This was the last picture I took before turning around and finding my way back to the landmark I had created. This area is on the outskirts of the city and rests beside the highway that goes towards the capital. As refreshing it was to come out here, I was not certain how safe it was for the only darker-skinned foreigner to loiter in the very white neighborhood.
Call me biased, but I have lived through the rough phase of being a dark-skinned foreigner in Ukraine. To be completely fair, the general attitude towards foreigners has improved significantly. If it weren't for the growing confidence I have in the acceptance level of the country, you would never find me wandering away in an unknown (possibly shady) neighborhood far away from home.
It is crazy how fast days turn into nights during the winter. One minute everything is glowing brightly with the sunlight bouncing off from the snow, and the next minute you have a quick blue hue surrounding you, and before you know it...it's bedtime! Getting away from the city was a breath of fresh air. I felt relaxed here. It was calm and nice, except for the parts where I felt like I was back in 2013's Ukraine.
This really resembles 2013's Ukraine. Walk any direction away from the main roads and you'd be immediately surrounded by smaller houses with sloped roofs. It would be a jungle of tall concrete beams from which a vineyard of electrical wires would hang. Once in a blue moon, you'd stumble across a building that's taller than 5 floors and there'd be endless empty fields filled with snow.
The same goes for the roads. Hardly any cars on them. Whatever few cars would be there was most probably an antique Lada, Volga, a really beautiful Moskvich, and the sorts. This picture really takes me back. There used to be such insulated pipes all over the city. Just there casually chilling in the middle of the pavements. Nowadays they've gone underground. But this brought back memories.
I had found these beautiful ornaments earlier. I did not dare get too close to them. These ornaments are part of the "garden". Basically, a patch of grass around a residential building that the "babuska" takes care of. They are super sensitive about their flowers, winter or not, dead or alive.
The best part about this exploration was when I entered a few businesses in the neighborhood to cope with the burning cold weather. I was followed around by the guard inside the only supermarket in the entire area. Was a...funny experience. I know it was not a common thing because guards always stand by the gates and next to the cashiers. So this was different, right? Or am I overthinking this?
All the saleswomen were super friendly. I wanted to read their expressions but I thought it would be rude to stare at them. I bet it was very different. I don't think it's usual to find a foreigner in their stores. It was really nice to have an actual conversation with the saleswomen, compared to the one-word conversations we usually have in the city.
Overall, probably the best stroll I have had in a long time. I am thinking to venture out to the more isolated areas again.
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