Kyiv and more
I am on a train again tomorrow from Wroclaw to Kyiv, via Przemysl. I am meeting our small film team there from SA who start to arrive from Sunday. We will be shooting in Kyiv for about 5 weeks for our documentary film project which is in very good shape. We are on track to finish the film by year end.
Here is a cool, new web site about Kyiv. Have a look : www.kyivandmore.com
Ukraine has a long and painful history and an inspired soul. Yes, Ukrainians love life and they are very proud of their identity and culture. This evil war brought on by Ukraine’s twisted neighour to the East is all about identity. Ukraine is not Russia. Ukraine has its own language, its own traditions and Ukrainians are all about progress and going forward. There is a desire to get closer to Europe and the West and the majority of the country believes in joining the EU.
Film making 101
Mykhailo Fedorov Is Running Ukraine’s War Like a Startup
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has helped the country bootstrap and innovate its war effort, creating a defense industry from scratch, and using his Big Tech ties to cut Russia off from the world.
It’s exciting to return to the magical, buzzing city that is Kyiv — bombs and all
I have been back at home now in Kyiv for the past three weeks and everything feels normal. The city is busy and buzzing and it is hard to believe that this evil war is still raging on. And it feels good, and, well, magical. Yes, there is something extraordinary going on here in Ukraine.
It is indeed like magic. It is not what anyone thought would ever happen.
The media certainly got it all wrong. Everyone said that Kyiv would fall in three days, and then people went on about how Ukraine would freeze to death over the winter, and how there would be bandits and looting all over the place. Quite the opposite, actually.
But of course, it is not normal at all. When the air raid sirens go off, then you know that nothing is the same. People are exhausted and traumatised and, yes, people are dying. Innocent people are being killed. The Russians bomb shopping malls, restaurants, residential buildings, hospitals, schools… It is pure evil.
Training
I got back to Wroclaw yesterday. My time back home in Kyiv was good for the soul. Yes, of course, it’s not for everyone – there is a war that is raging on. But the spirit in Kyiv is intact and the city is packed. All feels “normal” and then drones and missiles attack and air raid sirens blare … and then nothing is normal. And the next day, life goes on, and the city continues to buzz.
The train ride from Kyiv to Wroclaw via the Polish border town of Przemyśl is intense. Not too uncomfortable, but very very long. And of course, being from South Africa I am always staying close to my luggage and never letting my laptop bag out of my site. Hard to try switch off and catch 40 winks when you are so wired. It is the South African way. We are well trained. And on this subject of crime, I heard an interesting story in Kyiv about the crime rate.
The crime rate in Ukraine is at all time low. Living in Kyiv I can’t say I was ever conscious about crime. In all my time in Kyiv I never heard of a robbery, mugging, hijacking, or anything bad. Coming from South Africa we know all about the crime rate, and we are very aware of our surroundings. So when I get told that Kyiv has never been safer I am thinking “Patriots ?”. Well, that too. But this was about criminal activity. With the war raging on the country is at a record low crime rate.
Of course, I was intrigued. And considering that the world’s commentators went on about how it would be like Mad Max in Ukraine with looting and riots … it’s actually quite the opposite. Everyone is kind in Ukraine and since the war, the kindness is greater than ever.
So why is the crime rate so low. The explanation I heard was funny but plausible. If someone steals my phone, say, and the cops catch the criminal, they just shoot them. No questions. No court date. No lawyers, No fines. Just, BAM – end of that criminal’s career. There is simply no time for crime. The police, for example, are worrying about a war, so if you do something wrong they just end you. Now I am sure this is not the case, but I think you get the message. If you do something wrong they throw the book at you. They are fighting a war – there is just no time for nonsense.
Next month I am on the lonnnnnnnnng train back to Kyiv. Meeting up with our small film team there for a film shoot. We are on the last stretch of our Ukraine film project. We are crafting an important story with purpose. All is good and on track. Something amazing is coming together. A story that will talk to people’s hearts and help drive a different conversation about Ukraine.
