I waited, I followed the rules. I cancelled my international trips and bided my time for a year during covid-19 … until I couldn’t any longer. What if it went on another year? Was I really going to stay home because the government advised not to travel? Or because I was put off by a legally mandated hotel quarantine (followed by a home quarantine)? By a plethora of covid tests? No. After a year I decided for myself that it was time. So I booked and took one of my cancelled trips from 2020 and in 2021 I went to Ukraine.
My packing list changed somewhat. I brought masks for the flights and a computer in case I got stranded and had to work. My pre-travel planning was overwhelmed by figuring out what tests I needed and when to meet the requirements of Canada, Ukraine, and KLM. And I bought mysterious covid health insurance as required from the Ukrainian government. None of this was any more difficult than figuring out how to get visas for West Africa or traveling to the Congo during Ebola, for example, so I felt well equipped, but there was extra hassle, cost, and preparation involved. I was delighted though because I was going to leave the country for the first time in 14 months.
I flew from Vancouver to Amsterdam and then on to Kyiv. The first flight was empty. Shockingly so. Everyone who wanted a row to themselves had one, with rows in between. It was a nice way to fly, but you can’t help but think about his much the industry is suffering. Everyone wore their masks without complaint. It was orderly and pleasant.
The flight from Amsterdam to Kyiv was different. It was packed and masks appeared to be optional. I mean, they weren’t, but people just didn’t wear them, or wore them as a sort of chin warmer. The flight attendants didn’t even try to fix the situation beyond saying at the start of the fight that masks were required. I think they have given up. Coming from Canada where people are so obedient, it was a bit of a shock, but I wore my mask, so I felt ok about it. If I had gotten worked up it probably would have spoiled my trip because people in Ukraine really didn’t follow any of the covid protocols. On the subway people were pretty good about masks, but indoors elsewhere … it was like there was not even a pandemic on.
People were bald-faced (or at least with their masks worn on their chins) and in close proximity. Bars and restaurants were crowded and spilled out on the street. People crowded, smoking, around tall tables, drinks in hand. Or they danced in groups, recklessly breathing into each other’s faces. The common areas at my hostel still had groups of backpackers hanging out, going to parties, and bunking in dorms. There were no plexiglass barriers. No socially distanced queues. A girl on the street even high-fived me after she borrowed my lighter. It was kind of great.
I am well aware that at the time I was there, Ukraine had one of the worst covid outbreaks in Europe, so their disregard of pandemic rules was probably not great at all, but for me it was a welcome sight. A reminder that life could be normal, that it was relatively normal elsewhere, and maybe Canada would again be normal. It was a jolt out of the relentless pandemic ennui I had been languishing in at home.
I should say that in most restaurants the servers did wear masks and I did stop by one fancy mall (to use the washroom) and they required masks and took my temperature, but those were definitely the exception. I did wear masks inside when I couldn’t socially distance and I sanitized my hands and whatnot. Getting sick would have meant not being able to fly home. So I was careful, but I enjoyed it when others did not.
I am mentioning this all right off the top in my first Ukraine post because I don’t want to keep talking about it in my other posts. This is the way it was. It was the middle of a pandemic and it did affect my trip, but it was not the dominant characteristic of it. There is more to say that is not about coronavirus, so let’s get to that in a fresh post.
And overlooking it all is a cathedral on a hill.
