Walking down the steep eastern slope of Andreevsky Spusk, a person is surrounded by the arts and crafts of many street venders. Old buildings and trees line the winding road. The bottom of the decent pours out into one of the oldest districts in Kiev. The Podol district is renowned for the unique ambiance that it holds. It is nestled tightly near the right bank of the Dnipro River and several touristic points of interest. People consider this place to have lived many lives. Over several centuries it has endured floods, fires and enemy invasions. There had been plans to tear it all down, but they have gone unfulfilled. It has never vanished.
After walking through Kontraktovaya Square in Podol there is Puzata Khata (Пузата Xата). The name Пузата Xата is translated as “house with a big belly.” It is a favorite restaurant of Ukrainian people. It is an inexpensive Ukrainian-kitchen restaurant. It specializes in home cooked food, made by grandmothers and mothers. The restaurant is laid out to look more like a cafeteria. The interior is designed to make you feel like you are still in the Square. Pillars inside the building are covered in advertisements to concerts, and theatrical shows. There is a fountain in the middle of the main level that people cast their spare change to make a wish.
The restaurant is typically filled with students and low-level business people. “What? You go school for free?” Michael, an American student, questions.
“Why not?” Valeria (a local University student) rebuttals, “We study really well and then we take our knowledge to help improve our country.”
“I just wish that they would do that for me,” Michael commented.
“We all do, Michael! I had to pay about $25,000 a year when I was attending Union College,” I interrupted.
“Plus, our stipend is becoming less and less!” Valeria inserted her voice again.
“You go to school for free, and they pay you a stipend every month?” Michael sat back in his seat in shock.
The area is filled with a mixture of university students and business people who come in the middle of their busy schedules. Many students talk about the stipend that they are receiving. It was recently raised to encourage students to vote. Although, the price is fixed despite Timoshenko caused the Ukrainian Grivna to become about 1/9 the cost of a dollar. What good is 500 Grivnas anymore? Many secretaries and office clerks have a similar concern as the students: the low wages they are receiving due to their economic crisis. However, added pressure comes to the business crowd because they are all at a risk of losing their jobs. People feel nervous, but are hopeful. They are pessimistic of the politician’s abilities to change. They are hopeful, however, that something good is on the horizon.
Interesting blog. I like your approach, particularly the way you described the Puzata Khata. It seems that people's concerns are similar -- no matter where in the world we are located. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI like the observations here of cross-cultural differences, as well as the physical descriptions -- and the photo. Are there any links you might put into this and future posts that will direct readers to further sources of information about Kiev?
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