This is a normal stairway to an apartment we stayed in. This is actually for the "white apartment" where there is no other choice but the stairs. Ukrainians do not replace the lightbulbs in the halls or outside of a door when it burns out. Occasionally you'll find a very small bulb that brings about the same light as the cell phone.
Can you find John on the stairs? No joke - this is what it looks like!
I blinded him by turning on the flash so you could actually see him (and so could I!). It is still light outside, by the way. Because all the buildings are made of very thick, solid concrete or brick, light only gets in through the occasional dirty windows that are placed on some floors.
The spot behind him is the front door and there is no side window and no lightbulb. You can see what we walk down to to try and head out of the building. On this one, the outside light is broken out too. But have no fear, this is a nice neighborhood. We understand the governor of the area has his office in one of the first floor spaces in this building. There is a police presence everywhere.
Thanking God for every lightbulb in Ukraine! - Jenn
Hi John and Jenn,
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I just adopted two girls, ages 9 and 10, from Matveevka village (near Zaporozhye). When I saw your photo of the stairs, it reminded me of an almost IDENTICAL photo I took earlier this year. We finally decided to move to another apartment because, in addition to poor/non-existent lighting, when one locks the apartment door from the outside, the people inside cannot exit. It made me appreciate the building codes we have in the U.S.! If you'd like a copy of my photo - complete with blue and white walls (same pattern), feel free to email me at barrytunes ("at" symbol) gmail.com.
Best of luck to you in your efforts. Our adoption trip lasted about 5 weeks which, I'm told, is in near record time! But we were able to finally adopt two girls whom we had met in June, 2005.
Barry (Charlottesville, VA)