Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
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A lot of people extended, I have not met anyone who said they did not enjoy living here. - Jun 2018
This post is really a gem, despite the hard work. - May 2017
Our favorite post - highly recommended! - Nov 2016
Our favorite post of our first three... great place to live, wonderful culture, awesome people, tasty good, excellent vodka. What more do you need? - Jul 2016
Travel! See Europe and the countryside! - Apr 2013
This is a tough post, but the pay is good, the Embassy community is good, and the locals are wonderful people. - Apr 2013
Ukrainians are generally well-mannered, polite, and culturally conservative. Kids are respectful of adults. If you've never experienced Eastern Europe, you might be in shock for several weeks. It will pass, and you will not be so affected by its bleakness and dysfunction, and you will start to enjoy the authenticity and the nostalgia of post-soviet Ukraine. What you see and experience is real - there is nothing artificial here. - Feb 2013
If Kyiv gets you down, go see other parts of Ukraine! I waited way too long to go to Crimea and it was a revelation. - Jul 2012
We've been very happy with our stay here, and think it was an excellent place to be for 2 years. I regret not exploring more of the small towns outside of Kyiv and not touring more of the museums here. - Aug 2009
The cost of housing is becoming prohibitive for many. A apartment for a family downtown is over US4,000/month. It is only slightly cheaper outside of the city. It seems to be mob controlled. - Apr 2008
All in all, it's been a great experience for me and my family. - Apr 2008
Kyiv is a hard place to live in ways that are hard to describe. I think if you just visited here or when you first arrive it would seem like a pretty cushy posting, but the longer you're here the more it starts to drain on you. Everything looks pretty modern and European, but soon the layers peel away and you realize this is not Europe. Things just tend to not work here. Traffic, government, restaurants, shops -- they just don't quite get it, but they're close. The problem is that far too many Ukrainians think they're living in a modern, developed city like Prague or Berlin when they're not. All in all, a decent place for two years and never boring, but be sure to get away on trips a few times a year. - Feb 2008
