I always knew this day will come, but never imagined how exactly it will happen. Well, now I know. This current issue is going to be my last as Lifestyle section editor, as I’m getting ready to experience life in a different country. I’ve been in the Post for about six years, and a lot of things have changed during that time. First of all, I have changed of course -- my tastes, my views, my English-language skills and more. My job played a significant role in all of that. But as I changed, everything else changed around me as well, from the microcosm of the Kyiv Post to the macrocosm of the Ukrainian capital.

I first set foot in the Kyiv Post in 2002. It was easy to do, since it was located right behind the wall from Afisha magazine, where I worked at the time. First I was freelancing, but in the spring of 2003 I managed to permanently hop over to the Post and stay there. Well, in fact, I only stayed there for a year and half before departing temporarily to work on another English-speaking project. I triumphantly (at least I like to view it as such) returned to KP in the winter of 2006. Over the years I’ve seen the newspaper change in many ways – some for the better, others quite depressing. There were times when the editorial team was really a happy, friendly family, at other times it was every man (and woman) for himself.

I have worked with seven different chief editors here, my experiences varying between neutral, fun and pretty awful. And at least one of those people I’ve had as a boss still makes me wonder if he comes from this planet. Still I’m glad that I didn’t escape the paper when it was a sinking ship, but leaving it now, in good hands, and with great prospects ahead.

But, of course, the most incredible changes took place in Kyiv itself. It probably takes a foreigner’s eye to say exactly how much and how radically the capital changed over the past 10 years. But as a writer about entertainment, shopping and culture in the city, I could point out just how much this particular scene actually altered – both in positive and negative ways.


Still exotic back in 2002, supermarkets have grown into an essential part of Kyivans' lives. (Courtesy photo)

In the early 2000s, mobile phones were still a bit of a luxury. Many had them, but if someone didn’t have one, it was far from surprising. And surely almost every babushka and school kid didn’t walk around with a phone as they do now. Now many Kyivans have tiny computers for phones, and of those, only a few actually need them for work. For the rest, it’s just a luxury accessory to show off at every given occasion – like an expensive miniature dog, part of another amazing trend.
But surely, the phone-mania has more to do with technological progress, the same kind that has allowed people to sit in restaurant and bars with their laptops or netbooks open – all because Wi-Fi became such a common feature in the city’s eateries.

One thing that was still a privilege in 2002 and grew into a major trend by now is sushi. It used to be available only at the poshest restaurants, and then, suddenly, the first eatery of Yakitoriya chain popped up right across from our office at the time on Lesi Ukrayinky, offering more reasonably priced sushi options. Yakitoria quickly expanded, joined by other sushi chains as well as numerous sushi bars and sushi menus at every other restaurant in the city. Before long, Kyivans were preparing the formerly exotic dish in their homes or buying it for lunch at supermarkets.

Speaking of supermarkets, 10 years ago they were far from being so common and ubiquitous. I can still remember the dreadful Gastronom (common Soviet name for big grocery shops) near my parents’ house in Troyeschina. Then it was converted into Silpo, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the city. By now, all the city gastronoms were replaced with a supermarket of one or another chain, and just as many supermarkets were built from scratch. Where I now live in Obolon, I can choose among Silpo, EKO, Velyka Kyshenya and Novus in Dream Town. A short drive away is also Karavan supermarket. That’s the kind of choice one could dream of in the beginning of 2000s.


One of the latest malls to open in Kyiv and clearly the biggest in the city, Dream Town in Obolon is a shopping and entertainment heaven for anyone who has money to spend. (Dima Burdiga)

Shopping malls also just began appearing in the country as I started working at the Post. First Metrograd (Lva Tolstoho-Bessarabska Ploshcha), and then Globus (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) opened their doors, both in 2002. The latter, especially, became a popular tourist trap, a shopping paradise and place to see and to be seen. However, as mall mania overtook the city, Globus was no longer the main attraction. Kyvians got a chance to choose among malls like Karavan, Promenada, Bolshevik, Aladdin, Gorodok, Ukraina, Kvadrat, Materik or Magellan – each located in a different part of town. Most of them offer not just comfy shopping, but also fun for the whole family with restaurants, bars, skating rinks, cinemas and more.

