The Internet is a wonderful thing... thanks to a combination of two programs, a website, and a 60 Euro per year proxy subscription, I can watch over 20 UK TV channels whenever I like. Add that to me sitting here, drinking a cup of English tea (with milk), eating Marmite on toast, and talking about football to people from England... it's like I never left the country. I know I should really be integrating with the community, but still...

Anyway, I'll just take this time to go through any bits and bobs I can remember about my stay here. I've been bowling 3 times: once at a big entertainment complex called Ultramarine, and twice at Bilshevik, the shopping centre I'm sure I mentioned before (it houses Megamarket). The experience is virtually the same as in England (the equipment is obviously imported from the USA or thereabouts, with Russian language modifications) with the only difference being that in the Bilshevik bowling there are intimidating men in suits who complain if you don't take your coat off, or if you try and go to the toilet without plastic bags on your bowling shoes. The word 'jobsworth' springs to mind.

I've also had a walk around Kyiv's two botanical gardens. One is free, and a bit lame; the other costs 10 UAH but is really rather nice, a very pleasant place for a walk or picnic on a warm day. Sadly, no pics. Maybe next time.

I think I mentioned that I went around Andriivsky Uzviz last post, but I've been to other places too: Trukhaniv Island is a charming island between the left and right banks of the Dnieper River, and I attended a barbecue ('shashlik') with a group of fellow teachers in decent weather - not too warm, not too cold. The thing to note is that the beer prices double as soon as you land on the island, so make sure you bring plenty from the 'mainland'.

Here's some pics:

Don't know who this guy is, sorry, but you can find him around Kontraktova Ploscha, near the statue of the bloke on the horse (this is the other side of Contracts House).






Pinocchio! Somebody appears to have carved it out of a tree or something, very nice. Saw it on a walk through the streets.







As you may or may not know, it was Easter recently (the time frame is different to the UK, the Orthodox have it a week later) and this is an Easter cake, known as paska. Very dry, nothing special, but looks interesting, so I took a pic.

I haven't mentioned anything that happened during March (basically the 7 weekends since Bila Tserkva) and that's because I've generally been a little busy with some private business on Saturdays, which has stopped me doing much interesting stuff. Nevertheless, I'll give you a handful of pics to gawp at.

Walking down Prospekt Peremohy, there is a bridge going over the road, next to Mamamia Pizza and near McDonald's. On the sides of the bridge are yet another reminder that you're in a country that was once very different.





This view of Andriivsky Uzviz from above is not great because of the ugly springtime trees in the way, but it could potentially be a good view. Incidentally, Andriivsky Uzviz is the old cobbled street full of stalls selling crap to tourists, and is the place where you can find the church I took a picture of way back on my first day here (go back to September to see the pic in question).



This is in Kontraktova Ploscha, a statue of the clumsily-named Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny (or 'Pete' to his mates). See? Not just a guy on a horse, I actually looked this up now.






A lovely sunset view from the bridge at Poshtova Ploscha that goes over the road, with McDonald's next door (notice the company slogan in the bottom right). The church in the background is, I believe, the Saint Andrew's Church, the one I mentioned earlier (and took a pic of way back when).




And finally, one of Kyiv's crowning architectural achievements, on a bus stop ad board. Quite why the top appears to be glowing is anyone's guess.

Well... I know. It has been an awfully long time, there's no doubt about that. It's not that nothing's happened. Far from it: there has been much development in my life since my last quick update. Maybe that's why I haven't been updating: all of the stuff to discuss, and when it builds up, you start to procrastinate. Oh well.

Let's start from the beginning... I went on a trip to Bila Tserkva/Belaya Tserkov (Ukrainian and Russian respectively, meaning 'White Church') on Saturday 21st February, a week after my last post. It's a smallish place, smaller than Zhytomyr that I visited before, but one of our party was invited there by an old gent who was from there. There were advantages to this: he was well acquainted with the National Agrarian University (not sure if 'Agrarian' is the right translation... stuff to do with farming and that). Thus, we were afforded a tour of the university. Very nice. Now for the detail...

This was one of the first things we saw after getting off the bus, which we collected from Kyiv's Vokzal (the main train station, and Kyiv's transport hub, unlike Zhytomyr, where we got on a little closer to the west). In this kind of weather, I didn't think we'd get a ride on it, but it was a photo op anyway.




We walked along while waiting for our friend's colleague to return, and got lunch at a 'charming' little cafe. It was a typical Soviet-style cafe, much like the one we have at KPI. The food wasn't exactly fantastic, and we got overcharged because we're probably the only foreigners the women serving us had seen in years... but them's the breaks. This sign presumably gives info about the town, or something. I don't know, really. There was your typical Lenin statue to the left of this, but I wasn't able to snap it, which was a shame, though Google Earth will show you pics of it anyhow.

