Random Observations from Kevin

When riding the bus, people who jump onto the back of a crowded bus simply hand their money to the next person closest to the front of the bus and that person will hand the money to the next person closest to the front and this process will continue until the money is finally placed in the pile of money beside the driver. The driver will make change and hand it back in the same manner. Try that in NY.

Kim, Victor and I were crossing the street. I noticed no cars were coming so I started to cross. Victor stopped me because the pedestrian light was red. We waited until the light was green and proceeded to cross. Half way across, I noticed several cars were approaching Kim’s blindside and I wasn’t sure if they would stop. The green pedestrian light means that if someone hits you, they will incur a large fine. It doesn’t mean that cars stop and people walk. I told Kim to watch out and fortunately for us, the driver didn’t want to be fined because he stopped a few feet from us. We made it across the street, but I was puzzled as to why someone would wait for the green pedestrian light considering it is no guarantee that traffic will stop. Later, we were walking down the street with Victor and Victor took a left to cross the street. This would not be unusual, except that I would not have done it because the street was very busy and cars would have to stop quickly to avoid hitting me. But Victor was crossing at the zebra (crosswalk) and apparently fines are substantial enough to make people stop quickly. We have the same law in the USA, but I have never seen people obey this law as they do in Ukraine. Kim and I followed Victor across as all traffic came to a screeching halt. The key is to make that first car stop. Once you do that, the drivers in other cars believe that you will step in front of them and they could be fined.

I have a funny hat. I didn’t know I had a funny hat until we got to the Ukraine. As we walked down the street, Kim, who was next to me, asked Victor why people were staring at her. Well, it wasn’t Kim they were staring at, it was my funny hat. I have a black cotton hat with some yellow thread at the top that looks kind of like the top of a rooster’s head. Everyone wears the exact same kind of hat except for the yellow thread. In the Ukraine, this makes for a funny hat. Victor calls it my happy hat. Ukrainians just don’t wear funny hats.

Toilet paper is the same color and texture as brown paper towels. Ouch.

Here is a Ukrainian joke.
Три українські бідні люди обміну пляшку горілки, але був тільки один м'ята піти з горілкою. Фріст взяв чоловік і вистрілив понюхав м'ятою. Потім друга людина вистрілив і понюхав м'ятою. Нарешті, третя людина взяв і з'їв постріл м'ятою.
Ha! Ha! Ha! LOL!