FIRST DAY IN KIEV

October 4^th, 2009 – Sunday, 01:20 pm 

It was hard to see through the crowd, milling about among expecting faces, yearning to catch a glimpse of the face of their loved ones. I had no idea who to look for, except that perhaps someone would be holding my name written on a placard or something like that. 

 KIEV ARRIVAL LOUNGE

Now I am out into the arrival lounge well into the throng, and a steady panic has almost began to set in. Thoughts like what if my date of arrival or time of arrival has been mixed up and no one is waiting for me. Whom should I call or ask?  What if this has all been a mistake? Being out of my own for the first time in my life coupled with the jet lag and vivid images of leaving my parents behind at the airport haunting me, desperation at the thought of being abandoned in a country where I don’t speak the language, had almost by now reduced me to tears. 

 LEAVING INDIA BEHIND

Did you ever had this sensation, when you start feeling calm even when things around you is crumbling down, a sense of peace where things go into a slow motion state, almost to the feeling of euphoria and you feel a heightened sense of hope, I know it sounds almost similar to the sensation of being high with weeds, but amidst all the chaos and pandemonium at the airport, I suddenly found myself considering optional contingency plans. But it was when I was spotted and I knew with all my heart that it had to be HIM. 

HIM. It was so unmistakably HIM. Standing tall near the coffee stall, HE looked elegant in a long black Peabody coat, grey woolen scarf and alligator skin shoes. He did not have a placard with my name on it. He had that defiant smile instead, that made him stand out from miles away. How did I know that it was HIM? Well, I don’t know the answer even to this date. 

I walked up to him and asked with concealed fear, “Excuse me, But I was wondering if you are from EduFacts India,” HE smiled and looked at me, and said, “Welcome to Ukraine, your dream begins NOW”

Well if you are expecting a picture of him here, then you are so mistaken, you are not getting one. But, he looked right into my eyes and said, "for the next 6 years, you shall have the best time of your life, growing up, learning and knowing your place in the world". 

We left the airport, shortly afterward, and much to my surprise, he took me on a tour of Kiev City. We went to the magnificient City Center, and went about a stroll. Well readers, you do understand, that it was my first time in Kiev, hell it was my first time out of India, everything looked marvellous. !! It felt like I had an explosion of sound, music and sight right in front of me. I shall upload the pictures of Kyiv in a separate segment, but for now, a few glimpse I suppose won't hurt. It was like a dream coming true. Knowing that I am FINALLY HERE.. FINALLY IN EUROPE. But I also knew, that it was just a new beginning, my path towards becoming a doctor has just started, and I have miles to go before I can sleep. 

KIEV, THE CITY OF DREAMS

To be continued..............

MEMOIR

Hi all,

How many of you got fooled today? Say what ? None? Damn you liars. I got duped like zillions of times today. But that’s not the point. Tell me about your most memorable APRIL FOOL’s DAY prank. 

So, today I want to try out something new. I want to try writing about a memoir about my life in Ukraine. While I am still living it.  You and me, we shall commence this journey together and I shall try to give you a detailed look into my life and let you what is it to be like the awesome me  :P

Welcome to my life .. the life of a medical student in Ukraine. Our story begins 5 years ago, in the year of 2009. I was a FIRST YEAR Student. Some douche would also call us “Fresh Meat” 

FLASHBACK 5 YEARS AGO……………………………………

October 4^th, 2009- Sunday

Through the thick cobweb of my drowsiness, I could hear the bustle in the flight cabin, the flight attendants asking passenger to fasten their seat belts and straightening up seats to upright position. I woke up with a start, slightly disoriented, from the lack of sleep over the past few days, over anxiety, separation woes from my parents, uncertainties all had led to an exhausted dream less sleep for less than an hour now. Throughout the flight I could hardly sleep because for one, whatever may others tell you, economy seats are not the most spacious places to sleep. Thankfully, I had the one next to me vacant which added little to my comfort because the armrest was poking into my ribs every time I wanted to move, so yeah I had to give up my hope to occupy both to try arranging a makeshift business class seat. The Turkish coffee that I had downed last night is still suggesting its presence. I think I need to visit the loo again. 