The man of the moment returned and we headed off to the university. Outside we took a glimpse of a few interesting things, as he rabbited on in Russian explaining, and our friend tried to translate as best he could. I can't honestly remember much, but here's a nice-looking building nonetheless.




We have some Soviet heroes here. Former students, perhaps? Not sure. Lenin's in there somewhere, because he just has to be everywhere.






We stepped in through the back door and made our way to a room with some interesting nick-nacks related to the university and its alumni. I snapped this on one of the staircases leading up to said room. It's a modest building, more like a school than a university in truth.




And this was at the top of that staircase. The walls are decorated with alumni who went on to great things, it seems.







Inside the room (no idea what to call it... let's call it the 'history room') was an abundance of stuff, including, strangely, an old map of Britain, which some sporting alumni bought in England whilst on a trip. This model looks like it would be a model of the university, wouldn't you think?




Turn around and we see a wall with... people... I know, I'm the world's worst tour guide, but you understand that I was just taking pictures of this stuff with a guide who didn't speak English, so I honestly don't know much about all this. The pictures look nice, though, right?




Cosmonauts! Yes, maybe some alumni went into space. Or it's just a present.







I just grabbed this for the wonderful hammer and sickle. Looks like a military-type hat, though I'm sure Pete can enlighten us on this.






After signing the guestbook (look for me if you go there, anyone?), here's the hall. This was striking to me, as, if you remove all the permanent-looking seats, it bears an incredible resemblance to my old school hall (Pete may agree). The paint job is a different colour but other than that, it felt like I was back in my old school hall, thousands of miles away. Predictably we all jumped on the stage for a laugh.


This is back in the landing-type area I showed you before, but I paid attention to this painting. It's a literal interpretation of the Ukrainian flag: yellow fields of wheat under a blue sky. This device is often used to represent Ukraine. I even saw a bloke with a 'tasche on TV singing in a music video, going "Ukraine, my Ukraine", standing in a wheat field under a blue sky, with a bevy of young girls in traditional dress. But, er, I digress.


Back in the real world, this building was interesting enough for me to take a picture of. I really don't know why...







Meanwhile, this is a Greek Catholic church. It was interesting to go in a Catholic church of any kind, after getting used to going in the Orthodox ones with their oodles of gold and funny rituals. This, on the other hand, was incredibly spartan (pun?), with simple blue walls, but a lovely big organ (steady now).




It's a man! Er... that's all I've got. Sorry.








Lovely view over the river. I like these sorts of shots, worth a click.







O cruel ye gods. Actually, I think this is recognising the students from the uni who died in WW2 - er, Great Patriotic War. Did I mention that, like the Yanks, the Soviets didn't think the first two years really mattered? Check the dates.





Another church, this time a typical Orthodox one. Seen one, seen 'em all really. Though you guys haven't seen inside, because people are kinda funny about taking pictures inside 'place of worship' especially these guys.





Aha! The main reason to come to Bila Tserkva: Alexandria Park. A huge, sprawling mass of trees, sculptures, and other assorted nick-nacks. Shall we go inside? (That sounded rather camp)






Yeah, this is what a park like this looks like inside, in winter... trees. And snow.







And again.








Ooh, a mini-waterfall. There was a very much frozen pond on the other side.







Now this thing was interesting. I'm sure it was designed with good acoustics in mind, and we tested it out: we stood at one end, and another in our group stood at the other. We were able to talk to one another without shouting, simply because of the echo reverberating around the curve. Quite something.




This bloke's a bit cold, I'm sure. He's in the altogether, too.








Maybe that's why. He's left his clothes on this bench.








This thing's interesting... full of graffiti, some fools leaving their phone numbers. I wouldn't drink that water, though.







This is when you climb up the slobe behind the thing and turn round. We had to go down those steps to get to the thing. I know, I should stop saying thing, but I don't know what it is.






Likewise.








Ooh, French. 'Something du cheval'. Something about a horse? There a pic of a horse, so it's something to do with that.







And finally, something else I grabbed a pic of. This place is pretty random, I must admit, but a good walk nonetheless.







So, anyway, there you have it. We left the park, had a coffee, and jumped on the next marshrutka home, feeling very cold indeed. I have more stuff that's happened recently, of course, but I'll leave you with this megapost for now. Maybe this weekend I'll tell you the rest? No pics, however, you'll need my Facebook and VKontakte accounts for those.