just things

Well, it takes a certain amount of patience to use a computer with all Ukrainian language cues. You'd think you could remember or understand the icon but its tricky. The young man here at the internet cafe put on online translator on the computer so we could talk...how smart is that!!
Had lunch today in this pub but it took a bit. The waitress of course couldn't speak English, no pictures, my sign language seemed to be failing and I was walking out...hungry. I saw some men eating and approached their table. Not friendly. I got the get away stare and so I went back inside and acted out that i wanted what the men were eating. She was so escited to be able to understand me and I was so excited to know that I would be eating1 I had a good salad and some time of short ribs. The cook cam e out to give me my meat and we had a lovely bit of smiling. The food was good too. You'd never in a million years go into this place at home.
Here's a bit that I wrote the other night and now figured out how to ocpy and paste in Ukrainian.
I walked down the 8 flights of dark stairs(I’m building on going back up them) to go outside and noticed that there was a crowd around the back of a car. My first thought was that someone had bought a new car and was showing it off. But no in the back were slabs of mostly fat with some meat. The women were bargaining for these large slabs…like maybe 10 lb or more each. Really gross to see the fat just laying in the back of a car.. I watched for awhile and should have gotten my camera. Wonder how often the meat guy, or maybe he’s more the fat guy comes around. It must get cooked in the borscht. So what do we do with the slabs of fat? Does it go into hot dogs
Stopped at the grocery store to figure out my dinner. First lunch is the big one here and that will work cuz I’ll go to a restaurant for the big meal. Went to a good one yesterday. So, shopping and not knowing what’s on the label or inside is really challenging. I wandered in front of the yogurt not knowing for sure…they don’t like plain but have lots of other things. There is lots of fish like the fish in the deli growing up, cooked or something…maybe tomorrow. They had salmon too. Where is that from? Do they get the oranges and bananas from ??? But I’m not in a cooking mood so I got some what I thought was herring..at least it looked like it after I stared at it a long time. And some lox, some cheese and some what I hoped was really good black bread. Hopefully it wasn’t some fruit thing. Seemed like a really good noshing picnic. Veggies are expensive here except for potatoes, onions and beets and cabbage. Think I’ll cook up some beets. Got home really curious to taste everything and I scored. Really good especially the dense bread. Figure it will be good with a morning egg too.
Alex says that even with boiling not to drink the water from the tap. I can’t imagine what’s in the water that boiling for 5 min would still be harmful but ho hum. I buy a gallon of water in a jug. Tried making coffee without the proper filter and we all know how that went. But green tea only goes so far. And though there is a McDonalds there is no Starbucks here. I’m gonna stop at the McDonalds and see if they have the $1 burger…maybe the kids would like one? Alex told me to buy some cookies for them and you know what that means….baking cookies I hope. I need to check with my homestay mom Nataly about using the oven and a cookie sheet and then find my way through the grocery store for flour and sugar, butter and good luck figuring out baking soda.
Okay, it’s 4 in the morning but my internal clock is not adjusted yet and I still think its 3 in the afternoon. I’ll see about listening to the ipod and then bck to bed. It’s really quiet here given the number of people who live in this area. Tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll do some writing and take the day off from the orphanage.