Today, I’m going to speak about the procedure how a foreigner can hire a car and what conditions car rental companies usually provide here in Ukraine.

So let me start with the basic criteria which are practically common for any rental companies:

• Age of the driver shouldn’t be less than 21, and driving experience not less than 2 years;
• Necessary documents: passport, driving license and a credit card;
• Car rent is paid in advance.
• While renting a car the guarantee sum is charged (customer’s responsibility from 500 to 2000 euros) but then returned;
• The car can be used only on the territory of Ukraine.
• Delay in return of a car for more than 2 hour is paid as a daily fee;
• Cars are always provided clean and with a full tank.
• You are not allowed to leave out of the borders of Ukraine.

Payment methods
Most of Ukrainian car rental companies provide a great variety of payment methods. So you can pay in cash/wire transfers or by your credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express). I’m sure it’s not a problem nowadays. The payment is usually charged in the day of signing the Rental Agreement in hryvnias according to the NBU exchange rate.

Renter’s liability while renting a car: the Renter bears pecuniary responsibility in case of damage, autotheft of a hired car or its parts, even without his fault according to amount of franchise. The Renter bears full pecuniary responsibility for damages of tires, disks, bottom side of a car as well as for any traffic violation made while using rented car.

Deposit:
Deposit amount for the car charged for rental period depends on car category. The deposit amount will be blocked on Renter’s Credit card and will be unblocked after car returning if the Renter complies with the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Agreement.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW):This option limits Renter’s financial liability in case of traffic accident, or damaging the car or its parts, if the Renter complies with the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Agreement. The Renter liability rate may be reduced to the amount indicated in the Rental Agreement.

Theft Waiver (TW):This option limits Renter’s financial liability in case of autotheft or its parts, if the Renter complies with the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Agreement. The Renter liability rate may be reduced to the amount indicated in the Rental Agreement.

Additional driver: In case if you’d like to hire any additional driver, the driver’s license and passport should be enclosed for inserting in the Rental Agreement. The additional driver charge is usually varies from 5 to 20 euro per day, depending on a car model.

Gasoline: You should use A-95 gasoline only. If a car is returned with less gasoline than mentioned in the Rental Agreement, the Renter will be charged for refueling service at about 2 euro per liter. The Renter is also fully liable for the damage of the rented car caused by usage of other type of gasoline.

Lots of westerners come to Ukraine expecting for there to be clothes dryers and freak out a bit when they learn they need to do it by hand – and natural dry. In fact, you won’t find an automatic dryer at any Ukrainian house or flat, except at special laundromats.

Why Ukrainians do not use “automatic dryers” for their clothes, while they do use “automatic washing machines”?

So I made a survey hoping to find an answer and eventually it was found. First reaction of an ordinary Ukrainian I came across was that most of them have never heard of such device, except those who have been abroad and saw them there, or in some American movies. Actually it’s not a surprise for me, because you won’t find them in any Ukrainian appliance shop or store. People are not informed about such machines and simply have no ideas about them. But after some explanations given to people on the street and my friends, I got some answers.

For those who live in a flat the main point is the lack of space. A standard Ukrainian flat has not enough space in bathrooms or in kitchens where automatic washing machines are usually installed. So to find some space for an automatic dryer is real problem. In addition, it consumes electrical power which is practically equal to automatic washing machines. And the fee for electricity is increasing monthly nowadays. As each automatic washing machine has a drying function there isn’t an urgent need to get automatic dryer, most of Ukrainians think. Clothes are usually hung on the ropes on balconies or radiators inside the flat. So the main factors for those people who live in flats why they don’t use automatic dryers are lack of space, limited functions of such machines, and of course, electrical savings aren’t taking the last place.

So now, let’s get back to those residents of Ukraine who live in houses. The similar thing is that they are also not informed about such machines, as those who live in flats. But they don’t bother about the space, it’s not a problem for them, because there’s usually large and spacious bathrooms in private houses. The funny thing my mother-in-low admitted when your clothing is waving on the ropes in your yard and you won’t need to iron it after it gets dry. And my mother is from Siberia, but now living in Ukraine will never refuse a fresh winter smell of bedsheets after she takes it off the rope and brings inside the house.

Those are some reasons why Ukrainians don’t use automatic dryer, to many foreigners they might seem weird, but it’s obviously a different culture, a different way of thinking.The tricky thing is you won’t even find any automatic dryer in Ukrainians hostels, just washing machines. Their owners, of course, try to save some money not consuming more electricity. As to the hotels in Ukraine, they usually provide washing and drying services, so you won’t need to worry about it.

