The Beautiful Culture and Life of People in Odessa Ukraine

Life in Ukraine is much different then in America. The cultural norm is much more defined and consistent while in America you have a much greater variety of sub-cultures merging together.

How life in Ukraine is different than life in America:

A word of advice: Please do not go to Ukraine with your American expectations and prejudices. For the sake of the Gospel, place personal preferences aside and try not to compare as if America is superior in any way.

• Odessa (pronounced “AH-DYE-SUH”) is a beautiful and charming city in southern Ukraine hugging the northwest corner of the Black Sea. It is the 4th largest city in Ukraine with a population of over 1 million people, most of which are Ukrainians, but with many students from Africa and China, and merchants from Turkey and other surrounding areas. While the demographic mostly consists of Russians and Ukrainians you will find a wide variety of people from many different places.
• In 1794, the city of Odessa was founded by a decree of the Empress Catherine the Great. From 1819 to 1858, Odessa was a free port. During the Soviet period it was the most important port of trade in the Soviet Union and a Soviet naval base. On 1 January 2000, the Quarantine Pier at Odessa Commercial Sea Port was declared a free port and free economic zone for a period of 25 years.
• During the 19th century, it was the fourth largest city of Imperial Russia, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. Its historical architecture has a style more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings in the city center are built in a mixture of different styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classicist.
• The city’s location on the coast of the Black Sea has also helped to create a booming tourist industry in Odessa. The city’s famous Arkadia beach has long been a favorite place for relaxation, both for the city’s inhabitants and its many visitors. In 2015 the number of tourists to visit Odessa increased significantly due to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
• The Russian language as spoken in Odessa is influenced by Yiddish and Ukrainian in grammar, vocabulary, and phraseology. As a result, many phrases sound inherently and uniquely humorous to Russian speakers and constitute a staple of Odessa humour. Also, the Odessa dialect of Yiddish has plenty of Russianisms.
• Odessa is often referred as “Odessa Mama”, a term that originated in Russian criminal subculture. The reputation of the city as a criminal center originated in Imperial Russian times and the early Soviet era, and is similar to the reputation of the Al Capone era in Chicago.
• Odessa is known as the city of humor. A staple of Odessa humor is to answer a question with a witty question.
• Since the founding of Odessa it had a notably large Jewish population, for many decades comprising about half the population. After the Zionist movement of the 60’s and 70’s however many Jews went to Israel. The effects of Jewish culture on Odessa remained in many forms including Odessa’s unique mannerisms, dialect and slang. This is slowly waning as more and more people come to Odessa for work or education from outside regions.
• Ukraine in religious geography lies on the boundaries separating Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Islamic spheres of influence. Traces of the cultural influence of Catholic Lithuania and Poland, of Kievan and Muscovite Orthodoxy, and of Tatar and Ottoman Islam combine with the Soviet legacy of promoting atheism to shape the various present-day beliefs and professed beliefs of Ukrainian citizens.
• According to religious statistics from 2006 on Wikipedia, 26.8% of Ukraine’s people are Eastern Orthodox, 5.9% are Catholic, 0.9% are Protestant, 0.1% are Jewish, 3.8% are other (mostly Islamic), and 62.5% are “unaware”. Of the 0.1% Protestants the majority of them are comprised of the Ukrainian Baptist Church, which has very strong elements of legalism and fear based control. However, in some churches among the new younger generation some are beginning to see some light of the true Gospel of grace.
• People in Ukraine avoid drinking the tap water as it is contaminated, however you can shower and brush your teeth with it safely. They either drink through a filter, order filtered water to be delivered or get water from a nearby well in the city. They often use tap water for cooking, coffee and tea as it has been boiled.
• People in Ukraine tend to be much more straightforward and less duplicitous. If you ask someone there, “how are you doing?” they expect you to mean it much more so than people would in the United States.
• Ukrainians do not understand why Americans tend to think they won WWII. Of course America played a key role but it was a relatively small role. Odessa was attacked by Romanian and German troops in August 1941. The heroic defense of Odessa lasted 73 days from 5 August to 16 October 1941. Odessa was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of “Hero City” in 1945 (Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa).
• When visiting someone’s home you must always remove your shoes at the door and never shake hands across the threshold of the door as it is considered bad luck.
• Ukrainians by in large can be superstitious (although they believe it to be proven fact) and believe that a draft through a window can cause a cold, a women sitting on a cold curb can become infertile, strangers are not supposed to say nice things to babies they don’t know as it can curse them, and whistling in a house will cause you to not have money.
• If you meet a room full of men you know, it is common for the men to greet each man individually with a handshake, and then say goodbye to each man with a handshake before they leave.
• It is considered rude to point at people in Ukraine.
• Families that gather for a special meal will usually have three different courses, many toasts, and be prepared to sit at the table for hours. If you get up to leave too soon others may take offense or not understand. On other more informal occasions Ukrainians typically eat much smaller portions than Americans do.
• Ukrainians have very good manners and are very picky about washing their hands. Often people will want to wash their hands after coming in from outdoors.
