thejinger
Introduction
I am a Peace Corps Volunteer from San Francisco, California. I currently teach English to students from 4th-11th grade. I've been blogging since Xanga was cooler than Myspace. I like adventures, crossword puzzles, biking, swimming, velociraptors, cheese, shopping, and yoga. In my spare time, I enjoy writing to-do lists and reorganizing the fridge.
I joined expat.com on 13 May 2012.
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thejingerposted on the thread Expats from all round the world who live in Kiev !!!
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thejingeradded the blog Ramblings of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine to the Ukraine blog directory
Expat experience
I love the diversity and big city feel of Kharkov - while the city is totally walkable, having the option of transportation by metro and marshrutka buses is great.
The blatant open mouth staring can take a little getting used to, especially if locals overhear you speaking English loudly in public places.
Cheap and tasty local food and interesting street markets, tons of shopping (especially if you're interested in finding knock-off lookalikes of designer brands).
Its not very easy to get around China if you don't speak any Chinese, since most of the street signs and restaurant menus are in Chinese. Luckily most locals are used to tourists, so they'll probably help you out if you point and gesture enough. Don't be afraid to bargain with the street market sellers, they fully expect you to bargain so they always quote the price of an item at least 100% more than it should really cost.
Singapore is a great place for ex-pats... it is already a blend of many different nationalities and offers a wide variety of delicious ethnic food restaurants. It also has the most efficient public transportation system that I've ever seen: you can buy a plastic credit-card sized card instead of using coins or tokens and simply tap it to enter/exit the subway and buses, then the bus/subway automatically calculates your fare based on the distance traveled.
The summer weather was super muggy and always humid, and drinks can get expensive at bars/clubs due to Singapore's high tax on alcohol. Also, it is illegal to eat or drink on the subway - beware or you'll be fined by the local authorities.
