diet was quite basic early on. Guys, you cannot get a hamburger, fish and chips KFC etc. Only Maccas is available and I hate McDonalds! Winter was extremely hard as you have to fight the ice and snow to buy stuff. For quite a few weeks there, I hardly ventured out & didn't eat much at all apart from bread (not the sort you can toast and have with vegemite), pasta, cereal. Anything that you can recognize as food without being able to read Cyrillic and what some would call a decent meal at the PMU canteen! I would call it bland, boring and quite honestly, just lacking variety! Even the special dishes weren't that "special"! But I guess we are spoilt at PML with a different menu every day and food that actually has some flavour!!!  Trust me my Aussie work colleagues, we are very lucky to have what we have!! Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a wide variety of selection, just does not happen in PMU!

Putting on the weight was easy. A trip to Poland with Mishka and Maryna saw me eating like I had never seen food before! Mishka and Maryna...... I will remember those days with a smile on my face. Such fun really brought us so much closer and gave us a bit of an outlet from the hard work for a while.

Then back to Kharkiv spring, where I was able to walk and go out to a decent supermarket and by meat, fruit, veggie’s, (still trying to find pumpkin), nuts and one of my favorites..... Kharkiv Ice cream! The best ones are like "Drumsticks", crispy cones, but they have more ice cream at the top and they are cheap..... so I ate them.... lots of them during spring!!!! I blame the Crimea trip for this obsession as that was where I discovered them.

Winter in Ukraine! What can I say? I have never experienced minus 27 before and I hope to never experience it again! My god it was cold. An Aussie chick just doesn't see this sort of weather at home. Minus 27 is just not normal, especially when it is plus 35 back home! Kharkiv during winter is very grey and gets dark around 3.30pm. Having to deal with the ICE, was extremely difficult for me and I will never understand how the local women get around in stilettos during winter when I have good snow boots & still manage to nearly break my leg!  Then to come into Spring in June when we get temperatures of plus 35!.... Some very unusual hot weather as the locals tell me, but at least I'm getting a bit of colour before I come back to the Melbourne winter.

I really didn't think that I would see anything in Ukraine other than Kharkiv due to the long winter & project schedule, but folks, Ukraine is quite a pretty place. Crimea is definitely a tourist spot and worth a visit. But even locally, in Spring, Kharkiv blooms with colour, and the sights of the countryside leading to Svyatogorsk were lovely.

I have learnt a lot about myself and how to deal with a range of emotions that I have been through. The hardest part has not being able to just pick up the phone and call family & friends (bit expensive). Three months at a time with not hearing familiar voices has been hard. On the up side, Mum has learnt to write e-mails! If there is a next time mum, we will do it via Skype (Mum, it allows you to talk via the computer but you need a camera and it was too difficult to set up within the short time before I left). I must admit, every time I turned on the computer, the first thing I did was check my mail for news from home and it really gave me a lift to get a just a little news. The weekly pics from Catnap Cattery were a comfort to me knowing my girls were in good hands and of course the little notes from friends were very encouraging. For all those that communicated with me over the 9 months..... thank you, you don't know how much it was appreciated. For those at home that encouraged me to take this opportunity, thank you for pushing me to take on this STA. I do not regret it at all.

Bob, John, Gayle
Thanks for the
support





Frank, my fish spa man!
& Up and coming LES
project team member

Mum







Dad







Eee & Lynda








OK... Now for the hard part...... To the people who have been my family for the last 9 months....... Every one of you has contributed to this incredible journey. Actually I like to call it a detour in my life’s journey (understand Sasha?). Being so far away from home was not easy, but definitely not demotivating!. Fortunately, I had an extremely good group of friends that were on the detour with me who made it fun and they are all special to me, inspired me and enriched my life. Obviously there are a lot of people that I met during my stay here, but the people mentioned below are the ones I saw the most.

For the folks back home and especially mum, here are my Ukraine family

Vlad
















Vlad joined the team in January & was a whiz with the training. Its been fun working with you Vlad, do you want to come out & do the training in Australia?

Yevgeniy











Your a funny dude!
Where are our scanners?????

Pierre-Andre















What a great experience it has been working on such a multi cultural, international project. We had lots of fun, and we got the job done. Pierre-Andre, its been a pleasure working with such a great team.