• When visiting a guest at their home you should always bring a gift such as chocolates, wine or snacks for tea.
• On birthdays and major holidays it is common to call your closest friends and give them a wish. Wishes of health and happiness are common in Ukraine. People highly value if you are the first person to call them on their birthday and often close friends and family will try to be the first to do so making a toast of sorts, speaking a word of encouragement, or a blessing upon them.
• Be prepared to pay a small fee to use a public restroom.
• Many things in Ukraine are cheaper, like city transportation, taxis, utility bills, rent, cell phone usage, Internet, dental work, doctors, education, wine and food. Things which are more expensive are cars, gas, fuel, and imported electronics. Clothes can be much cheaper or more expensive depending on whether they are imported or not. Keep in mind that though things may be comparatively cheaper for Americans, salaries in Ukraine are much smaller. $500 per month in Ukraine would be considered pretty good pay.
• Refrain from accepting a taxi at the airport or the train station as they will overcharge you. It is far better to call a taxi service and ask for the price before the taxi arrives. They will text you back with the cars description and license plate number.
• In Ukraine cigarettes are very cheap and Ukraine has one of the highest rates of smokers in the world.
• The number of births in Ukraine is well below replacement level. Most women stop at one child for economic reasons. More people have moved out of Ukraine than have moved in due to high unemployment and low wages. Men have unhealthy habits of heavy smoking and drinking. HIV/Aids rates in Ukraine are among the highest in Europe. Due to all these factors Ukraine’s population is decreasing each year.
• Don’t be too surprised if someone offers you warm milk for a cough, coal for food poisoning, or tea with lemon and honey for a cold as well as chicken broth.
• If you are sick you can go to a pharmacy and purchase almost any medication without a prescription. People often ask pharmacists for advice when they are sick (sometimes with serious issues) instead of going to a doctor.
• The public buses do not have an electric strip or a cord to pull to chime a bell. You must walk to the front of the bus and tell the driver where you would like to stop. Or, if the bus is packed full of people you must pass your fair up through the crowd and say where you would like to stop. People are extremely cooperative with this in Odessa.
• In major cities payment for cell phone and Internet service can be made at small electronic kiosks placed throughout town.
• If you are in a hurry to get somewhere you can stand on the side of the road about anywhere and stick your hand out. Within 5 minutes someone will stop to pick you up and ask where you’re going. You can then negotiate a price.
• The homes in large cities are largely in apartment like flat buildings and made of thick concrete walls and floors. The rooms are generally built smaller and narrower than the designs in America. Usually when you rent a flat it comes filled with furniture. If you have to buy furniture, you will have to go new as there are no used furniture stores in Ukraine.
• All the flat buildings, even the new ones, are built like the old Soviet style concrete buildings (although the newer ones have thinner concrete walls). These buildings do not have fire escapes. Radiators controlled by a building operator heat most of these buildings.
• Coffee shops such as Starbucks are not common although they are around. You will typically not find them playing some mellow coffee house music but something much louder and more upbeat with TV screens playing music videos that do not match the music being played. The same thing will be seen in most restaurants. More common to be found are small trucks with an espresso machine built into the side or back. Cup sizes are smaller than in the States so if you would like a Venti you’ll have to order two.
• Buying food and other items at outdoor open-air markets is common in Ukraine. Ukraine has amazing chocolate, sweets, sausages, produce, and dairy products.
• Odessa has four seasons. Spring and Fall are quite nice and you will see many people out. August is typically very hot and January can be very cold some years. Odessa has a warm temperate climate. This has, over the past few centuries, aided the city greatly in creating conditions necessary for the development of tourism. During the tsarist era, Odessa’s climate was considered to be beneficial for the body, and thus many wealthy but sickly persons were sent to the city in order to relax and recuperate. This resulted in the development of a spa culture and the establishment of a number of high-end hotels in the city.
• In Ukraine in almost any neighborhood at any time of the day, if you look out the window, you will see people out and about walking somewhere. However, Odessans are not typically morning people and at 6 AM not many people are out. Definitely no coffee shops are open at this time. Outdoor markets are closed on Mondays.
Odessa is home to the largest outdoor market in all of Europe, the 7th kilometer market. It also has many outdoor markets in different neighborhoods throughout the city, including the historically famous Privoz market near the train station.
• For almost any occasion or holiday it is normal and even expected to buy a woman flowers. The number of flowers you give someone usually has some kind of significance. It is not good to give a woman an even number of flowers, make sure it is an odd number.
• Christmas trees and lights don’t go up until just before New Years and can be left up for a month or two afterwards, visiting family and friends with gifts on random days. New Years is a bigger holiday than Christmas and some people celebrate them for weeks. Although Ukraine has been called a “Christian nation”, it is next to impossible to find nativity sets for sale.
• In restaurants everything is ordered a la carte on the menu, so if you would like a salad with your meat dish you will have to have two separate orders delivered on two separate plates. Make sure the way you order your food is how it is on the menu because generally cafes do not take special orders. Smaller tips are acceptable. The 15% rule does not apply here and an equivalent in hryvnas of $1-5 dollars is plenty.