But don’t be in despair if you can’t do without automatic dryer and it really matters to you, you can find such service in any Ukrainian laundromat, where your clothes will be cleaned, washed and dried properly.

Whether you like to drink or don’t drink at all, with exception of religious or medical reasons (and even then) you will be expected to drink – to toast, to be happy, and to remain in control over yourself. It is not a judgment issue. It is not all about you. It is about others, being respectful to their customs.

Invariably, it is the biggest Texan in the room that thinks they can walk in and drink everyone under the table. It won’t be the Texan saying, “Remember the Alamo!” In Ukraine, the rules of engagement are different. Your number one priority at all times is to retain relative composure and to be able to leave the room unassisted and walking in something approximating a straight line. While there are fun engagements where an extra little swagger is perfectly acceptable; most occasions will actually be more serious – even if they do not appear to be. This is especially applicable to business.

Many business meetings with foreigners will eventually wind their way in front of a bottle of vodka. The atmosphere will look fun, it will be fun, and you should have fun while all the time realizing that you are being watched and observed very carefully.

Rule 1. Locate the men’s room (Not the Gent-ski Toilet) before you start drinking.
Rule 2. Never start drinking on an empty stomach.
Rule 3. Pace your drinking with food like a regular meal. Start light with salad, vegetables and fruit. Move on to bread. And later, eat a regular meal, slowly.
Rule 4. Periodically get up and walk around – never continue to drink at length while you remain sitting.
Rule 5. You should make a toast to your company; but avoid initiating more than 1 or 2 – and propose them after a good 10 minutes or more since the last one.
Rule 6. Never try to “escalate” the drinking by proposing double-shots.
Rule 7. Depending upon your stomach, it is best to avoid mixing drinks (beer and vodka – keep everything to the same family of drinks).
Rule 8. Never stop periodically walking around – how you feel when you are up and walking is your best guide to how drunk you are.
Rule 9. If at anytime you even begin to feel drunk, hold off on drinking anything except water (no soft drinks, no coffee, maybe tea or juice).

Guideline – figure that for every hour that passes 1 drink will leave your system. Following this guide, you should be able to consume 2 – 3 in the beginning and easily maintain 1 additional drink per hour. Adjust accordingly if you are larger or smaller than average body weight (150 pounds).

Remain in control of yourself. What you do and how you conduct yourself when you are drunk very substantially determines how well you can be trusted. Actively avoid problems. Avoid aggressive behavior. Avoid being loud. Avoid staring…or chasing women – unless you know who they are, or know for certain they are not with someone. In some cases, a man may ask you to dance with his wife… and in some cases even with him – that is a sign of respect, and is not at all indicative that they are trying to hit on you. To refuse can be taken as an insult. If a fast song is playing and you feel tipsy, just ask politely to wait for a slower song, and they’ll most likely accept that.

Okay…but that’s only 9 Rules…what’s the Tenth?

Rule #10 – is to order a bottle of Vodka for your table along with a few extra shot glasses. This avoids long waits for the bartender, waiter or waitress. It shows some measure of affluence, and your never caught with you and your friend’s glass being empty. In Odessa, a full bottle of Vodka runs between $20 and $40. For ladies, most are happy with Odessa (sparkling) wine for about $5 or $10 in the clubs and it is actually pretty good.

If you can have fun, maintain composure, keep reasonable pace, and be among the last to leave without assistance, you will have earned respect from your new friends.

Ukrainians relate to one another by way of the customs and traditions of our home country of Ukraine. Ukraine’s traditions also impact how we feel about the world around us. Our oldest traditions originate with religion. By now, many of them have lost their original or true meaning, and are cherished as a tribute to our ancestors who passed them along to us.

Picture a big Ukrainian family at the dinner table, about to start eating. The father (or the eldest breadwinner) will lead with a prayer of thanksgiving for the food before them. The others are repeat it in a whisper. Then, the father is the first to taste the food first. Another who tries to eat first is likely to get a wooden spoon smacked across the forehead!

What kind of etiquette does this custom teach? First, it sets ones mind and mouth free of negative thoughts and vain words, before and during taking meals, which is rather good for the digestion of those present. Next, it points out the host and stronghold of the family as the family’s source of living and guarantor of others’ well-being. It teaches the young the simple truth: the first and best pieces are for those who work. It figures out a family subordination and cultivates the respect and devotion. One can still observe this family-meal tradition in rural and provincial places of Ukraine while it is regarded as an archaic folk prejudice among modern city-dwellers.

