How long does it take to turn from a local to a tourist in your own native city? In my case, it took me a bit over six years since the moment I moved to Canada and said goodbye to Kyiv, the city where I was born and raised. I've been back several times over the past six years spending about two days each time, but this year I felt like I wanted to explore my native city, much like tourists do when they happen to get to a new place. It's a mixed feeling because I still have very vivid memories of Kyiv and often see its people, its streets beautiful buildings and churches in my dreams, but this time around I clearly realized that I no longer belong there and the place I call home is somewhere else.
Kyiv (this is a correct Ukrainian spelling despite a more prevalent Russian spelling of "Kiev") is the largest and one of the oldest cities in Ukraine. In fact, it's older than the vast majority of European cities. There has been very little evidence preserved over the centuries, however many historians agree that Kyiv is about 1,500 years old.
To put things into perspective, Kyiv circa 1100 AD had a population of about 100,000 people while London only had about 10,000 people.
Kyiv grew as a city and became a centre of an emerging country called Kyivan Rus under the rule of Vikings in the 9-11 centuries. Many believe that period to be the golden age of Kyiv. St. Sophia Cathedral (pictured below) is the surviving witness of those times, although its exterior was altered in the 18th century to catch up with the popular Ukrainian Baroque style.
Several Slavic countries have been given birth to or have been greatly influenced by Kyivan Rus. Russia is among them. However, the greatest Kyiv leaders planted a weakness that eventually destroyed the country and put Kyiv with its young Ukrainian sovereignty at risk of existence for centuries. So what is the weakness I'm talking about? Each child of a Kyivan Rus leader would receive their own stake in the country, and after the death of their parent, they would fight each other until someone killed other siblings and become a leader of the entire country. But eventually, it would just tear the country apart into small chunks that are hard to defend against external threats.
So what does Kyiv look like today? Apparently, it is a strong European cultural, economic, and geopolitical centre.
It's a beautiful city despite numerous scars picked up throughout its history. Kyiv as well as the rest of Ukraine have been long ruled by malicious leaders and nations that were not attached to the Ukrainian people, their language, traditions, beliefs and values. Among them are Tatars, Russians, Polish, Germans and Ukrainian pseudo-patriots who emerged after Ukraine finally fought for its independence in 1991.
I have met many people from Kyiv here in Canada, and I'm always amazed at how open-minded these people generally are. I must admit that over 60-70% of people from Kyiv choose to use Russian in their day-to-day lives, but it does not mean that they are less patriotic than those people who speak Ukrainian.
Kyiv has been well-known as a relatively safe tourist destination, and lately, due to the weak economy in Ukraine, is attracting people from all over the world who work online and enjoy cheap life in terms of renting a place, food, public transport, utilities, entertainment, etc.
People from Kyiv much like the majority of Ukrainians are very friendly, caring and always willing to help if they know you personally. If they don't, they could care less about you or even be rude, boorish or take advantage of your situation. Combine this with the fact that most people speak little to no English, and you can imagine how miserable your life can be if you happen to get in trouble.
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There are lots of things to do in Kyiv. Its cultural life is very active and diverse. Theatres, museums, music concerts, sports events, nightclubs and so forth - everyone can find whatever they like.
Following the industrial revolution in the late 19th century, Kyiv has seen tremendous architectural growth. You probably need at least 3-4 days or a very jam-packed agenda with a hop-on/hop-off bus to see Kyiv's main attractions such as churches, palaces, squares, parks, historical places and old buildings.
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On the flip side, driving in Kyiv is not recommended due to often poor road conditions and a low level of culture and respect among auto drivers. Practically speaking, whoever has a more expensive car will have a right of way. This also includes a lack of respect for pedestrians that often results in cars parking on sidewalks. I even recall a situation back in 2008 when one car was driving on a sidewalk and a driver was beeping to pedestrians to give him a right of way. Unfortunately, this has not changed since then, and many say even gotten worse due to the poor economy, people displaced by the war and those who now have access to a weapon.
Kyiv is a city of contrasts where there is a small group of extremely wealthy people while others struggle to make ends meet.
Nevertheless, Kyiv has many times become a battlefield for freedom, independence, civic rights and human dignity. Joseph Stalin and his evil war commanders such as Georgy Zhukov who hated Ukraine and Ukrainians lost the city to Germans in 1941 with hundreds of thousands of casualties.
When I was in high school, I became very interested in the history of Kyiv, and I found out that Kyiv's western defence line built in the early 1930s would have been unbreakable had the Soviets not deliberately destroyed it before World War II even started. I saw those military pillboxes with thick concrete walls that had likely been detonated from inside. My suspicion is that Joseph Stalin feared that it could have been used by Ukrainians to fight for independence once the war began.
Kyiv hosted two events that shaped the modern history of Ukraine - the Orange Revolution in 2004 and Euromaidan in 2014. Both had a similar cause - to reinforce basic human rights and democracy and to fight authoritarianism and police brutality.
The former was totally peaceful while Euromaidan tragically took the lives of over 100 people who were killed by president-controlled militants in February 2014. But the short-term goal was accomplished - the tyrant Viktor Yanukovich has fled the country.
Euromaidan was also a cause (not a reason) for the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in February-March 2014 and the starting of a bloody separatist war in Eastern Ukraine that is still going on.
But there is a hope that the war will end and Ukraine will thrive again. There is so much human capital and goodwill among Ukrainians, and most importantly, a belief backed by two maidans that ensuring human rights is the top priority and that change can be made if needed.
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