For two weeks, I travelled to Odessa, Ukraine for work training. I went there to learn Automation from our engineers working our of our Odessa office, and it was quite an experience. I had never been to anywhere in Europe, so it was a bit of a culture shock seeing daily life here for two weeks. Overall, I was quite pleased with my trip, and felt that I learned a lot; not just for work, but about the world as well.
First of all, I hadn’t anticipated just how different things taste. Burgers, Sandwiches, Salads, even water itself tasted different. It took a little getting used to, but I managed. I committed to trying out authentic dishes native to Odessa and the Ukraine, so I tried Borscht, various seafood dishes, and Ukrainian dumplings. Maybe not my favorite dishes, but I was glad to at least try them.
The landmarks and buildings all had a historic feel to them; since structures in the United States are typically at most 200~ish years old, it felt different when I saw much older structures such as the Opera House, or the Courthouse. I appreciated that in-spite of all the advancements in construction they’ve maintained these structures for so long. I feel that is something that we in America probably don’t do enough.
Despite not knowing any Ukrainian or Russian I felt very welcomed by the people there. There were many English-speakers there, but signs were typically in Ukrainian. Still, I never really had a problem navigating my way through the area, and ordering things. It was a great experience, and I’d love to come visit again.