The world’s best ethnic joke
An Englishman, a Scotsman, an Irishman, a Turk, a German, an Indian, an American, an Argentinean, a Dane, an Australian, a Slovakian, an Egyptian, a Japanese, a Moroccan, a Frenchman, a New Zealander, a Spaniard, a Russian, a Guatemalan, a Colombian, a Pakistani, a Malaysian, a Croatian, a Pole, a Lithuanian, a Chinese, a Sri Lankan, a Lebanese, a Cayman Islander, a Ugandan, a Vietnamese, a Korean, a Uruguayan, a Czech, an Icelander, a Mexican, a Finn, a Honduran, a Panamanian, an Andorran, an Israeli, a Venezuelan, a Fijian, a Peruvian, an Estonian, a Brazilian, a Portuguese, a Liechtensteiner, a Mongolian, a Hungarian, a Canadian, a Moldovan, a Haitian, a Norfolk Islander, a Macedonian, a Bolivian, a Cook Islander, a Tajikistani, a Samoan, an Armenian, an Aruban, an Albanian, a Greenlander, a Micronesian, a Virgin Islander, a Georgian, a Bahaman, a Belarusian, a Cuban, a Tongan, a Cambodian, a Qatari, an Azerbaijani, a Romanian, a Chilean, a Kyrgyztani, a Jamaican, a Filipino, a Ukrainian, a Dutchman, a Taiwanese, an Ecuadorian, a Costa Rican, a Swede, a Bulgarian, a Serb, a Swiss, a Greek, a Belgian, a Singaporean, an Italian, and a Norwegian walk into a fine restaurant. “I’m sorry,” said the maître d’, “but you can’t come in here without a Thai.”
Visiting Ukraine? You should know this first!
Hot Kyiv
It is very very hot In Kyiv. I reckon it is going to be another roasting summer in Europe. I am not a big fan of the heat. My pale complexion is not that good in the sun. And there I am complaining again … besides the heat I have nothing else to moan about. I am a big fan of Kyiv, and it is where I feel at home. Er, actually, this is my home. I am in Kyiv now, at home, and am happy to be here.
I have been here for just over a week and so much about this magical place just blows my mind. The construction for starters. Cranes, cranes and more cranes. You cranes. Ok ok, that is a silly joke. But seriously. You can’t believe how much building is going on in the city. I guess these guys know who is going to win the war.
I am also amazed at how many cool new restaurants I have seen that have opened since I was here last September. Now that we are based in Wroclaw I imagine I will be back in Kyiv more regularly. We have a lot of work to finish before year end on the Ukraine film project, which is entering a very exciting new chapter. And sometime in August the small film team from SA will travel to Wroclaw and then will come with me to Kyiv on the train and we will shoot the last part of the film. That is the current plan. Of course, all plans now can change quite quickly depending on the state of the war. If WW III starts then who knows what will be. Anything is possible.
In January of last year, Marta and I both got corona, and we were ok. A lot of folk were stressed in Ukraine about corona because of the perceived lack of medical infrastructure. And by the end of that month I had a moment, in my home office here in the Nest, where I said to myself “I am content” – a month later the war started.
I have chosen a difficult path in life, being a film entrepreneur and storyteller, for some reason, but I have no regrets – I have lived a full and rich life filled with challenges and stress, and it has been intense at times, and often, very humbling, and flowing with inspiration. And I have got to know some amazing people. I have also been very lucky in life, with my other passion, in IT, and I thank God for that. I have also had many disappointments in life and have learned to live with the pain. I have never suffered from jealousy or envy and I thank God for what I have – there are many blessing to count each day. And I am lucky to know some inspired souls in the world and it genuinely excites me when the people I care about are doing good things out there and that they are filled with excitement and inspiration. It inspires me too. And yes, not so long ago I was at peace (interesting word, considering) for the first time. It was that content feeling that I thought was the meaning of life, for me, finally. And then, it was all taken away – just like that.
This film we are working on is helping me deal with the pain. We are crafting a story about modern Ukraine, that we started shooting in 2018. Right now a sense of purpose is keeping me sane. That and the air conditioner. Did I mention it is very hot here.
I spent Thursday night in the small hours sitting on an out-grown Bunster mattress in the corridor. I was not alone. Our one new neighbour was also there, on beanbags. A family with 3 kids and a small dog. Warm, cool folk. And they sure can snore all of them. They must be used to this insane routine. Yup, air raid sirens woke us all up and the two wall rule kicked in – a newly accepted activity in a not so normal world.
Friday night were more air raid sirens and a missile struck a residential building in the center of the city. I reckon most people did not sleep much this night, but the main reason was because everyone was on Telegram, following what was going on inside Russia. This weekend in hot Kyiv the energy has been just incredible.
Kyiv is buzzing today !!!
PrettyApt 