Life with our Ukrainian guests

They say that the Chinese ideogram for strife is a stylised image of two women under one roof!  It’s not reached that stage but there has been a certain amount of feminine role realignment going on in Chez Elenderil, most of which I am staying well clear of until lines of demarcation are settled.

There are a few small cultural differences and a handful of larger ones that had to be ironed out in the first few days. Although Google translate helps it can only take us so far in clarifying these things and it has very clear disadvantages, every sentence has to be reviewed before hitting translate and the result usually isn’t idiomatically correct so misunderstandings do arise. Some translations are downright funny others just nonsensical. It doesn't help that you can’t take your eyes off the phone while having your end of a conversation in case the software misidentifies what has been said. Still if you had told me I could explain the rules of cricket to a Russian speaking Ukrainian woman (not a group renowned for a knowledge of the game) via a phone app translator a few years ago I wouldn’t have believed you and it’s easier than having to have a Babel Fish in your ear!

The key difference between Ukrainian and British lives revolve around children and soup.  Our guest has a nine year old son with her.  He doesn’t like to stay at the table to eat, and gets up and wanders off mid meal with phone in hand (this seems to be fairly standard as other hosts have had the same experience), he argues with his mother about everything and gets away with it.  Strangest is his liking for sitting in the (empty) bath for long periods of time playing on his phone.  I have wondered if this was classed as a safe place while still in Ukraine, you know the old use a cast iron bath as protection against shrapnel thing.  Mind you, ours is glass fibre so I don’t think it would be much help.  If he was a few years older I’d wonder about the type of phone apps he was viewing!  

As for food, soup seems to be a go to food stuff with large panful's being made and kept for a couple of meals eating.  We have had to buy a bigger soup pan!  It’s a bit like the housekeeper’s obsession with tea in Father Ted but with vegetables in.  Our guests also don't like to waste food so the fridge is crammed full of left overs, the problem is that they don't seem to eat these so we are actually wasting more than is saved.  Again this is something other hosts have commented on.

Borscht - but with beef in it, ours is mostly vegetables and is available wholesale

The other key difference is that they always change clothes after any trip out.  Separate clothes for indoors and outdoors, so a lot of time can be taken up changing between indoor and outdoor sets.  This makes setting times for meals a little 'interesting' as while changing they do other things as well, what these are I haven't ascertained yet but coming back down for dinner is almost optional.

Still, the important thing is that our guests are safe, warm, fed and that most of the initial admin is either done or in progress.  School has been started, Medical registrations and initial health reviews done, English language assessments booked, biometric visa meeting set and NI number application is in train.  We are now starting on second tier needs, a judo class, social interactions with other Ukrainian families and just general familiarisation with different ways of doing things.  All I need to do now is learn some Russian!  I'm sure that in a month or so it will all be running like clockwork.  But Oh that soup!