Why I wanted out.
This pan of some sort of tomato mixture had been sitting on top of the stove
in my host family's apartment for the entire week prior to my departure.
The white stuff is mold. I snapped this photo the evening before I moved out.


Contrast that photo to this one of a tasty pot of Ukrainian borsch.
This was the first thing I cooked once I moved into my new apartment.
I may be a lousy student of the Russian language, but I paid attention
on cooking day back in Pre-Service Training when we learned to cook borsch.
The ingredients are: chicken, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, cabbage,
tomato paste and spices. I also added some wickedly hot peppers I found
at the bazaar for about 6 cents each, which would surely offend Ukrainian sensibilities.


Here's my borsch served up in the classic style;
topped with smetana (sour cream) and garnished with dill.
It would also be considered sacrilege to serve borsch without bread,
preferably dark Ukrainian bread as is shown here.
So for literally pennies a bowl you can eat pretty well over here
if you are willing to invest the time to cook for yourself.


I don't have a wardrobe so I am making do by segregating and collating my ever growing collection of stuff into my favorite invention - the plaid bag - or the Babushka bag as they are called over here. I have quite a collection, a portion of which is pictured here. (From the left): (1) a gigantic one made in China, which I picked up in the Mission District of San Francisco; (2) a small, narrow one I picked up in Pattaya, Thailand; (3) the basic Ukrainian Babushka bag, which is made in Poland; and (4) another Polish made "Baba bag".


Here's a partial view of my balcony, which unlike most, is not enclosed.
The upside - I can probably set up a shasklik grill out here
The downside - I won't be able to access the patio during the cold months


Here's the view from my balcony, looking to the left.
It's your typical view of an apartment block.


Here's a partial view of my living room/bedroom.
That table is where "www.donhandley.com" originates when I have my
laptop out and running. I produce the webpages on my laptop, then
copy the files onto floppy discs, which I take to the "Acid Place"
internet cafe in order to upload them. To say that our computing
capability is primative is a gross understatement.


Here's my sofa/bed


The door on the far left is the toilet
The middle door is to the bathroom
and, the wood-tone door is the front door


Here's a partial view of the bathroom.
One faucet serves both the sink and the tub.
The walls are painted concrete.


Here's the toilet, which, thankfully, is Western style and not Turkish style.
The arrangement shown here is typical - exposed pipes and seperate meters for
both hot and cold water.


Here's a partial view of my kitchen, which is spartan but functional.


Bottom line - it's relatively clean - relatively comfortable - and a whole lot better than a mud hut!!