A minimum of a month before wedding the matchmakers are normally sent, from the bridegroom’s side, to meet the family of a bride to be. It means to announce the intention and to make the relations publicly accepted. Earlier, if the offer was accepted it was followed by a festive engagement dinner. Saying “No” to a proposal was done with a huge pumpkin displayed to the fiancé’s relatives in plain view. The wedding process itself might differ a lot, depending not so much on the regional customs but a number of different factors.

Whether devoted worshipers or not, Ukrainians find it compulsory and necessary to baptize their new-borns. The traditional ceremony of christening is usually held at a local church of the confession the parents choose themselves. There and then the god-parents are presented in the name of the God, to guide and guard their god-child as long as possible. Even former communist adult atheists tend to get baptized, having perhaps realized that their own gods have forsaken them.

Our funeral traditions are rather typical all over Ukraine, though the ritual ceremonies may differ in details. What is common is to lament the deceased over again on the 9th and the 40th day, when traditionally candies and biscuits are spread in the neighborhood, perhaps, to sweeten the memories of the departed. What still woks very well is public marking of the Remembrance Day. Each settlement of Ukraine chooses a special day for the ceremony and relatives from all over the world are to come together, next to the graves of their dead, to commemorate them to let them rest in peace and lull their souls with love and care. It is usually followed by a huge dinner at which the first toast is traditionally dedicated to life and the living.

Ukrainians also mark a huge lot of different professional holidays. These dates are not officially observed by people themselves, but reminded of in all the possible loose-leaf calendars. The funny thing is that most of them coincide with the days-off. And this is usually the eve –that is Friday – when staff-personnel flock together, either at a café or right at the working place, bringing their own, and mark the date the best way hey can. If to add to such holidays numerous church calendar dates, family events and state holidays, one might find it a lovely excuse for daily celebrations.

The Pure Easter-eve Thursday tradition, when the lodgings, yards and streets are cleaned and trimmed, turned in most families into customary weekly room-making day or just a bath-day, though it is Friday that gradually takes over on the same purpose, as the last working day.

One of the Ukraine’s favorite holidays is St. John Baptist’s Day (Ivana Kupala), which is traditionally celebrated on July 6th, right on a river-bank, with lots of water-fun and foods. The fern is believed to break into magical bloom in the dead of the eve-night (Midsummer Night) and the girls, to read fortune and to learn the names of the adorers to be, used to sing and dance a lot, jump over the fire and let their flower-wreaths down the river. This rather theatrical nowadays, though, there are some old-rite- sects in Western Ukraine who take the event rather seriously.

Christmas and Easter are widely celebrated in Ukraine throughout family circles.

To learn about other Ukrainian religious “holy days”, one should first purchase a church-calendar. To see the way people mark the red-dates in large, one would rather take a vehicle and get to some rural place: “Once read is rarely understood while once seen is seldom forgotten.”

What is really worth paying attention to is the tradition to organize annual regional festival-fairs, dedicated usually to the anniversaries of settlements, state-holidays … whatever. The most of the folklore stuff, together with traditional local arts and cuisine are displayed and on sale. One can easily learn about the time and the place of such events from numerous regional representation guide-booklets (usually, there is a part done in English) which are available at book-stores.

One should not necessarily follow the traditions of the country he might get to, but learning and getting aware of the most cherished and popular ones will certainly make staying there more comfortable, feeling more at home.

-Valery McBasil

Two Week Stays – to Meet Women

* It would be best if you plan on meeting several women. Don’t fall in love with a picture or a letter that has gone through a translator until after you have met the individual face to face. Why? An awful long way to travel to be stood up, find out you’ve been scammed, or discover there’s simply no chemistry.

* Don’t buy expensive gifts – just be prepared to pay for any and all entertainment and a taxi home in the evenings. Flowers, always an odd number, are okay. Small souvenirs from your home are okay. Computers, jewelry, expensive clothes, or things like that. Why? Hopefully, you want your future wife to be interested more in you than your money.

* Not 100% necessary, but strongly recommend finding a lady who can already speak some English. Why? Russian is very difficult to learn for the average westerner. The less time you are dependent upon a translator, the better. It is highly unlikely that you will find a translator willing to go to bed with both of you.

* Do not expect to get married during a two week visit, or even two visits. Possible, but not likely – the registration itself can take that long. Research and talk to others about how difficult it is to get a fiance visa from Ukraine to your home country.

