Baba is what I called my granny on my father’s side … or sometimes just simply “Ba.” My Baba was an amazing woman. Her folk wisdom and wit still inspire me to this day … even though I didn’t really even know her. I was only two years old when she died, so there were times growing up when I wondered if I invented her myself. But she definitely did exist. I know this because throughout my childhood years, my mum was in the habit of prefacing folk sayings with: “As your Baba said…” As a rule, in Ukrainian the sayings rhymed and made great sense. Here are a few examples: Вміла готувати, та не вміла подавати. (Good cooking, but poor presentation) Дешева рибка – погана юшка. (Cheap fish makes bad soup) Не так сталося, як гадалося. (Appearances can be deceiving). Що швидко робиться, то криве родиться. (Haste makes waste.) В чужих руках завше більший шматок. (The neighbour’s grass is always greener.) За дурною головою і ногам нема спокою. (A foolish head creates restless legs.) Дай Боже нашому теляті вовка зЇ’cти. (Please Lord, allow our calf to eat a wolf) Не вчи рибу плавати. (Do not teach a fish to swim) Дальше очі – дальше серце. (Out of sight […]

Victor’s Vignettes … Stories about Life in soviet and post-soviet Ukraine. -by Victor Sergeyev Mikolayev, Ukraine The Music Of My Childhood — 1966-1975 When it came to music listening in soviet Ukraine, we always had choices. We could tune in on radio receivers to hear soundtracks of the two available TV channels, the state-controlled Moscow channel and the pro-Moscow Kiev channel. Or we could create a cultural environment of our own … underground. Of course, the latter choice was by far the most popular. Not that it was easy. In official stores only government-sanctioned goods were available for purchase. So radio receivers came without 19 and 25 meter bands, to block transmissions of Voice of America and BBC channels. But where there is a will, there is always a way. There was the black market, occasional trips abroad, and of course we could always build our own radios. As well, there were old WWII trophy German radios around, or you could buy good Japanese tape recorders with built-in radios. As I said, we had choices. My home town of Nikolaev is a sea port … and for me, it was a window to the world. The seamen always brought home […]