Ukraine (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "On the last day of November 2001, a Ukrainian friend drove in from Kharkiv to Kyiv to see me before my departure for the United..." (more)
Key Phrases: dissident jokes, expat community, immigration card, Soviet Union, United States, New Russian (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company; 2001st Expanded ed. edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558686320
• ISBN-13: 978-1558686328
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #664,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #16 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Belarus & Ukraine
  #95 in	Books > History > Europe > Ukraine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Done!, November 24, 1999

By	Ron Richmond (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture Shock! Ukraine (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)

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."

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, in-depth, and genuinely appreciative of Ukraine, March 12, 2002

By	Christopher Culver - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Really outdated!, June 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Culture Shock! Ukraine (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)

This book is somewhat helpful but hopelessly outdated. Ukraine is changing rapidly and this book just is not of much use at all! See if you can buy it used, but don't waste your money on a new copy.