I decided to travel through Ukraine. Like 1.2 million other Canadians I have roots in this country and it was my hope to explore them. What I found when I arrived was that I was a walking, breathing backpacking cliché. I was just another clueless Canuck with dog-eared guidebook, blisters on my feet and vague idea of where my ancestors were from.
Thankfully what I also found a country with exciting cities and towns filled with impelling and intelligent people who deserve much more than to be caught in a crippling tug-of-war between Europe and Russia.
So I decided to stay here in Ukraine, get an apartment, something that resembles a job and see how much of this place I could absorb over a season. I also started a blog.
Then my Visa ran out and I moved to Berlin to do a Master in something or other at a fine University.
Though the location has changed my goal is still to eschew most the standard travel blog nonsense but that’s not always easy. I have loving and curious Grandparents after all. So there will be a bit of that, but there will also be:
- Jokes that try too hard.
- Broader issues affecting Ukrainians and Germans.
- My own half-baked ideas.
- Potentially insulting generalizations about people and cultures.
- Appalling spelling and grammar mistakes.
- Basketball!!!
- Nonsense
Please, please, please comment if you can. I’m writing this in a vacuum and I crave feedback. Good or bad, please let me know what think. I’ll send you updates on Facebook and ugh… Twitter.
Sam Toman
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I found a photograph done by you that shows a man sitting on a hillside by himself under a tree in black and white. I am a teacher and am putting together a project for a class. Do you mind if I use that image in my VoiceThread? It is purely for educational purposes.
No thanks.