* In terms of costs – you will be looking at air fare, hotel/apartment, local transportation, food, entertainment and possibly souveniers. Apartments are the best way to go – and range from about $50 to $150 per night, and it will beat the hell out of the hotels, unless you are going for deluxe suites… and even then, most apartments will beat the hotels. Only a few exceptions. Expenses can vary widely depending upon your tastes, budget and entertainment. It is possible to get by on $20 a day – a bit boring, very basic, but every day need not be a party. It is also pretty easy to blow through several hundred dollars if you start talking about the best restaurants, drinks, cover charges, etc.

* Safety – avoid going out alone, getting drunk, flashing money and leaving late at night by yourself to walk back to your apartment in the dark. Make sure you have or rent a cell phone and have the number of a translator or a local contact in case you find yourself in trouble. Avoid using Internet cafe’s for accessing any personal information online. Do your best to use ATM’s at banks. It is generally best to avoid petting the stray dogs – most likely nothing will happen to you if you do. Avoid getting into fights. Mind your own business, don’t pick up anything you might see on the street even if you see someone drop something. Around the center of town, avoid giving money to the panhandlers. If you will be cooking in your apartment, it is recommended for you to cook things a little longer or at a slightly higher temperature than you might at home.

Three Month Visits to Ukraine (Plus or Minus)

* All of the above applies, plus –

* Probably the most important thing to understand is that most Ukrainian landlords are either into the short-term daily rental market or the long-term – family who plans to live in the apartment for years market. The 3 – 6 month apartment market is significantly more difficult. Landlords will not reserve apartments and most expect to hear a yes or no on the apartment they’ve shown within a matter of hours. Important to remember it is first paid, first served. A lot more information is included in the long-term living section.

You will likely be expected to pay for the first month upfront along with a one month security deposit that you get back at the end of your stay, provided the apartment is in the same condition as provided to you. For a single, good quality bedroom apartment near the middle of town – you will likely be looking at something in the range of $550 – $650 per month. The closer it is to the center and the bigger it is will obviously mean a significantly higher rent.

* Not all apartments have an Internet connection and very few have Satellite TV. Both require landlord approval to install and in most cases these will need to be installed at your expense. Internet varies by company, the biggest issue tends to be that there is frequently a two week waiting period. However, that can be accelerated via “gifts”. Satellite television is going to run a couple hundred bucks at the least, plus monthly service fee.

* Transportation should rarely be a problem unless you are going to frequently travel to other cities. Around town, it’s just as easy to take a taxi or gypsy taxi – as long as you know how to pronounce your destination. Negotiating price is a little trickier – but should take you all of about 5 – 10 minutes to learn. Or you can brave public transportation. Just avoid the peak hours.

Long Term Stays in Ukraine – 6 months plus

* Biggest issue is going to come down to your Visa and the regular quarterly visits to OVIR (equivalent to immigrations). Depending upon how long you stay, it may be necessary for you to leave the country for a couple days and come back in. It is a hassle, it is a pain in the ass – but this is about the only issue that creates any real problems for anyone. We’ve done this for nearly five years… every three months…

* Don’t expect to find a job here, even trying to teach English or another language. You could get lucky, but unless you speak Russian fluently that is about the only job available and there are quite a few people vying for those positions.

* Your first year in Ukraine will be your most expensive as you will incur costs getting settled in. As well, almost everyone here has changed apartments two or three times if they’ve been here any length of time, and that adds to the costs, too.

* Ideally, if you wish to live here on a prolonged basis, you should have either a solid nest egg and some source of continuous income. Everything depends upon your expectations and standards. I’ve known a few people to blow through a couple hundred thousand in 1-2 years…. but it is distinctly possible to live reasonably comfortably while renting an apartment for less than $1,000 monthly.

* If the only reason you are coming here for a long-term stay is to meet women – I can only encourage you to come up with some additional activities to pursue while you are here – a hobby, some side-work that you can do online, trying to meet others of your profession here – there is a lot that you can do, but you will need to be creative. As well, these activities can be used to meet women here, too.

* If you are coming here mostly to retire and get away from the West – it will take a little bit of adaptation, maybe even a lot. If you can do it though… you will be in heaven. I regret living in Ukraine only about 3% of the time, 2 or 3 days every 3 months or so.

Finally – there’s the little things in life… like food. Be able to cook at least basic things for yourself. The only thing I miss about the United States is simply the variety of foods at the supermarket – which is not that hard to get over… and the sheer number and variety of good restaurants. Especially if you are going to be here for a couple years – it’s natural that one day you just won’t want to cook and just want something different. The only way to really get past that is to try making it for yourself.

