Wedding rings, water, and stuff

Ok, so this is a catch-all blog note.  Lots of different stuff clogs my brain and I have to empty it once in a while.

I started noticing people wearing rings on their right hands.  I asked and researched and found that in Ukraine, wedding rings are not worn on the left hand as in the USA (did I tell you that USA in Ukrainian is Seshaa?).  I just presumed (sic!) that to wear it on the left hand was universal.  Do you know why it's usually worn on the left hand?  There is a vein in the left ring finger that used to be called the "love vein" because it was believed that it connected directly with the heart.

Water.  A lot of people drink bottled water here and there are a lot of kinds of bottled water.  There is the standard mineral water which comes with gas or without, then there is filtered, purified water (such as Coca Cola produces in the States).  What is called "mineral water" is probably equivalent to what we call spring water.  Then there is real mineral water.  There is a bottled water that is drunk for health.  It's called Borjomi.  It tastes really salty plus other minerally tastes.  It's so hot here that people are mostly seen carrying bottles of water with them wherever they go.

Personal style.  There is a lot of high fashion to be seen here.  Ukrainians take great pride in wearing fashionable clothes.  I regularly see a much higher standard of dress than I see in the Rochester area.  But there is also an attitude of "wear what you want" and people do that too.  There are a lot of sandals in evidence because of the heat and people feel comfortable wearing socks with sandals, mostly black socks.  In the States, I would never dare be the object of constant ridicule for wearing socks, especially black socks with sandals.  Here I wear what I please.

Personal image.  I think Ukrainians must be more secure in themselves than most people I know.  There are a lot of really fit people, but there are also a lot of really unfit people and a whole lot of  big bellies.  People with big bellies still dress however they want to and don't seem to wonder or worry if they look all right.  Today, I must feel particularly Ukrainian.  I've been taking a reading/relaxing day because it's so hot and just moving causes major sweat outbreaks.  But around 2pm, I got a little peckish, so, without showering or combing my hair, I threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and wandered down to McDonald's to have a "Dabl Chizburger Menyoo" which is a meal combo.  I sat outside with raggy clothes, painfully white legs and feet and didn't give a hoot.  Nor did anyone else.