ласкаво просимо в Україну !

I was born in Ukraine and I lived there until I was 9-10 years old. Since then, I go back to my home country almost every summer. I want to share with you the little things that, for me, make Ukraine take a permanent place in your heart. I don't think you fall in love with Ukraine the same way you fall in love with France for example. France knows how to bewitch and charm you with its perfumes, its sweetness, its elegance. But for me, Ukraine represents in comparison a rougher, more subtle beauty to which you need to get used to first, and once you have opened your heart to Ukraine, it will be impossible to get rid of it, it will contently stay there forever.

I will not hide the fact that the Ukrainian way of life is very different from the one in Western Europe, but the cultural shock you will most likely experience once you go there will be a good thing. You will discover a country rich and proud of its history and of what it has to offer. Ukraine is a window into the Eastern Europe, the one that is modernizing and rebuilding itself step by step. One of the cultural shocks may be due to the language as Ukrainian is a Slavonic language with a Cyrillic alphabet and therefore has no resemblance with the languages spoken in Western Europe. Personally, as someone who speaks Russian and Ukrainian, I find Ukrainian to be softer to the ear than Russian, although the latter is still a very beautiful language.

Let me give you some advice for when you visit my home country:

First, be careful on the roads. Ukrainian roads are... let's just say they are special. If you like the roller coaster feeling, you are in the right place! No, I'm joking. But it is true that Ukrainian roads are sometimes not very well maintained so it’s not uncommon to see huge holes in the middle of a highway. Also, it’s not uncommon to find yourself driving on a road that has no white lines to delimit the lanes. It’s for those two main reasons that some Ukrainians drive as if they were in Fast and Furious. But overall, please don't worry. Driving in Ukraine is not that bad. For example, you will often see on the roadside people selling fruits, vegetables, and other products that they grew themselves in their yard, and you can directly stop and judge the merchandise. My uncle used to buy the best watermelons just like that! Obviously, you will have to be careful and really pay attention to the quality of the product.

Secondly, the safety. Ukraine is overall quite safe, but beware of scams in big cities such as Kiev. Ukrainian scammers are often times not so subtle so you will probably see it coming a mile away (but it’s not always the case, of course). If I can give you another piece of advice, avoid walking alone at night because most of the acts of violence happen at that time.

Now I would like to present to you a very random list of things that make me proud to say "I am Ukrainian":

The People

A lot of people tend to believe that Ukrainians are welcoming but at the same time a little “cold” as they keep their distances. Indeed, Ukrainians know almost instinctively how to welcome people warmly and how to make them feel good. My grand mother and mother always made sure that I learned from the very young age how to properly welcome guests and how to be considerate. However, it is true that, despite their generous nature, Ukrainians tend to keep their distances as they are sometimes more withdrawn about certain things and to a certain extent. We all tend to be more or less on our guard about new things and Ukrainians are on their guard a lot. Personally, I think it's due to the fact that many of them have not had an easy life. But I promise you, once you manage to pass over that wall and reach the very heart of a Ukrainian, you will have the most caring and protective person by your side.

A Rare Variety of Landscapes

You have the city, you have the mountains, you have the sea, you have everything in Ukraine. For example, you have Carpathians, the mountain range that crosses the southwestern Ukraine. You can go hiking in summer, skiing in winter (several ski resorts are available) and it's a place where you can discover the most adorable and authentic villages of Ukraine.

Vorokhta village (https://www.ukraine-tourisme.com/page/vorokhta.php)

The Cities

Kiev, Myrhorod, Lviv, Odessa, Tchernihiv, Oujhorod... to name just a few. Ukraine has a real architectural richness and each city has its very own spirit and feature. For example, the historic center of Lviv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will find all kinds of art galleries, opera houses, and even ballet performances there.

The Metro of Kiev

The metro stations are always clean, with clear and precise indications. You want to know something surprising? The Arsenalnaya station is one of deepest stations in the world with 105.5 meters of depths. It takes about 5 minutes to get down to the bottom of the subway. When I was little, I had the impression of going down into the very center of earth and I was always very impatient to arrive at the end. I used to love watching the illuminated billboards passing by as I slowly went down the escalator.

The food

Varenyky, borsch, galoubtsi...you name it! Not to brag but my grandmother makes the best varenyky and pirachki of all Ukraine. But you will probably hear the same thing from 99% of Ukrainians x) My favorite ones are varenyky filled with cherry. You can basically make varenyky with everything and anything: you can fill this delicious dough with mashed potatoes, some cream cheese or even meat. The ukrainian food is mostly based on fat elements and as my grand mother says "The more, the better!" Of course, you can still eat healthy in Ukraine, but don't forget to treat yourself from time to time too.

(https://www.tasteatlas.com/varenyky)

The Picnics

So basically you have forests everywhere in Ukraine and people love to have a cozy little picnic with friends and family. I have these memories of being on so many picnics with my parents and their friends when I was little. It does not matter if it’s summer, autumn or spring, Ukrainians will have their picnic and there is nothing you can do about it. As you can see on the photo, it's either early spring or late autumn and here I am, in my colorful hat, laying out some plates for a picnic and you can tell that I take my job very seriously. No plate shall be displaced on my watch!

The Seasons

A fairy spring, a not too hot summer (although it becomes less and less true with the global warming), a harsh or mild winter with powder snow just like in the movies... As for the summer, when I am in Ukraine during this period, it always makes me think of the country's flag. The Ukrainian flag is made of two horizontal stripes: the first one blue and the second one yellow. The blue represents the sky and the yellow represents the wheat fields. I was lucky enough to see with my own eyes this same picture being recreated by nature and when you will see in front of you this bright and vibrant blue touching with the tips of its fingers the pure and elegant yellow, you will find it difficult to detach yourself from this view and you will suddenly understand why it is proudly represented on the national flag.

Nevertheless, what I prefer above all is the Ukrainian autumn. While in most countries autumn comes hand in hand with rain and strong wind, autumn in Ukraine looks and feels like paradise. The weather is soft, the wind still has some light notes of summer and you are surrounded by gold. Indeed, wherever you go, you will see trees and this is one of the things I like the most about Ukraine. So in autumn, when you take a walk in a park, you will glide on a ground covered with yellow and orange leaves that gracefully form a golden carpet. And if you raise your head, you will marvel at the golden reflection of the sunbeams on the uncountable leaves.