April 11
For those wanting to know, here is some basic information about the Ukraine...
The Country
Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe, and the second largest country in Europe after Russia. The capital and largest city is Kyiv (Kiev). Much of Ukraine is a fertile plain suited for agriculture
In 1918 a Bolshevik (Communist) government was established in Ukraine, and in 1922 the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) was one of the four founding republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Ukraine's declaration of independence, approved by a popular vote on December 1, 1991, was a major factor in the USSR's collapse later that month. The country now has a democratic form of government headed by a president.
Way of Life
Ukraine's society was traditionally agrarian and village-based.
With Soviet rule came rapid modernization and urbanization. The highly regimented lifestyle of the Soviet period is slowly being supplanted by a consumer society. However, the transition to a market-based economy is difficult, and most people have been engaged in a desperate struggle to make ends meet.
The Ukrainian diet depends heavily on rye bread, potatoes, and borsch (beet soup). Pork and pork products, especially sausage and salo (a type of smoked bacon), are favored meats. Alcohol consumption, especially of the potent horilka, a wheat-based whiskey, is high, and smoking is widespread. Consumer goods are now more available than in the Soviet period, but few people can afford them. Soccer is the most popular spectator sport in Ukraine. The main leisure activity is watching television.
