CLUB A BABY SEAL

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

So, a huge group of us were sitting around drinking vodka...

Someone decided it would be a good idea to go out to a nightclub. I forget who or they would get the blame. Ken said that he knew the best nightclub in Odessa.

The cast of characters of who went included:

Ken (Turkey), Ilona (Holland), Marleen (Holland), Manuel (Portugal), Rui (Portugal), Adrian (USA) and myself.

Ken was the one who knew about Arcadia (name of area the club was in) so he was our guide.

Once we got to Arcadia, Manuel and Rui quickly disappeared. We had absolutely no clue where they went. We looked for them but couldn't find them.

So, we went on to the club.

It was Adrian who came up with the best one word description of the night club - it was a 'caricature' of what a night club could or should be. The people dancing there were taking themselves way too seriously. The dance floor looked like it could hold a couple hundred people but had thirty or so on it. We got offered tables several times. You generally either have to pay for a table or buy the very pricey drinks. Since I (and possibly others) were already drunk we headed straight to the dance floor.

I think to have had a good time, I'd have needed much stronger drugs.

I remember threatening Ken with GBH for bringing us to such an over the top tragically bad place.

Eventually, we made it back to the hostel where we discovered Manuel and Rui back in the hostel. They had gotten picked up by police (who may have been drunk) for peeing in the bushes. They got let go when a fight broke out near the police station. The cops had wanted a bribe but Mauel and Rui refused to give them one.

So, it was an interesting night.

It was one of the nights that I didn't carry my ID or money on me to minimize my losses if I got into trouble or robbed. This is a pretty safe city aside from the police. Which is an odd thing to say.



COSTS

Taxi ride to Arcadia, 40 UAH
Taxi ride back to hostel, 50 UAH
Getting into the lamest night club ever, 60 UAH



ADRIAN QUOTE

Adrian, another guy from the USA staying at the hostel came up with a noteworthy quote: "People have the government they want - and the government they deserve."



SERGEY AND ANNA

I met up with Sergey (yes, another one) and his girlfriend Anna. He programs automotive computers and she is in broadcasting. She didn't speak English as well as Sergey, but Anna speaks German so part of our conversation went on in that. I think she was impressed with just how rough (ie bad) my German is. But I still can make that shit work.

Anyway, here are some paraphrases of answers I got to some questions I had put to them on various things. Unless otherwise noted by an S: or A:, the answers came from both of them and the paraphrases given can be prefaced with 'to the best of my understanding what they said is'.

What is best about Odessa is the ambiance, the mix of cultures and nostalgia. They also have 3-5 clubs (drinking, not dancing) of 1970's underground culture. It's also a beautiful city.

They have a lot of different religions here, including the Mormons.

The USSR had positive effects as well - it gave a common language/alphabet as well as making the nations under it powerful and united. After WW2, the cities got reconstructed very quickly. The problem was that the government needed reforms but they were worried that reforms would tear apart the society. But, the reforms were necessary. In the 1980's, people started to understand the society was stagnant.

"There is no evil that capitalists won't do in the pursuit of profit."

What are the biggest challenges facing Odessa/Ukraine? S: Country leadership. The leaders are not interested in the country, the poor, the elderly. Taxes and prices are on the increase. If the people have to spend more on necessities, they have less for luxuries.

The presidents and leaders aren't very educated. The leaders talk about big sweeping changes but don't know how to impliment them.

The leadership is interested in 'feathering it's own nest' rather than strengthening the nation.

A: Corruption is the biggest problem in the Ukraine. You have to buy degrees and grades in schools. You have to get a visa to travel and work. To get a visa, you have to have a lot of money (2000 euros) in the bank. You can't even travel as a tourist without this.

Since the taxes are forty percent, a lot of people are paid under the table.

Also, the salaries and such here (in the Ukraine) are somehow linked to the US dollar because the dollar is more stable. Apparently, many countries do this. Paying for things in dollars is prohibited, however.

It was an interesting conversation with Sergey and Anna. I enjoyed talking to them and wish them luck!