.
Iurii
















Iurii  was always thinking! I hope you get time after this project to finish your renovations my friend!

Felipe and Paola













Felipe joined us in January. When these two smile they light up the room! Such a lovely couple and great hosts. Felipe, it has been a pleasure working with you, keep up that enthusiasm & I hope we get the chance to work together again.


Sasha S.















This Sasha, unlike the tall Sasha, is very quiet and  just goes about his business.  Sasha, I know you found it very difficult to understand the Aussie accent, but I enjoyed your company & your funny ring tones. Cheers mate & I'll have a VB (Victoria Bitter - great Aussie beer) for you when I get back home!

Andrey

















Andrey is a true gentleman. He is loving, caring always thinking of others and very knowledgeable. Andrey, I cannot thank you enough for showing me your country. I know your life's journey will be filled with happiness. xm

Christina















Hey you, keep it quiet up stairs! Only kidding! Christina & I share an apartment  building, she has the one above me. It has been nice having another female STA on the project. We have had some great times as you have written on my Ukraine flag! I know I can always call you and visa versa for "business" and hopefully a tour of the German Plant in the not too distant future. Stay in touch neighbour. xm

Anya















Anya has been with me  even before I left Australia! We were communicating late at night Aussie time to get things organised for my arrival. Anya, I cannot thank you enough for organising a beautiful apartment, bank stuff, local contacts, plumbers etc.  When
your alone in a non English speaking county, you have to rely on those that you know that can help you. You have been that person and of course, a good friend! Your English is fine... we just need to keep talking so you get lots of practice. Fly that Aussie flag proudly and tell everyone that you had a little ray of sunshine with you for 9 months! Thanks mate & lets keep communicating . I will teach you some Aussie slang!  xm

   Inna

Inna is the woman who does a lot of running around for us behind the scenes. We often hear her name when we require assistance & I'm sure she does a lot more than we know. She is my Angel.  Inna has this knack of just appearing when help is needed, and boy, did I need some help on a few occasions. On that New Years day when I didn't know who to call, you came to me. I cannot thank you enough for coming over that night and getting me to the airport with VIP service the following Monday. Of course we also had some fun together, a bit of shopping, trips to the hairdresser, sauna's, dinners. You are a very caring person & have a lovely family. I thank you for your friendship and all your help over the last 9 months. Seriously think about a trip to Australia. I would love to have you over as my guest. Come and enjoy the laid back lifestyle, the warmth, great fishing and the beautiful tropical reefs. Please keep in touch via e-mail & I will look up the visa requirements for your visit to Australia. xm

Maryna, Maryna, Maryna

This lady, started off very shy and quiet and mostly speaking in Russian, translated into English through Iurii. Look how she has blossomed! Since Poland, Maryna has come out of her shell and now even tells Mishka off ! Maryna discovered "debriefing sessions" in Poland & we had so much fun there with Mishka as the blog suggests.  One thing you have to remember Maryna, you need to balance work and life commitments, you alone cannot do it all ! I know that your life will be filled with happiness.... always.... with cats & that one other special person! Let me know when the wedding is & I will come back to Ukraine to help youu celebrate! xm

Sasha

Sasha, your life’s journey has taken you on a detour as well. Go home to St Petes. and get back on track. You mean a lot to all of us, but only you can sort things out. You know what you need to do but be true to yourself denial will not help you.  I treasure the memories of our time together & I know that you will keep in touch with me as we have the rest of the seasons AFL Footy tips to complete. Dont pick Richmond!!!! I want to hear all those stories about how Sasha knows best, (how full of shit he is), what is useful and what is not. Don't disappoint your mum any more. I know you can find your way around this detour. As I watched you walk away from the VOLGA today 30th June, I saw a confident man, full of life and fun. This is how I will remember you.  xm

Masha (Princess)

Mashka, when I see you I think of the sun, always shining! You are young and have a great future ahead of you in whatever you choose to do. You are a very special friend to me and brighten my day when I see you. Trust your instincts, you are a rational person and this will see you on the right path on your journey, but don't try and over analyse things.... Your head will spin! I thank you for all your help & friendship during my time in Kharkiv. I hope you will continue to stay in contact so we can chew the fat & just chat about stuff!...... I am going to miss that smile and the cheerful outlook on life!  xm

