Ukraine

[eunicephyo]

Hi!Good day!
Can anyone tell me a little bit about Ukraine & Ukrainian people?
Thanks.

[reini]

Hello!
I wasn't in the Ukraine, so I can't tell you something about Ukrainian.
But in the internet you will find much about the country:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine

[Cypress]

I am from Ukraine too though for the past five years I’ve been living in the USA. Why are you interested in Ukraine? Do you plan a visit? I went to Ukraine a month ago. It was so much fun. There are only two things that I didn’t like. First, almost everybody smokes in public places. A friend and I went to a park. We couldn’t find any bench without smoking people around. And people smoke in restaurants and cafes as well. There are not that many restaurants with areas for nonsmokers. What is more, smokers are not very tolerant of those who don’t smoke. They have this kind of attitude: You don’t like the smoke from my cigarette, well it’s your problem. Another thing is that many people drink in public places. Even in public transportation. That’s very unpleasant.

There are many interesting places to visit in Ukraine. What kind of stuff are you exactly interested in? Ukrainian history, art, music, cuisine?

[Cypress]

I am as the matter of fact from Ukraine, from the town with a population about 256.000 people.

Hi Vladislavka! It's so nice to meet someone from my country . Where are you from exactly? I’m from Kharkiv.

[eunicephyo]

Hi! I get to know about Ukraine from one of my online friends. It's very interesting. I'm not planning to stay or study there. Well, I can't say for sure whether I intend to work there. As I am planning to study in oversea, it'll be great if I get to know about it. You know it's really great to learn about different people from different cultures. I really love to go there. What are the interesting places in Ukraine? When is the best time to go there? Talking about Ukrainian music, I like it very much. I'll be very happy if you can tell me some more.
Thank you so much.
Eunice

[Cypress]

One of the most interesting places to visit in Ukraine is the Kiev Pecherks Lavra. It is a men’s monastery that was founded back in 1051. On the territory of lavra, there are many interesting things. There are beautiful and very old churches. There are catacombs with the remains of people several centuries old. The catacombs are open for public. There are also many museums and galleries. I liked the most the museum of miniatures. Just imagine there is a tiny rose inserted inside of a human hair. Or a poppy seed cut across with a portrait of a person on one half of it. And there are many others; they are just incredible.

Another interesting place in Kiev is an architecture and landscape preserve called Pirogovo. From all over Ukraine, original ancient houses (huts) were brought here. Inside the huts, there are traditional clothes, ceramics, utensils, etc. Pirogovo is a nice place to visit for those who are interested in old Ukrainian stuff.

But Kiev is not the only interesting place to visit. In the western part of Ukraine, there are many old castles. But I haven’t been there and cannot tell you much about it. I only know that Lviv is an old and interesting city. I hope to visit it one day.

In the Crimea peninsula, there are some beautiful castles as well. And there are also beaches there. However, many Ukrainian prefer to go to resorts in Turkey. They say that the service is way better then in Crimea, but the prices are about the same.

Now as for the time of visit. In winter, it is very cold. In autumn, September is all right for a visit, but in October and November it rains a lot and everything looks so gloomy. In March, it’s still cold. In April it’s still kind of gloomy. May is all right for a visit. But I think summer is the best time. Especially in August. On August 24, Ukraine celebrates its independence and all large and medium-size cities have free concerts on squares and in parks with Ukrainian and Russian singers performing. That’s lots of fun as well.

[Tora]

There are only two things that I didn’t like. First, almost everybody smokes in public places... Another thing is that many people drink in public places. Even in public transportation. That’s very unpleasant.

I guess it's a common problem for Ukraine and Russia both! I can't stand people drinking beer on the streets, doesn't the same about smoking, outside it's ok as I can easily find a spare place to have a breath of fresh air, but in a cafe or a pub - I get dizzy without drinking

a small off-topic post of mine

[eunicephyo]

Hi there!

Let me tell you why I am interested in Ukrainians. I’ve read in a book that all Ukrainians are taught to be hospitable since they were young and they take eating very seriously and particularly when there is a guest in the house. That is so cute. It’s kind of like our character. In our country, hospitability and generosity are dominant traits. Another one is the tendency to feel compunction. I also heard that Ukrainians are famous for their conservation, hard-working character and ultra nationalism. Is it true? I've been checking some websites about Ukraine news but I couldn't find one.

Talking about Education System, heard that entering a college or a university is very competitive. Applicants are required to show their secondary school certificate and to pass four entrance examinations. What are they? Is it the same thing for governmental schools and private schools? What are the admission requirements for international students then? Do you know any websites of the school for the International students who are planning to study in Ukraine? Is it easy to get a job in Ukraine for international students after their graduation?

It's really nice to get the answer from real people.

Thanks.
Eunice

[Cypress]

I guess it's a common problem for Ukraine and Russia both!

I think it is not the only one common problem for our countries. And I believe one of the reason is that we Russians and Ukrainians are so similar in our mentality.

[Cypress]

Eunice, I didn’t quote your post because it would take a lot of room, but this is my reply for it.

I think Ukrainian people are hard-working though it is kind of difficult for me to be objective since I am a Ukrainian myself. I probably exaggerate a little bit all the good characteristics of Ukrainians and belittle the bad ones. As for nationalism, as any other nation, we are proud of who we are, of our history, cultural heritage, etc. However, there are some extreme nationalists whose ideas sometimes get too crazy.

Educational system in Ukraine is a completely different story. And, unfortunately, a sad one . Corruption and dishonesty are really big issues. It is true that prospective students must past entrance examinations. However, not everybody does that. If you have connections, you can simply “buy an entrance pass” (in other words, it is called a bribe). Or even if you don’t have connections, if you offer enough money, you’ll be accepted. And then the same things happen on the exams. If you have an exam in calculus, for example, you don’t really need to do differentiation, integration, solve the limits and so on; money can easily do it all for you. Or if you need to write a research paper, don’t bother. You can buy it for about ten bucks.
Of course, not all students “study” this way and not all professors take bribes, but still many do.

I am not encouraging you to reject the possibility of studying in Ukraine. There are many international students there (mostly from Africa, I believe). I knew two guys from Morocco. They didn’t give any bribes and still had good grades.
I don’t know any website that would help you to find out more information about education for foreigners in Ukraine. But you keep looking and, by the way, what exactly are you studying / want to study?