The temperature outside was announced to be +2’C (now that is something new for me, being from a temperate country, don’t ever really remember to have experienced such low a temperature. Also, it was apparent that I wasn’t adequately dressed). Anyway, regardless of my premonition, the flight had already started its descent towards KYIV BORYSPIL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. I had no idea what to expect, all I had known that someone from EdufactsIndia would be there to pick me up and escort me to my university. 

As usual I went through the arriving zone down to the immigration zone. Here, the first year students were asked to wait with their documents ready. I later learned that this was routinely done by the border control to prevent unauthorized entry into mainland Ukraine.  Well finally after, 2 and a half hour wait, we were ushered into the baggage area where we collected our baggage from the carousel and I took my first step towards European Soil. 

The frigid air blasted on my face as the sliding glass door separated, and I stared across the expansive hallway at the faces of the expecting, patiently waiting crowd beyond. It was such a mixed feeling; here I am thousands of miles away from my homeland, from the comforting embrace of my family and my safety cocoon. I don’t know what to expect, whom to turn, all I knew was that the journey has begun.. and I have to stay on board or risk left behind. I could not turn back from it anymore, the step has been taken and all I can now do is move forward towards the unknown, exploring, discovering and revealing on my way. I have never known vulnerability in my life because I was never left alone, not for a moment. A sheltered, protected, warm and cozy life was all I had; now I am looking at a life where I have to fend for myself and look after my needs and necessities. By then it had started to sink in that my parents are far, far behind. I can’t run into their hiding anymore. All I could do now is push forward and taking life as it comes.

Then, I saw HIM…… 

To be continued……………

MANDARIN

A special treat for ya'll 

Well, today we are going to talk about a very special supermarket brand. 

For the last 3 posts we have talked and probed deep in to the secrets of 3 different food industry tycoons. We have delved into each of their corners and shed light upon their positives and weaknesses.

BUT

Today let me introduce you to a different brand; of which I am personally a big fan. The reason behind me being all smitten is that they have some very specific qualities that I haven’t found in any other supermarket. Well, given that this brand of supermarket caters mostly to the affluent and foreigners, it is not surprising that they tend to have the best stock of products in the city. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the one and only grocery and retail supermarket brand that has earned the well deserved nickname, “Foreigner’s Destination” in Ukraine, is MANDARIN SUPERMARKET.

STOP 4: MANDARIN SUPERMARKET

This is one supermarket that has one of the highest footfalls of foreigners. Locals are reluctant to shop here because the price as you might have already guessed is a tad higher than other destinations and only for good reasons. Don’t be disheartened to hear that you need to shell out some extra few gryvnas, because the price is totally worth it.  Also the best part about this brand is that their price is regulated. You can expect the same price for the same commodity at any outlet in the city, unlike the other brands where prices vary given your shopping destination in the city. 

QUALITY:

So, as I have already said that this brand caters to the affluent, it is only imperative that their products are of amazing quality. They also happen to be my personal favorite. So, since you believe in me so much and would gladly follow my footsteps, I would suggest you to go knock yourself out and buy the hell out of these people. These people are good and true to their quality control and I totally dig it.

TAKE HOME ADVICE: Seriously!!! did you not just read the entire yap !!!

HYGIENE:

I honestly love the standard of cleanliness that these people maintain everywhere in Europe, like literally everywhere. Everything is so squeaky clean. But that does not mean you will grab a fruit off the market and bite it without even washing. Don’t blame me if you are stupid and get salmonellosis. Well can Indians even get that, I mean aren’t ya’ll immune to that cos you have already had it tons of time already :P  haha. Just kiddin

TAKE HOME ADVICE: DON’T BE A RETARD !!!

PRICE:

Yeah, now this one is a stinger because, these people ain’t cheap. You need to shell out at least 5% more than any other supermarket, but only for good reasons. They maintain a strict quality control and I am sure you would totally understand the difference once you get to know the difference. Go buy stuff from any other supermarket and then buy stuff from these people; you will totally get the difference.

But if you are on a meager budget then probably you might wanna stay away from this brand. 

EASE OF ACCESS:

Very accessible, very conveniently placed all over the city. Don’t worry about not finding one when you need it. This is perhaps the next most populous brand after ABSOLUTE.

DISCOUNTS:

They have a similar discount option like ABSOLUTE, so please follow that post.

