Street Musicians

This afternoon I spent a few hours in Book Heaven-the little book district near the Arsenalna Metro station, which I stumbled upon in 2007. On my way to and from Arsenalna by way of Kreshchatik and Maidan, I saw quite a number of street musicians performing on accordians, guitars and (I think) a bandura. These hardy souls were plying their wares in Metro stations, tunnels or underground shopping districts. I include a few videos below.

One of these street players--a woman--was playing a most interesting stringed instrument--I am almost sure it was a bandura, a Ukrainian folk instrument of from 20 to 24 strings. She played with great skill, and then stopped playing to ask if I wanted to buy her CD.

I saw two of these musicians (here and here) playing in the same locations in 2007, which means that there are at least a few troubadours who can scrape by on the coins and small bills given to them by appreciative passers-by.

This gives me hope--if even a handful of street minstrels can make their way in Kyiv, then surely I should be able to live my dreams anywhere in the wide world.

A Few Things I Saw Today

Today I taught again at Taras Shevchenko University and at the National Aviation University. The assignment at Taras Schevchenko is especially pleasant, as it is about a twenty minute walk from my apartment and passes some of the great churches of this city of a thousand churches.

First, immediately after leaving my apartment I am literally across the street from St. Michael of the Golden Domes, with its sky-blue walls and the brilliant golden domes which it is named and known for. I then turn left past St. Michael's bell tower and can see St. Sophia's in the distance. Past St. Sophia's I walk through one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the world, with eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, most with beautiful frescoes, pediments and ornate statuary--it rather reminds me of walking into a Tolstoy novel. Then I come to Taras Shevchenko University--maybe the finest university in Ukraine and in all of eastern Europe. We meet in the famous "Red Building" facing Taras Shevchenko park, with its grand central statue. Our lecture room is off of the colonade-like hallway containing portraits of the worthies of the past. Then, once finished with the lecture at Taras Shevchenko, we cross the street to catch our bus directly in front of the Volodymyr Church, with its vivid yellow walls, dark blue domes and golden stars. Finally, on my list of great things seen today, is the magnificent illuminated column of the angelic figure "Bereginia"at the Kreschatik end of the central Maidan of Kyiv.

The New Kyiv Apartment

Corresponding with Chelom Leavitt and Olga Kupriyevych over the last 24 hours, I have received some more detail about the apartment in downtown Kyiv, which will be my home base for much of November. It is located at Triokhsviatytelska St. N

o. 9. It appears from the map and from Olga's excellent description that this apartment is directly across the street from the Volodymyrska Hirka park where the statue of the Baptizer is located overlooking the Dnipro, and only a few minute walk from St. Michael of the Golden Domes. It is also very close to St. Sophia's as well as the Maidan. I also note from the maps and a German language guidebook of Kyiv that I own, that the apartment is almost next door to the Catholic St. Alexander's Church. Olga tells me that it is only a twenty minute walk from the apartment to Taras Shevchenko University, which is one of two Kyiv universities where I will be lecturing. The second university--the National Aviation University, is reached by Marshrutka bus connections.

As I wrote in 2007, this neighborhood is very special to me, and I spent several days exploring this hill and all of its pathways, churches, monuments, gazebos and groves. I spent part of Thanksgiving 2007 writing in the Victorian gazebo overlooking the Dnipro. I also rode the Funicular almost every day from the Metro station at the bottom of the hill up to the rear of St. Michaels. This is also where I attended the very memorable Liturgy in the refectory church of St. John the Theologian, chronicled elsewhere on this site. Below is a view of St. Michaels on the right, and the little refectory church on the left.

Teaching at the Академії адвокатури України

Today was the first day of teaching. The first assignment was at 11:00 a.m. at Академії адвокатури (the Ukrainian Academy of Advocacy), a private law school specializing in the training of defense attorneys, with a student body of a little over a thousand. I had agreed to meet Olga at the Universityet Metro station, so left the apartment at about 10:10, boarded the Metro at Lva Tolstovo, switched to the red line at Maidan/Kreshchatik, then on to Universityet. It was my first experience in the Metro during the prime working hours. When the doors to the subway cars open, there is a tremendous press to both enter and exit. It then appears that the car is packed, like sardines in a can, but people continue to plunge in through the open doors, literally pressing the crowd back into the car. I got in myself, and quickly found that I should have remained by the door. After two stops, I was about in the middle of the car, and so when my stop came up, I had to put my briefcase over my head and push my way out.

It is interesting to observe the throngs of people as they ride the very long escalators up and down from the surface (the one at Universityet must be easily 500 feet long. Not a word is spoken, each individual rider lost in his or her own world.

The Academy is a pleasant building, with arched lecture rooms containing fireplaces. I lectured for an hour and twenty minutes on closing arguments, receiving many questions from the students. The group was unusually small because of finals, but it was a nice and pleasant way to break me in as a visiting lecturer. Afterward the department head and another professor from the school invited me to join them for "tea" in the on-site commissary. She seemed to know all about Utah, and told me that she had recently visited Salt Lake City, and had been to the "Temple" to hear the organ play and the choir sing. I told her that my sister sings in the choir.

Overall, I am very impressed with the students. Their command of English is amazing. I used a few English references which need a Russian/Ukrainian translation (such as when I talked about Gerry Spence's use of a three legged milking stool in jury summation to illustrate the prosecution's burden. The Russian word for milking stool is доения стула.

Valery and His Accordian

I promised my son-in-law that I would find him an accordian in Kyiv. I found it my first morning.

In the vast, cathedral-like passageway connecting the Kreschatik and the Maidan Metro stations I met and spoke with Valery, who was just setting up shop for a day of accordian playing. The acoustics of the vast arched ceiling were amazing, and he had quite a number of paying customers--Metro goers who dropped a few coins or small bills on his knapsack as they passed.