A Change of Scenery

By Walter Kish

As the column heading indicates, I am once again back in Canada after my latest job in Ukraine, regrettably, proved to be a little more short term than I had either expected or wanted. Fate likes to play her surprises and in so doing has made my life interesting these past few years. Fortunately, these twists and turns in my life’s path have more often than not led to interesting new possibilities and adventures that have enriched my life and contributed significantly to my collection of experiences and memories. I have come to terms with the fact that life for my generation is, in general and for me in particular, as the saying goes “subject to change without notice!”

In any case, coming back “home” means readjusting my life to being a “Canadian” again. Unless you have lived in a foreign country for a number of years, most of you will have trouble understanding both the nature and magnitude of what that means. We live our lives in the context of our physical, cultural and social environment, and for the most part, we take it for granted, paying little attention to our surroundings and the routines and framework of our quotidian existence. It is only when this context shifts significantly that we begin to appreciate the significant variety of different realities that this world has on offer.

For example, while strolling down Toronto’s Bloor Street West a few days after my return, I was struck by the realization that the conversations I overheard were mostly in English. Having spent the previous several months living in Lviv in an almost totally Ukrainian speaking environment, hearing English appeared to be an anomaly or incongruity. On Lviv’s cobble-stoned streets, hearing English was a relatively rare exception. Now that I am back here in Canada, my mind’s background monitor will have to readjust its context to accepting English as the norm and hearing Ukrainian as the novelty.

Re-acclimatizing will require numerous mental shifts. Food is another major area requiring significant re-adjustment. The typical diet in Ukraine is far different from what the average Canadian is used to. One essential distinguishing feature is the fact that whereas, in Canada in recent decades there has been a concerted effort to reduce the amount of fat in our diet, in Ukraine, fat is viewed as an essential and desirable major component of a person’s daily food intake. In Ukraine, low fat, no fat or “lite” food products are virtually non-existent. When buying meat, the Ukrainian consumer shopper looks for well larded cuts, and would consider our preference for lean cuts to be an unhealthy fetish. Salo or pure pork fat is still an essential staple of most Ukrainian diets. Mayonnaise is used in such quantities in Ukrainian cuisine as would raise eyebrows in any Canadian kitchen. And of course, the consumption of alcoholic products is a quantum jump over most Canadian norms. Much as we would order a bottle of wine to accompany a meal at a restaurant, Ukrainians order a bottle of vodka, even if there are but two people imbibing. As for beer, it is for all practical purposes not even considered to be an alcoholic drink, and walking down the street drinking a bottle of beer is perfectly legal and a common sight almost everywhere in Ukraine. Although I drank far less than my Ukrainian compatriots, I have found that since returning to Canada, my total consumption of alcoholic products has been cut by more than a half.

The other major and obvious social difference that draws notice when shifting between these two cultures is the fact that Canada is an overwhelmingly middle class country and the vast majority of its population enjoys a relatively high standard of living. Of course, we have our poor but they constitute only a small fraction of the overall population and their living conditions are fairly invisible to most of us. In Ukraine, perhaps a half to three quarters of the population lives in conditions we would consider as typical of the impoverished. In addition, a large proportion of the country’s physical infrastructure is in a state of decay or disrepair, what we would find unacceptable. Buildings look like slums, roads are in terrible shape, transit systems, though cheap to ride on, are mostly old and overcrowded, the water system is suspect, sanitary conditions and garbage removal inadequate. In the villages where a third of the Ukrainian population still lives, things are even worse, with most houses lacking indoor plumbing, and heating provided by wood stoves. The economic gap between the small rich elite class and the vast majority of the working poor is striking. It is telling that the average monthly wage in Ukraine is around $200 per month, whereas the prices of many commodities are at or close to world levels. This disparity is constantly reflected in the way people look, how they are dressed, what they eat, where they live, where they shop, what they think and what they say. It creates a mindset far different than that of the average Canadian.

It will take me a while to adjust to being a “Canadian” again, though after what I have experienced living in Ukraine, it will always be with the realization that there are other realities and other environments far less privileged than what I am enjoying.