Expat Life in Odessa
The first time I visited Odessa was in 1998. I have been traveling here for a 2-3 week vacation stretch twice a year for the last 5 years. I lived in Odessa from February to May this year and then went back home to Idaho for the summer fishing season. I returned on the first of September and I plan to be here until May of next year.
When I decided to live in Odessa, I knew I could have lived here comfortably and never spoken a word of Russian (the official language may be Ukrainian, but everyone on the street speaks Russian). But the best part of living in a foreign country is immersing yourself in the culture and language. When I was here last spring, I had a couple of bilingual friends that tutored me every day and taught me enough language to survive. But I wasn't learning fast enough, because if you are with a person that speaks English, the temptation is to always speak English. So, when I returned, I contacted a young woman I had met last spring and asked her if she would be my tutor. The timing was right, because she had just lost her job, and she happily agreed. Why did I choose her? Because she does not speak English!
Galina comes to my apartment 4 days a week for 2 hour sessions. I learn more quickly because any communication between us must be in Russian...with a little help from Google Translate occasionally. This 'total immersion' system works well as I will explain in a moment....
Previously, whenever I needed to go out to see the sights or go shopping I always took one of my bilingual friends with me to act as an interpreter and be my 'safety blanket'. I don't need that now. I go to the market alone and buy what I need. If I need to buy something out of the ordinary (like new soles for my shoes or a guitar), I learn the vocabulary necessary to complete the transaction and go look for what I need. My motto is “Communication does not need to be perfect to be effective.” With a few Russian words and phrases, facial expressions and hand gestures, I can always get what I need. On occasion, when the weather is cooler, I go to the nearst bus stop and hop on a bus at random and ride it to the end of the route. Sometimes I find myself in small villages far from Odessa. I explore what there is to see and then catch the next bus back to Odessa. I am comfortable in this country.
An experience yesterday underlies the benefits of immersion in a culture...For some unknown reason, people frequently come up to me on the street and start jabbering. I don't know why they mistake me for a local. I certainly don't dress like one. I assume they are tourists and are asking for directions. I reply with the first phrase I learned in Russian, and I have polished it to perfection: “Sorry, I don't understand Russian!” They usually have a momentarily puzzled look and walk away. But once in a while, I will recognize a word or a phrase that lets me know vaguely what they want and I can give them directions. (I know the City Center of Odessa better than most locals).
Yesterday morning, I was taking my daily walk through the city and I stopped at the City Garden to sit on a bench and rest. I saw a stunningly beautiful young woman walking with a guy. She saw me and sat next to me on the bench and started rattling off in the usual 'machine-gun' staccato of spoken Russian. I said, “Not so fast! I don't speak Russian well!”. Once she slowed down, I learned that she and her husband had just arrived in Odessa from Karkhov. They would be here for 3 days of sightseeing. To make a long story short, for the next 45 minutes (with my Ruptured Russian) I gave them a walking tour of the City Center of Odessa. I showed them the hotels, restaurants and cafes that I liked. I showed them museums and other points of interest that they could come back to later. I showed them the Black Sea and told them what buses they could ride to go to the Dolphinarium, the beaches and to the huge open air markets. All the time we were walking, the girl was asking me about life in America, and I gave her answers.
I felt very self-satisfied to be of help to someone, and especially in a foreign nation and in a foreign tongue. When I met with my tutor later in the day, and told her of my experience, she was proud of me!
Odessa may be a cosmopolitan city, with people from over 160 nations living here, but is has never been 'tourist friendly' in the Western sense. Maybe that is why I like it here. The people here are real, and not trying to put on a show for me. Living here is challenging, but by immersing myself into the culture somewhat, I receive some good rewards. The ultimate reward for living here is the low cost of living at the present. I live in a modest, one-bedroom apartment in the City Center and for less than $1000 per month I enjoy a comfortable life. As for security, I have never seen any evidence of crime in the part of the city where I live. I never think twice about walking the streets late at night. Three-man police patrols are a common sight on the street.
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