BUT

THEY OFFER SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFER FOR STUDENTS!!!! A FLAT 7% OFF.. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR. !!!

So I had this weird idea, that for the next few posts, interjected by other topics about Ukraine, I shall talk about my daily life as a medical student. What you should expect and how to deal with situations that you might face while spending your time here. I do feel that I need to connect with you all on a more personal level, so let me give you a glance in my own life and how I get by everyday in this wonderful country called UKRAINE.

DO POST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY IDEA, IF I SEE THAT YOU ARE RESPONDING, PERHAPS I SHALL GO FOR VLOGGING AS WELL .. YEAAAAA.

METRO CASH AND CARRY

Hey, today I decided to break the rules, rules that are meant to be. Do you ever break rules? Rules that feel monotonous, feel like suppressing you, makes you want to fly up and high, free as carefree like a lark. 

Do you ever feel like expressing yourself? Making yourself heard, how do you feel knowing that your words mean something, which it elicits, response and makes people around the world think, ponder, reflect and moreover feel what you want to express through your words. 

So, keeping the essence of breaking self made rules today in our heart, I am going to break our blogging rule and jump the queue. Instead of talking about MANDARIN Supermarket, we shall talk about Metro Cash and Carry. Why? Well let’s just say I am in the mood to be mischievous.

So,

Stop 4 or modified 3: METRO CASH AND CARRY

I am sure there are very few people who are actually aren’t aware of METRO CASH AND CARRY brand. Now, that it is even in India, in almost all the metropolitan cities, it is very possible that several of you have already been in that store. So, you know what I am talking about. Metro is BIG, it is almost like walking into a retail amusement park with boundless possibilities and chances. It is said that people often find it impossible to leave METRO store without having bought anything. So with this said, let’s continue with our store analysis like we have done with our previous brands and let’s see how it matches up. 

QUALITY OF PRODUCT:

Since, METRO is also known as the Grocery Store of Europe, it is only imperative that their quality matches up with premium EU benchmarks and qualifying criteria to make it to the shelves. They stock themselves with only the best and as far my experience goes both here in Ukraine and in India, I have nothing to complain about. Each and every product is of exceptional quality and standard which makes you happy every time you walk out of their doors.

TAKE HOME ADVICE: Just grab everything you can while it lasts, cos if you don’t I will :P 

FRESHNESS AND HYGIENE:

Since you are expected to buy products from Metro in bulk and small scale orders are discouraged, you can expect farm freshness and impeccable hygiene from their products. They all come sealed and vacuum sealed in most cases and bulk packed. So, if you are an organic freak, then you should pay a visit to this brand. The dairy products, meats etc. all come very clean and free of pathogens.

TAKE HOME ADVICE: There is no real heads up here; you can trust this brand for their freshness. 

PRICE OF THE PRODUCT:

Well this one needs discussion, especially for the ones who does not know about the whole sale policy of METRO. So, they prefer that you buy products in bulk, why? Well that helps them to keep the price down. Yes, this people give ATB a run for their money when it comes to giving it cheaper. So, in order to make it possible they ask you to buy it in at least no less than 5 kg in weight. For example, you are buying rice packets (keeping the Indian crowd in mind here) they would expect you to buy at least no less than 5 kg each variety you buy. The price for each kg you pay is guaranteed less than the amount you have paid outside for the same. They keep the retail profit out of the equation and prefer the bulk profit.

TAKE HOME ADVICE:  You better be strong enough to haul it all the way back to your place. 

EASE OF ACCESS:

Well, since I have already told about their size, which is no less than an airport terminal in comparison, so they need substantial place to make their outlet. Metro, outlets are generally located at the city outskirts and therefore may require special conveyances to reach them like cabs or cars. You may reach them in public transports but while returning after shopping it is always convenient to order a cab.

TAKE HOME ADVICE: Please make prior arrangements regarding transportations. 

DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

Well, there is another aspect about Metro that makes it exclusive that they require a METRO membership card to let avail their services. So, either you need to contact your university to get a card or ask your seniors. Don’t worry it is not difficult to get one. There are no specific discount options available because they are already providing it cheaper than everyone else.

So, that’s all for the Grocery Store of Europe. In our next post we shall talk about, the other exclusively Ukrainian supermarket brands and their standards.