The Snow Falls...

I hear that it has been a record breaking winter in some states…record snowfall and cold temperatures. Well, winter here in Ukraine has been just about the opposite. It has been relatively warm, hovering around 0 degrees C. We’ll go below freezing for a few days, but then it gets warm again. The coldest that it has gotten was shortly after New Year when we hit -15 C (5 F). Yeah, that just happened to be the week that my brothers came for a visit and we were tromping around the city everyday. But right as I enjoy my morning coffee, the fat snowflakes are falling in a white haze as I gaze out of the 15th story window of the apt. that I’m staying in. The park below is white with only the trunks of the tall pines appearing black in comparison. The normally visible neighboring buildings are being hidden behind a soft, white veil of undulating opacity.

If only we would have had more snow this year. Without it, Kiev in the winter is gray, mushy, muddy and depressing. The is very little contrast between the gray, black, and dark brown coats of the pedestrians and the grays, blacks and browns of the rest of the city. Snow brings a welcome blanket of disguise to the flaws of the city. In the right amounts, a good snowfall can be a short lived panacea for the cynicism that living here can impose. My British friend, Jon, writes about this well in his Travel Journal. You should read his accounts of living in Kiev. He is a great writer and he captures the ethos of the city in word and in photo.

Upon pondering why it is that my journaling and blogging comes and goes in spurts, realized that I am a relationship-centric person, and if a friend beckons all else in my life is put on hold. So in my mind it goes, “Gotta write an update today. But Mickey wants to meet for coffee and that means hours of deep and meaningful conversation. That’s obviously more important. Update writing will be tomorrow. Absolutely. Unless someone else needs to talk…” This might be lame, but it is certainly true. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? So I have turned off my phone and turned on my laptop and today is the first day of the rest of my life… Here’s to hoping that it doesn’t take that long to get this update out…