Scribbles

Back in France, I got a call from one of my best friends in San Francisco. “Johnny, we’re going to Odessa.
You have to join us there.” The first thought to flash in my mind: Where in the world is Odessa? Before I knew it, I was booking flights to the popular summer hotspot in the Ukraine. After all, I’ve yet to regret traveling to unknown destinations, especially with this guy. Despite having no expectations and not speaking Russian, upon arrival I immediately got into it, and my adventuring mood came full swing. This curious, outgoing energy led me to meet some of the friendliest locals who showed us around, sharing with us their culture, music, and of course good times.

One day, we asked two law students for directions. As we talked, and realized how well they spoke English, the exchange grew interesting. Despite their initial timidity, they opened up and then graciously offered to show us their beautiful city in a few days. Of course we accepted their kind offer, and the ever studious Katya even showed up with a history book of their city. I can’t think of a better way to discover a new place.

Later that same night, another friend whom we met, the jubilant and garrulous Nikita drove us around the entire city for the night tour. I saw some of the same sights as earlier in the day, but under a different light. He even took us to a military museum where we climbed tanks, artillery, and other Cold War era military vehicles. On a side note, one annoying aspect about being a foreigner in Odessa is the constant hassling we received from the cops, asking for our passports and wanting to see visas. Since they had no clue about visa requirements (US citizens don’t need one for 30 days), they were clearly looking for bribes. Anyhoot, since I had to carry mine, I found it most fitting to flash my passport while sitting atop the Russian tank.

While walking around town one day, I discovered an Indian restaurant. So I suggested that we try it out. Rage Tandoori became our daily eatery for the remaining of our trip. Not just because the food was great, but the people we befriended there. Eloquent Ragu, the owner, talked to us about his investments all over the world.
And then Neeraj, from the same town as my buddy, became our goto guy for any logistics or questions.

It’s true that I had been very clubbed out by the time I arrived in Odessa. INSEAD will do that to you. But there was a stretch along the beach, called Arkadia, that hosted 5-8 large scale clubs that simply would not stop. Everyday people would party until the sun came out of the Black Sea. It’s an experience that cannot be missed
while there. Nikita and Peter made sure of that.

Our time there definitely cannot be categorized as the typical tourist experience. And that’s simply because the people we met made it so wonderful. I had not met many Ukrainians in my life before. Now I can say that those in Odessa are genuinely hospitable and warm once they open up to you. They’re a bit shy at first, feeling apprehensive about their English ability. But give them some encouragement, and they will communicate with you just fine.