Along with malls, a trend for chains for just about everything – clothing, makeup and perfume, and electronics shops, drugstores, restaurants, drycleaners and carwashes – took the city consumer culture to a different level, making it easy to obtain just about any product or service you needed, provided you had money to spend. Moreover, discount cards were introduced by most of the chains, keeping customers coming back. An average Kyivan nowadays has more discount cards than he or she can fit in their biggest wallet. Another thing that made shopping easier are bank cards that started to be used far and wide, and now you can easily pay with them at the majority of the city’s supermarkets, restaurants and shops.

The restaurant scene has also experienced incredible growth in the last decade. Anyone has many choices when it comes to picking a place for dinner – for any pocket, and serving any cuisine. There are more new restaurants constantly opening than it’s possible to keep track of, but pricier places still dominate somehow and, when choosing something mid-range, it is best to rely on your own experience or someone’s advice, to get quality for your money.


Nearly 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, service at many local restaurants and bars still has a decidedly Soviet flavor: dull, indifferent, and often rude. (UNIAN)

Clubs are doing well too, though there are still hardly any places in the city where I'd personally would like to party. But fans of house and techno surely have many options, with famous deejays from abroad often coming to play both at small and big venues, and headlining the frequent electronic music festivals.
Ukrainians began to travel a lot. Turkey and Egypt could be considered “exotic” vacations back in 2002, but now it’s nothing but an obvious choice. Tunisia, Morocco and Thailand are also quite popular. So if you wish to spend your holidays someplace not yet crowded with Ukrainian and Russian tourists, you’re going to have to think hard.

Finally, culture-wise, Kyiv didn’t dramatically change. Some more small theaters have appeared, some museums were renovated, but all government-funded establishments are suffering from lack of investment as much as before. However, things are going a lot better for contemporary art. Both veterans and young beginner Ukrainian artists flourish, having a number of projects and art contests to participate in on the regular basis, and plenty of galleries in Kyiv to display their works at. From the number of art galleries, I take that art business is going well and works of Ukrainian artists sell.

But while there is an obvious progress in some spheres, others remained as they were or even degraded. The concerts of now popular international artists – and I don’t mean former stars of French musicals or ageing rock idols – find their way to Ukraine even less often than before. There are no more than two-three significant musical events per year. As an additional disappointment to expats and English-speaking Ukrainians like me, movies in the original languages are even harder to spot in local cinemas than they used to, despite the fact that the number of theaters has probably tripled over the last 10 years. Globe Bookstore at Metrograd remains one of few obvious choices to look for a book in English – even though it’s quite tiny. There is also Petrivka market, but here the choice is chaotic in every sense.

While high-end hotels like Intercontinental and Hyatt Regency are here, the selection of mid-range hotels is just as poor as it used to be. With more and more cars constantly flowing in the city, drivers are just becoming ruder and crazier. And when it comes to parking – which is still a complete mayhem – they do it in the most selfish manner imaginable.

Finally, going back to restaurants, bars and clubs – yes there are many, but the number has nothing do with the quality – both of food and service. A smiling, polite and attentive wait staff is still such a rarity in Kyiv that every time you meet someone like that, you’re almost tempted to ask this person’s autograph. Clearly the managers don’t care to train their staff to treat customers with respect. The waiters obviously forget about service in exchange for tips rule, therefore you can easily be treated with indifference or, in the worst case – insolence and aggression.

So, to sum up – it’s sure been fun over the last 10 years, especially the six of them that I’ve spent at the Post. And while some things in Kyiv I’d be glad to get away from, others I will miss. But most of all, I’ll miss my family and my friends. As for you, readers, I’m not saying goodbye. I hope to do a good job occasionally writing to you from my new location, as a foreign reporter – both filtering my new experiences and looking at my native Ukraine with an ex-pat eye.


Kyiv Post Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at matoshko@kyivpost.com