Privyit moya druzhbii, hello my friends. I find you from here Odessa Ukraine, my last night here to visit friends and acquiantances from years past. Officially I am here on a humanitarian mission, but also I have many people to visit here and it is many times happy, but also heart wrenching to be here.
I do not like the Americans and westerners I meet here on the streets, they are all many ugly men looking for wives. They cannot get them in America, so they buy them here. It is disgusting. I guess it is not easy from afar to have such favourable impression of your homeland, or another land, when their men are here pandering like sloths, hanging in their own little bars etc. taking advantage of a very contrasting economic downturn here. Suddenly as if we think our problems in America are bad, they are far, far worse here. The currency in one month lost 20% of its value and banks are drying up like the Sahara.
There are many casinos here, all run by the same elements which run them in America. Of course they are all crooks.
Yesterday we travelled to Moldova, unofficially, since we did not have the paperwork to go there, but kind of slept our way in the car across so we would not be questioned. It is an even poorer country, where people are still on the roads in horses and buggies, I have never seen such poverty in my life. But... we occasioned on a wedding party, and got literally dragged in by the bride and groom. I think for them it was a matter of pride that they had a couple of Americans, my son and I as honoured guests and we became fast friends. Here were people with nothing, but we became honoured guests at their wedding and were forced to eat much and of course the obligatory vodka. Their traditions with the weddings are very touching, and a long celebration, with celebrations of the parents and babushka also. I got the biggest kick out of the mother in law in the bride's dress, and the guys all dressed up as ladies to be court jesters and musicians for the festival.
Coin collecting has not been an option, I have saved some commemoratives from change, but really cannot find much new here, and frankly have not had much time for that type of stuff.
