The crow of the rooster, the chime of the city clock; the sound of the wind whirling through the leaves of the fig and cherry trees; the clink of last night’s beer bottles rolling atop the cobbled and pockmarked roads, propelled by the breeze; the laughter and chants of children in the distant fields, a spontaneous soccer match; the occasional zipping moped passing in the street; barks from roaming gangs of feral dogs… The seemingly-infinite green steppe in the distance, seen from my apartment window; the flare of the sun reflecting off the golden tops of archaic churches, shining through the spaces between derelict Soviet Bloc buildings… The scent of manure here, baked goods there…
This is my new home – Artemovsk, Ukraine. The sounds, sights and scents of Portland, Oregon have been replaced. Gone is the subtle screeching of passing MAX cars, sirens in the night. Gone also are the fleeting conversations of passers-by in my native tongue. In their place, the Russian ramblings of my Ukrainian neighbors. No more Fox Tower, Made In Oregon or Freemont Bridge. No glass multi-story condo towers or Pearl District. No scent of freshly-pressed Stumptown coffee, Ken’s Artisan Bakery. Everything foreign.
I was just reading how the greatest novelists of all time always mention a dog barking in the distance. I’m excited to read your first book.
I’m excited to find your blog. My daughter is a volunteer in Western Ukraine….but she hasn’t been writing anything except tiny answers to my questions on Facebook : ) Boo! I am coming to visit her at the end of July and I’m really looking forward to it. Good luck in your assignment.
While trying to find out more information about Artyemovsk I found your site. In 2002 my wife and I spent about three weeks in Artyemovsk to adopt our son. He is now 11 and is starting to want to learn more about where he came from. We would love to have some contact with people who are or have lived there to help us learn more about the area and culture. We look forward to hearing from you.