Filed under: Ukraine
My hometown is Odessa. I love Odessa because it has just about everything a person could want.
I was there with my parents last summer. It was one of my favourite summers and I’m desperate to return. As I stepped off the plane after a flight and my feet touched the arid ground I knew this was what I’d been waiting for a long time.
I and my little brother Daniel
Odessa is a port town, so you can find almost everything you want here. It’s famous for its boutiques, where you can buy all sorts of exclusive stuff, from yellow boots to multi-coloured rocking-chairs. I think Odessa is even more fashion-forward than Kiev is, and I always bring a lot of stuff back from any visits there. The jewelry is also wonderful, and the art will satisfy the most demanding tastes.
Odessa is a sea of emotions, laughter, interesting people, adventure, sun, music, and talents. You can look at it from different angles and see different moods and different styles. Some of the most famous people from Ukraine have Odessan origins, and I’m proud of that. Being from Odessa means I have twice as much responsibility on my shoulders as most people do, because I want to maintain the city’s image as a place that produces gifted people.
People born in Odessa are a little different from other people – it’s like the city gives you a positive attitude about life.
It’s no accident that the Yumorina festival was born in Odessa – there’s something special in the air here that made that happen. Everybody’s eager to have a good time, so more and more comedy festivals are popping up every year. These sorts of things don’t make money, but they do make people happy and let them relax. As the saying goes, ‘A laughing person lives longer’. When I come back to my hometown I always try to make time to catch events like that – they give me the energy to keep on going. I believe that when a person thinks in a positive way, he or she attracts positive people, and life gets better and more interesting. The positive attitude Odessans are famous for, however, can have a dark side – it can hide a certain amount of cunning. But I just accept that as part of Odessa’s local colour.
One of the charms of the Ukraine is that they have a large amount of sculptures. And my favorit monument is the monument Orange. According to the legends, Orange saved Odessa. The monument symbolizes the event that took place in the end of 18th century, when Pavel I agreed not to cancel Ekaterina’ rescript about Black sea port and city foundation on the place of Turkish fortress captured by Russian troops. It is said to have happened because the citizens of Odessa sent him the cart of oranges.
It’s a great city with lots to do and you notice something new everytime. If you ever get the chance to visit, it will be worth the trip.
My grandmother
By: Amelia
