20th January 2011
A guest blog from John Foreman, Defence Attache, British Embassy 19 January is Epiphany, an ancient Christian feast day which, in the Orthodox tradition, celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The people of Ukraine, as elsewhere in the region, celebrate this event by jumping into the cold waters […]
17th January 2011
In a week where The Social Network, the film about the creation of the Facebook website, has been dominating the Golden Globe awards in the US, it’s great to see politicians uniting to reinforce the freedom of information in Ukraine. On 13 January the Rada adopted two important laws on access to public information. The […]
8th December 2010
A man and a woman, each bedecked with medals, stand at a window framed by blossoms. The title reads “My Parents, 1988”. Beneath is a another photo entitled “The Same Window”. It shows the woman, now elderly, with a young man, perhaps her son or grandson. The father is no longer there. I’m a big […]
6th December 2010
This year, the UK is between Turkey (fabulous balloons) and Egypt (delicious traditional snacks). Yes, it’s the International Women’s Club of Kyiv (IWCK) annual seasonal charity bazaar. A brave band of embassy volunteers inspired by Olga, Caroline and Pippa has slaved to set up a spectacular-looking flag-draped stall with home-made jams, chutneys and Christmas puddings […]
25th November 2010
Sports of all kinds are popular in Ukraine. I’ve blogged before about that fact that at my 1:1 lunches, some of Ukraine’s top decision-makers are ready to have a quick game of table-tennis (a trend which continues – Ed) and about Kyiv’s fishing frenzy. So it’s an honour to have to lunch at the residence […]
16th November 2010 Chevening, UK
I’m experiencing the best times of my life. The people in Scotland as well as the international students are fantastic. Local people organised a lot of greeting parties and tours outside of Dundee. I already visited some places where Harry Potter was filmed. And of course Edinburgh…Speechless… Oleh Krykavskyy, a Chevening scholar from Ukraine, currently […]