I am back in the USA now. My daughter is getting married in June, and there are lots of fish in Idaho that I hope to meet personally. Strangely, after living in Odessa for eight months, I had the feeling that my trip to the US was not 'going home', but I felt more like it was a trip to a 'foreign' country. Odessa was starting to feel like home. I have many good friends there and I miss them already. I will be happy to get back to them in September.
The grand experiment I was conducting while living in Odessa was, “Can I live comfortably on less than $1000/mo?” The answer is a resounding, “YES!”. For those of you that are interested in the numbers, my average monthly outlay for 8 months was $982. It could have been less, but I was not as smart in September and October as I was in April. And this does not include the money I earned by teaching English that further defrayed the cost of living.
I lived modestly but not extravagantly. I had a modest one-bedroom apartment in the City Center. I bought most of my own food, but I still ate out frequently and often paid for 'dinner for two'. I bought clothes and a guitar and I traveled, went to the theater, Opera and exhibitions. I lived frugally, but I wasn't a hermit.
At the present, Ukraine is the world's best-kept secret for the economically challenged expat. But I see a lot more signs of an improving economy. New construction and remodeling projects have increased significantly. I see a lot more 'Help wanted' signs. If the Ukrainian government cleans up its act, and it becomes more 'European', and Putin gives up is plan to dominate Ukraine, then the days of 'the easy life' in Ukraine may become just a fond memory. The exchange rate for the grivna right now is about 25:1. When I first started traveling to Ukraine in 2011, the rate was 8:1 and Odessa was a very expensive town to live in for more that just a couple of weeks.
If the cost of living in Ukraine increases significantly, then I guess I will have to find another Utopia. There is always the Philippines, which seems to be permanently corrupt. Then all I will have to do is sit in the shade of a tropical palm on the beach with a glass of coconut milk and wonder if I will be the next American kidnapped by radicals and held for ransom or murdered.
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