When in Rome, do as the Ukrainians do.

I had some friends over to visit tonight, which was FANTASTIC (especially since last week was so dry and devoid of company)! After they left and I was cleaning/straightening up, I realized how I've adapted to the Ukrainian way of doing things (in some respects...in others, I'll probably never adapt).

Shoes off.
When you enter someone's home, you always remove your shoes at the door. Today, in preparation for my visitors, I tried to insure that there would be plenty of floor space near the door so that the shoes and boots wouldn't pile up. I didn't realize what I was doing until after I'd done it. Honestly, the "shoes off" policy isn't that bad...it cuts down on junk tracked onto the carpet.

Guests: Don't arrive empty-handed.
I love this about Ukrainian culture. You don't visit someone's house without bringing a gift. Usually, the gift is a bag of cookies. Sometimes you get a carton of juice, a bar of chocolate, or some cake. I think it's so very kind and friendly. Tonight, I got a bag of Fig Newton-type cookies and two small packages of my favorite chocolate cookies.

Hostess: Don't be greedy.
When your guests bring you a gift of food, you should put it out to be enjoyed by all. So, in addition to the muffins I made, I served the "Fig Newtons" and the chocolate cookies. I learned this last year and immediately noted that when I take food to someone's house, I should make sure that it's something I like to eat, too.

Drinks all around.
Not the alcoholic kind, of course. In Ukraine, you serve tea. What kind? Correction: kinds. It's pretty customary to offer at least a choice of black or green tea. I usually keep a passion fruit kind on hand, as well. Whereas in the States we tend to offer different kinds of soft drinks or coffee, Ukrainians offer tea and sometimes juice. I try to keep juice on hand for visitors. I like juice, but I don't drink it quite as much as my Ukrainian friends. My favorite is peach juice. I'm going to miss it when I return to the US.

Up your sleeve.
During the winter, people usually wear hats, scarves, and coats. When Ukrainians take off their coats at someone's house, they stuff their scarves down into the sleeves of their coats, for safe-keeping. Smart. However, this plan can backfire. I once forgot that I'd stuff a scarf in my sleeve, wore another scarf, and didn't notice the hidden scarf until later that evening when someone pointed out that it was hanging out of my sleeve cuff. I'm so cool...

I will probably hang on to some of these habits when I end my term. So many of them make great sense or are just terribly friendly. I definitely don't mind embracing these particular aspects of culture. Gotta love that Ukraine.