Hey, guys. And Happy Saturday!
Like all Ukrainians now, I live in the background of emotional swings. But I seem to be riding the wave so far, and I'm here today with my little stories of wartime life.
Saturday is the day of the farmer's market. Always. Except for those first months of the war when the weekly market tradition was suspended.
I enjoy shopping at the farmer's market very much. I like it when I can touch everything, examine in daylight, and smell it. I don't often do that actually, because usually I buy from the same farmers but I like to know that I can do that. I enjoy talking to sellers, joking or sharing news. Today the old lady, from whom Nick always buys sauerkraut (it took me some effort to find her) said - "Say hi to your husband". It was soo sweet of her.
I didn't take any pictures today, as I did not intend to write a post. Besides, people are still pretty cautious and don't like strangers taking pictures. And I certainly don't want to stress them out.
After the market, I went to the Auchan supermarket to buy the rest. But.... we still have blackouts. Yesterday, They canceled the emergency shutdowns and left the scheduled daily shutdowns. This is good news because I know that in some districts the power went out three times a day.
So. Some traffic lights are disabled. Today they turned on the traffic lights at the big crossroad where 8 lanes and 6 lanes intersect. To turn around, I drove it 3 times. It was pretty fun.
Auchan was opened but without electricity. To avoid losing money, there is only one possibility to continue serving customers during blackouts - an electric generator.
But this type of electricity is costly, so only the most necessary are connected. Only a minimum of lighting and cash register equipment. Toilets without light, refrigerators turned off.
The most popular product is candles. Their selection is very large, although they are not all cheap. I think there is a place where you can buy them cheaper. But, as I wrote earlier, I am lucky, because they don't turn off the electricity for my place, so I don't need seem. Although, I made some supply too.
All refrigerators are covered to preserve cold.
There was a lot of staff everywhere, offering to help. I left my glasses at home, which I need for reading. With enough light I can read some of the writing without glasses, but in semi-darkness it was impossible. I had to ask for help.
Look, television is here. I hope I didn't get into the frame without makeup. LOL.
My modest purchases. Time to check-out! There were only 2 cash registers with cashiers and one self-checkout machine, where there were about 6 terminals.
I went to the self-checkout. The employee warned me that the terminal was about to be shut down, and that everything should be done very quickly. Loyalty card, credit card... With her help, I paid for my purchase and it took no more than 2 minutes! We were an excellent tandem! As soon as the terminal printed my check, the electricity came on! ⚡️⚡️⚡️ The supermarket looked normal again and I didn't feel like a sneaky thief.
By the way, last week I had an annual medical check-up with my doctor (that I'd have passed a year ago). Just when they had no light. They connected only medical equipment tp the generator, one computer at the reception and a cash register. Corridors and offices were not lit, as was the toilet.
And in the evening I went to the pharmacy to get medicine. This is the first time I have walked the dark streets alone since the blackouts began. Passing cars sometimes light your way, and sometimes they blind you. But the worst thing was that I didn't know if the pharmacy would be open when I got there (it's about 30 minutes walk), because they could be turned off at any moment. This is what is called an emergency shutdown.
Three times a week I tried to buy chicken at my favorite supermarket near the office. And all three times it was closed. This is impossible to predict. There are many small grocery stores around my place, but apparently, they belong to three different power stations. There may be no light in one, but the store across the street will be open. Or maybe it works because it has an electric generator. It's a quest.🙂
And something very good happened yesterday. The company I work for decided to organize a meeting for those employees who are currently in Kyiv. To be honest, I was not in the mood to go, but at the last moment somehow I persuaded myself. How good that I did it! Quite a lot of people came, about 15. The meeting was in a beer bar in the downtown, which is located in the basement. Such establishments are now very popular (I mean the basement).
The time flew by because it was so nice. We shared memories and various stories. There was one new workmate and one ex. It was like a warm family meeting. Almost the same as it used to be before the war. But we are aware of our present life just as it is, with new challenges and restrictions. We live, without delay, with timid plans and dreams. That's it.
At the beginning of the tenth I left. I caught the penultimate subway train and didn't have to pay for taxi. The closer to curfew the more expensive the taxi is.
Finally, some more good news. Continuation of the story of Two children, for whom we bought a laptop, a kettle and a heater from the previous tranche of NFT for Peace funds. Their aunt sent them to a camp in the Carpathians for a few days thanks to the funds of volunteers. My friends and I also contributed. A few days without shelling and bad news, surrounded by people who care about them is what they really need right now. Few days or normal life... The young girl does not part with the doll we bought her.💙
Even in the midst of terrible news and sad circumstances, life can be beautiful. People with big and kind hearts made it so. Love, faith and care make it so.
Take care!
Hugs and cheers,