• Homosexuality is extremely rare in Ukraine and if you went to a village some people there have never even heard of it.
• Men’s underwear in Ukraine is usually small tight briefs! If this is not your style be sure to bring plenty of your own.
• Doctors, teachers, and police have some of the lowest paying jobs in Ukraine, which leads to bribery and corruption. To help find a good doctor people don’t generally trust ads but go by word of mouth and experiences of friends.
• If you have a friend who specializes in a certain career and you go to them for help with that service they may be offended if you try to pay them. You can ask but be careful the way you do it. Usually if someone considers you a friend paying them might imply you don’t consider them a friend.
• Never carry your wallets in your back pocket, as your back pocket can be everyone’s pocket. Do not flash around cash or wear flashy items when out in town.
• Ukraine’s streets are littered with stray dogs and cats. Try not to act afraid of the dogs. If you’re not afraid of them they will leave you alone.
• Odessa has no freeways, so be prepared to spend at least an hour on a bus weaving through the narrow patchwork of streets if you have to go to the other side of town. Unfortunately because of the catacombs they deemed it unsafe to build a subway system.
• If you’re going to Ukraine, I hope you like sour cream, as they love to eat it with many meals. Bread is often served dry without butter and mashed potatoes without gravy. Do not complain. Potatoes are part of a meal all the time and prepared in many different ways. All kinds of pickled vegetables are common. Ukraine has the best pickles!
• Ukrainians are surprisingly hospitable people and will continue to bring you tray after tray of different items, all of which no human being could possibly eat. Be sure to try the salo!
• It isn’t unusual to have multiple generations of family members living in the same flat. Young adults aren’t generally expected to leave the house when they are 18 and parents who likely don’t have a lot will bend over backwards to help their children pay for an education or an apartment. Sometimes the grandparents raise the children more so than their own parents do.
• According to the U.N. Ukraine has one of the highest divorce rates in the world. Most couples get married young being carried away by their emotions, which is not inherently bad. The problem is that feelings alone cannot solve any problems once the initial wave of emotions has faded, leaving bare routine and reality. The post-Soviet economic conditions Ukraine has been trying to climb out of for years has resulted in many Ukrainians having little confidence in the future or themselves.
• The favorite sport is soccer and lots of kids are really good at it. And it’s not called soccer it’s called football, but you knew that right? Basketball and ping pong are also fairly popular.
• If you’re a guy and you really want to fit in there bring black dress shoes and a black jacket. Girls, bring a fur coat and high heels. However, to be an effective missionary in Ukraine, this is not necessarily necessary.
• If you are renting a flat you can expect at random for the electricity, the Internet, the elevator, or the water to stop working, anywhere from an hour to a week. Be prepared with candles, Internet through your phone, workout pants for the stairs, and back up jugs of water.
• Voltage in Ukraine is 220v so leave your electronic appliances at home if you are traveling there from the States, unless you bring an electrical converter. Cell phones and laptops are designed to be international and you will simply need a new charge cord or an adaptor. From time to time currents can surge in homes so it is recommended to purchase surge protectors in Ukraine for expensive items, and possibly a voltage regulator.
• Ukrainians and Russians have their own version of Facebook called Vkontkte. It means “Contact”. However, many use facebook as well.
• It’s a lot easier and a lot more regular for people to download things illegally on the Internet including music, movies, books, software, etc.
• One good thing about Ukraine is there haven’t been any earthquakes, tornadoes or tsunami’s there. There has been an occasional flood either from snow melting in the Carpathians in spring or from a heavy rainfall in the city and litter clogging the drains in the streets.
• The beach along Odessa is great although it gets very crowded sometimes. People in Ukraine tend to be pretty unashamed of their bodies and don’t have many inhibitions about themselves either. In one way I suppose that’s a good thing. The water is a little polluted but everyone usually swims anyway. You would be wise to refrain from swimming in the Black Sea after a heavy rain if you are in the city. Runoff from the city streets has been known to make people pretty sick.
• Girls in Ukraine definitely like to flaunt their femininity in somewhat of a glamorous way. Revealing clothes, high heels and boots are everywhere.
• In public buildings people don’t actually stand in lines. If there is a line for some public service people randomly sit around the room. So, what you do when you enter the room is ask who is last in line, and you are next.
• It isn’t too out of the ordinary if people on the street get a little edgy or hot tempered with each other and then all of a sudden go about their business as if nothing happened. Of course if you don’t speak Russian, witnessing the interaction can come as somewhat of a surprise.
• It is common to find etiquette and manners that has been forgotten in the States. For example you will see young men giving up their seats on the bus for older women or ladies with a child or you might see a man holding his women’s hand as she steps off the bus.
• Ukrainians are beautiful people with a beautiful culture. If you are fortunate to make friends there you will quickly see the dynamic of the friendship can be much deeper than friendships that are formed in America.
•Fascinating reading for those who’d like to learn more about Odessa and Ukraine:
The Lighter Side of a Serious Mission by Kenyon Powers
Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams by Charles King
Ukraine – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture by Anna Shevchenko
Ukraine: A History by Orest Subtelny