A night on Khreschatik

Last night I went to Khreschatik, not out of desire of adventure, but more out of extreme boredom. I thought, I’ll buy myself a “mokka” and people-watch. Again, nothing went as planned.
No sooner had I exited the metro, than I spied a circular mat rolled out on the corner. What’s this? Oh, street dancers! Goody!
For those of you that are familiar with my fondness for dancers, you will not be surprised to learn that I watched 3 of their shows…from about 5:30 until 9. No, I did not go introduce myself, although I totally thought about it a few times. 😉
Unfortunately I am not able to upload my videos at this time. Hopefully, I will be able to soon.
I did buy myself a “mokka”. They always ask if I would like chocolate in my “mokka”. I’ve learned to just say, “Yes, please, and sugar.” Otherwise I get a cappuccino.
I also supported local art.

I was rewarded by the statue coming to life and gallanty kissing my hand. I was a pretty delighted girl.
I was happily enjoying my coffee and the atmosphere, when suddenly, some guy appeared at my elbow and said (in Russian), “May I make your acquaintance?” Trust me, it sounds a lot more polite in English. He made some speech like, “I’ve been single for so long. You’re a pretty girl. Won’t you be mine?”
I was like, “Whaaaat?” I think I said something like, “Are you drunk?” It was 7 in the afternoon.
“No, I’m not drunk. I’m a good boy. Be mine. Blah blah blah. Can I have your number?”
“Nooooope. Dude, I can smell it on your breath. Ew.”
“Why not? I have been single for SO LONG!”
I racked my brain for the Russian version of “sounds like a personal problem to me”, but what I ended up saying was, “I have someone else.” Considering my broken Russian, I might have been telling him that I like to ride elephants.
But anyway after that he left me alone, so whatever message I got across worked.
So, see, a day of boredom turned into an evening of excitement! Oh, yay.

I loved watching Khreschatik change as night fell. You could see it. People in suits and work clothes slowly drifted into couples or groups in dresses, high heels, and fancy outfits before my eyes. Instead of rushing and hurrying home, they would stop to watch a show, saunter along laughing, greet people they know.
One of my favorite things is watching two people recognize each other. They look so serious, peering through the crowd, searching, until they find who they’re looking for. Then the eyes light up, they break out in a huge smile, and they hug and kiss. Because little kisses and hugs between friends are interchangeable here.
I had a great time, even though I was mostly by myself. I did have this phone conversation with a friend before I left:
Friend: “Aren’t you at home?”
Me: “No.”
“…Sarah, where are you?”
“Khreschatik.”
“(laughter) What are you doing there?”
“I got bored.”
“(more laughter) Are you shopping?”
“…no… Just walking around.”
For some reason that was really funny to my friend.
I said, “Oh sorry, I can’t hear you. It’s loud on the street. Talk to you tomorrow, kthxbai!”
Even here I’m eccentric and I know it.
Thanks for reading!