For the most part, I’ve managed to make just about everything I have a taste for… it’s possible to get close on almost everything, except…

Maple syrup.

So, if you like breakfasts with maple syrup – bring a bottle with you. The other thing I’ve not been able to find, but is possible to make… but if you eat them in any quantity… you will probably want to bring a jar of pickled jalapeno peppers. Which means you will probably want some Mexican food to go with them… and while there is some of that here… it is only kinda-sorta- sorta-kinda Mexican food. Unless you stick with the fajitas.

Here, while it is possible to live illegally in Ukraine – if you are caught, you will be expelled unless you have a lot of money. Certainly, if you came to Ukraine and started waving a US Flag around outside the capitol protesting anything, you would not be there very long.

Countries have borders, countries have laws. Abiding by them is not always easy. That accounts for the 2% of the time that I’ve been here; about 2 days in every 100; that are nerve wracking. Every 90 days means either a trip to the OVIR Office for registration or a trip to the border – preferably to a different country. That can make the average daily cost of living here a bit higher. Still, we go through with it – it is the law.

The hard part, however – is that the laws change frequently in Ukraine. It is, as well, often a matter of who you ask and when you ask them. If you come back a couple hours later, odds are you will get a totally different answer. That’s what makes it hard – but the immigration laws in the United States do not change that frequently. So, even if you think you have gotten it right – it is difficult to be 100% certain. That is about the only grief I have with all of Ukraine.

Okay – well, that and there’s no maple syrup at the grocery store. Aside from that – no grief. That’s not to say that you might not find some grief in Ukraine. Ukraine requires flexibility and patience – with the understanding that nothing is ever easy, but then… very few things are ever very urgent.

To make a long story short, I spent 16 months working in Iraq – back in 2004-2005. It chanced that someone would ask a question, Where would you live if you could live anywhere you wanted? When you are sitting in a desert, surrounded by barbed wire, with virtually no entertainment aside from being able to have your socks custom embroidered… it is not unnatural for your mind to wander. Where would I live if I could live anywhere?

The answer was not really a specific place, per se. It rather concerned a lot of the aspects of living like…

* A place where one can afford to live,
* A place where you can have a higher quality of life – but with a lower cost of living,
* A place where Americans are not typically shot at. That immediately disqualified most of the Middle-East, large portions of Africa and Asia, South America, and for that matter, some portions of the United States.
* A place that is basically as “free” as the United States – or “as free as it used to be” – which sort of precluded a lot of countries like China, Iran, large parts of the Middle East… parts of the United States and England.
* A place that is mostly temperate – where the summers are not too hot and the summers are not terribly cold, but more willing to tolerate colder winters than hotter summers…
* A place where if you had the money, you can get pretty much find and get everything you would want – like high quality internet access,
* A place where most people are generally friendly – and preferably speak the same language (i.e. English)
* A place near at least an airport, or other major transportation hub – seaport, trains, etc.
* A place where you are not taxed to death.
* A place where you can get reasonable medical services.

Well, the list did go on – and included a number of things relevant to my line of work (in logistics). I set about to find such a place. Being surrounded by military and civilian contractors with military experience, there was someone who had been to just about any place one could ask about.

So, I set about doing what research I could to devise a short list. What I came up with then… in the heart of the Sunni Triangle (Al Taqaddum – just slightly beyond eyeshot to Fallujah) was the following list:

1. Hungary
2. Republic of Georgia
3. Ukraine
4. Costa Rica
5. Thailand

There were a few others like Moldovia, but for the most part – Eastern Europe, or certain parts of the Far East. My first visit to Budapest indicated that “the Market” had already been there – pretty expensive – and given its problems now… a good choice to not have gone there. Republic of Georgia… very good to not have gone there. The whole Northern Caucasus history is was what dissuaded me on that issue – otherwise at the time was a higher risk but viable option. Costa Rica – just seemed too close to a lot of regional problems, and a bit hotter than my liking. Same for Thailand. And military coups…

My second vacation from Iraq was to Odessa. It seemed to me a combination of the two places I liked most – northern “small town New England” with the kind of international and festival attitude of New Orleans – before Katrina and BP. I considered it perfect then, visited again – and it stuck with me. Now, almost five years later, I still regard Odessa as close to a perfect place to live. Certainly things can change – indeed – some things can change quite radically in a very short time.

Odessa and Ukraine have its problems and complications just like everywhere else, but overall – I have no intention of leaving Odessa or Ukraine. About the worst that most people can say about Ukraine is that it is corrupt. It is – but it about $12 Trillion less corrupt than… well… Washington, DC.