74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nicely Done!, November 24, 1999
I can totally relate to this book as I experienced the Ukrainian culture,firsthand, myself! While reading it I re-lived many memories: the restaurants that don't have half the items on the menu, the strange taxi services, the hotels, the people, the vendors and their booths, the markets, the different superstitions and etiquette's. As well as the differing Ukrainian attitudes regarding the "sub-cultures" that exist there; the wealthy or "New-rich," as they are called, the emerging "middle-class," and the impoverished.
It's true what the Author says about the Ukrainian people. They are of very strong character and deserve better than they have fared. I found them to be generous, polite and warm. I was invited to several friends homes for dinner... and the customary, "after dinner" entertainment that Ms. Dalton talks about in her book.
If you are looking for a refreshing, entertaining, and sometimes, sad but true reality, of how life is in another part of the world. This book provides an accurate portrayal of such. The book is a great read, and Meredith Dalton is right on target with her interpretation of the modern day Ukrainian culture. It brought back many vivid memories of my own personal "Culture Shock."
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honest, in-depth, and genuinely appreciative of Ukraine, March 12, 2002
This review is from: Ukraine (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
CULTURE SHOCK: UKRAINE ranks as one of the best installments of the Culture Shock series. Straightforward and very thorough, it gave this American reader a helpful introduction to Ukrainian culture. Written by an American, Meredith Dalton, who lived in Kyiv for some time, the book tells expatriates what they need to know for a smooth transition to living and working in Ukraine.
Ukraine is a very different country from the U.S., and things that Westerners would see as corruption and inefficiency are normal matters there. Dalton is very frank about how to deal with Ukrainian bureaucracy, how to maintain patience, and how to refrain from comparing everything to life back home. While she emphasizes to the reader that Ukraine may be a difficult and sometimes infuriating country for outsiders, she is always respectful of the Ukrainian culture and way of life. This is one of the few books in the Culture Shock series that are so admirably dedicated to preventing culture shock.
Meredith Dalton also tackles the delicate issue of ethnicity in Ukraine, and explains how, for some people, the country is polarised into a Ukrainian-speaking half and a Russian-speaking half. However, she also shows how the country is in most respects a united culture in spite of language differences.
I felt the section on Ukrainian cuisine could have been a bit more in-depth. Also, the book is geared towards future residents of Kyiv or Lviv, the two cities to which foreigners are most likely to move. As a result, Ukrainian village life is hardly mentioned. However, the meagreness of these topics left Dalton ample room for discussion of Ukrainian custom, etiquette, and superstition.
All in all, CULTURE SHOCK: UKRAINE is an essential resource for anyone vacationing in Ukraine or moving there. One of the best Culture Shock guides.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Culture Shock "Ukraine", May 5, 2001
By A Customer
This was a good book, I read it in two days time. If I had not had a personal contact in Ukraine I would have probably not wanted to visit this country as some of the stories details make you wonder if you can travel to that country and be somewhat safe. I did though get a lot of useful information out of this book though. I wish the book could have describe more of the country to include the eastern part since I was traveling to Lugansk and could not find any information. If you are just traveling to the central, western and southern part of Ukraine there is useful information. For the price of the book I considered this a good buy.
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