September 3, 2009, 6:47pm

Here we are in Gorodek, L’vovska Province, Western Ukraine. It’s Thursday, September 3, 7pm. We arrived yesterday about this time. All is well. I’m sitting on the patio writing on my laptop, waiting for supper which will be about 8:30pm. Temp ~24, very light breeze. We are staying with Rose’s cousin Maria (Stanicki) Murmil, her daughter Halya and husband Bill Burda and their two boys, Tarus 3, and Ostap 1.

WEDDING
We are also here for the wedding of Maryana Ohinok on Saturday. This is a major event. Maria and her 3-5 cousins who live in the area, all first cousins of Rose, are all preparing baking. The men are all busy remodeling, their homes, and some younger ones building their homes, slowly when they get time and money. There is a major push to complete the Ohinok remodeling which is being done with top of the line, even in Canada, products. We will see the home in the next few days. As we were eating supper Maryana and her father arrived, appeared, in the kitchen. Maryana was dressed in one of her three immaculate Ukranian wedding dresses, this one the dress worn to make formal invitations, this time for us.

HOMES
They live well here, and similar to but different from us in Saskatoon.
Houses are made with concrete, concrete block and brick. They are built on concrete footings with no basement, but often a small earthen root cellar. Then blocks or bricks for walls are mortared roughly into place, using about one inch of mortar between them. Stucco is added to the outside to finish it off. Roofs are framed with wood and covered with steel or slate. Inside the walls are finished with plaster but I see the remodelers using drywall. Electricity wiring is attached to the wall and covered with the plaster. Don’t know how they will add wiring when they use drywall.

We are in 1200 sq ft house which has two finished floors. Inside the floors on this house are finished in wood which has been stained, shellacked,or varnished. Walls are of plaster, with a paint that rubs off. Generally only one or two plugins per room,they are about 4 ft up from the floor, and it is difficult to get the small round pegs to stay in the plug in. There are no built-in closets. Cabinets are used in rooms for closets, cupboards, and storage. The main floor consists of single car garage, with dirt floor, utility/storage room, kitchen, dining/bed sitting/TV, bathroom/laundry and stairs to the second floor. The second floor has two bedrooms, a TV/family/bedroom, a dining/bedroom/den, and another bathroom.

The lot is 60 ft by 150 ft with a house and out building for garden storage, animal pens/chicken coop and outdoor toilet for when the city water is turned off. They have natural gas, electricity, water and sewer, in a way. Taxes of ??? are paid yearly to the city. Gas is about 100 per month, water 10 per month, and electricity ??

INFRASTRUCTURE
There seems to be little infrastructure, or rules. People spend their time and money on their homes. So often there are no finished streets, just like a back lane. The actual streets are in awful shape with lots of potholes, deteriorating or no curbs, and the sidewalks appear to be made from left over asphalt thrown to the side and smoothed somewhat but traffic over the years. Most walk, some ride bikes, and a few drive cars. Bus service to L’viv and other places is available after a 1km walk to the centre of town.

FEELINGS
We feel comfortable, confident in our ability to live here, and ready to accept the differences in living and eating. During our first visit in 2003 we were nervous, shocked at the lack of infrastructure, and uncomfortable/unfamiliar with the accommodations and food. Now as in 2003 the relatives are overly generous and supportive. That is, they will do anything for us, even to their own detriment.

TECHNOLOGY
Technologically Ukraine has the technology available to us. Often there is not the money or the knowledge to obtain and use it. At dinner our first night we were surprised that DVD’s in NTSC North American format played on the DVD player without difficulty. A young cousin as a plasma TV (we don’t even have one yet) and internet at home, although when we tried to send an email from their home, they admitted there are often problems sending out.