Culture Shock in Ukraine.

We have landed in Ukraine, apparently land of fast internet. Oh the joy! As if the return to quick internet connections is not shocking enough, I have found myself thoroughly surprised a couple of times over past few days.

On our way into the city from the airport, we were pulled over the by the police. A routine check it appeared. The officer asks for all requisite paperwork. When Andrei's cousin fails to produce the written insurance policy (despite the insurance card and proof of existing insurance), he offers the police officer a bribe to get the process over with quickly. The officer denies the bribe and insists on issuing an actual ticket. And we wait in the car, for a very long time. Where in the world are we?!?!

The next day we walked through the neighborhood where Andrei grew up as a child, it was fun to take in all the sights and to be in a city with 2000 years of history and accordingly tourist attractions. I kept doing a double take at all the moms pushing around fancy baby prams.

You can imagine my "shock" coming from a world where this is more of the norm:

But I guess the "shockingly" cold weather and the existence of sidewalks provide a formative opening for such cumbersome baby gear.