 Dima

My VOLGA man! Every day without fail, Dima would turn up in the VOLGA to take me to work. Dima I cannot thank you enough for your friendship and for taking care of me during winter when I wasn't in the best of shape. You got those VOLGA's to drive through the ICE and snow to get to my apartment then walked me from the building to the car. Another very caring, thoughtful person. Set up that chair on your balcony for me when I come back so I can get that Kharkiv suntan! Keep those machines running and get your quality results up to Australian standards my friend. xm

Mishka the Criminalist and the Tourist

I think I can safely say that Mishka really does put a smile on  peoples faces when he walks into the room, but I have to be careful folks, his head is getting bigger !!!!!Mishka is everyones friend. He doesn't discriminate or judge. A down to earth bloke that knows how to conduct himself, (well most of the time... there were a couple of nights when........). Mishka. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for a fab time. You have been my main support during this detour. We didnt speak much about personal stuff, but I know that you knew how I felt and I knew how you felt. Like that look we gave each other coming back from Kharkiv airport after Poland! Sometimes you just get a bond and no words are needed. I have been impressed with your journalism in your blog although regularity was lacking and you did promise me an English blog. I now consider you proficient in the Russian language, especially after the journey to work in the VOLGA today ... nice little conversation with the driver as well as directing him to the factory... smart arse!  I will miss getting kicked underneath the desk at work and those funny little  Uh ha's and Mr Ed impersonations that you do. A visit to Poland for me will be a must for me, (hopefully not too distant future)  to see your smile again. However, if you get the time ... Australia is a great holiday place.... and bring a friend :-)) My best wishes to you in your journey. I know you will be successful in whatever you do. I am going to miss you terribly Mishka......xm

To all the people in the pictures above (and all others that shared some time with me in Kharkiv), I cannot thank you enough for the fun, adventures and interesting times we have shared. I sincerely hope this blog has reflected those times. It has been fun for me to pen my thoughts of the nine months and has even been a bit of an outlet for me. If I can I will get the blog into some sort of book format (might need my IS man for that.... Mishka), and send you all a copy (48 chapters... I think I beat you Mishka) . My thanks again to each and every one of you for your friendship. You are all welcome to come to Australia and visit. I would be proud to have you as my guests.

OK! Today is the 30th June,and the last few days has been very hard for all of us. I have noticed a few moments of quietness in the office just before people were getting ready to say goodbye  Christina (Germany)  left today, we have said our goodbyes to Sasha (Russia) who flys out at 6am tomorrow, Maryna (sweet Maryna) Andrey (last Sunday), Iurii, Vlad, but I didnt get to say a sweet goodbye to Dima, but I think last night at the farewell, we pretty much covered it off. Tonight I went out to dinner with Mishka and Mashka at Pivo Bar to say goodbye to Mishka (very hard to say good bye to a little brother). Tomorrow I say farewell to Pierre-Andre and Felipe at the airport, and of course Inna and Mashka hopefully will take me to the airport.  Everything has happened so fast over the past few days that when you are put on the spot and have to say farewell, more often than not, you just say nothing but hug each other. Needless to say, I will write an email to all of you expressing a few more feelings than you can write in a blog like this. I thank you all for your messages of support and friendship on the Ukraine, German, Russian and Polish flags. They will be displayed prominantly in the appropriate locations at home.

Phew! I glad I managed to get through that without any one seeing me! It is now time for me to close this chapter in my life and go home. As I type this, it is the 1st of July Thursday, & I fly out today from Kharkiv. The removalists have come and gone, the apartment is empty & clean apart from a suit case and carry on luggage. Inna is picking me up at 1pm as per usual & I am hoping that Mashka can join us, so I expect there will be more tears at the airport. My thoughts today are to get home, (4 planes and many hours. In fact, I will have have had 31 flights in 9 months by the time I get back on Saturday), to my family and friends in Australia. Apart from going to see mum and dad, one of the first things I will be doing is collecting my babies from Catnap Cattery! Sorry Jarom, you are going to have to let them go! They need to come home to their mum. I will be there on the 3rd of July to collect them.  To my mates at home, I will send a text when I get back to let you know I am alive, but do not expect me back at work immediately. I will take a couple of days off to get back into my third winter in a row.

Until next time....... (never good bye)

Farewell Kharkiv.......and good friends. You are and always will be a huge part of my life. 

  xm

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