Are You Settled Yet?

This is a common question we hear from both our Ukrainian friends and our Western friends. But how does one answer such a question. It is very subjective. How do you measure “being settled”? Am I settled when I’m comfortable in the culture? If that is the case, I’m settled some days and unsettled others. Are you settled when you have a routine? If that is the case, then I don’t think I have ever been settled in my life. Well, I don’t know if I’m settled but I can say that I, at least, am a step closer to “being settled” today. Today, December 15, 2009, after four months, I am finally caught up on my bills. Over the last four months I have visited the office for gas, heat, taxes, internet and telephone. One by one, I have answered their questions, gathered documents, given money (through the bank) of course. One by one they have told me, “You’re good for another year.” Today, I paid for one year of our “domophone”. I actually paid from August 2009 to August 2010. What is a domophone? It is the system that lets someone at our entrance call us so we can push a button and let them in the building. They system was installed while we were in the states and I didn’t realize that I needed to pay for a year until the end of August. They company didn’t give me a book or a bill or anything. I called them and they said to go to any “Ukrasibbank”, show them the agreement and pay. Well I couldn’t find an Ukrasibbank – not that I looked that hard, until last week. So today I went to the bank, showed them the agreement and they said (of course), “This is the wrong bank”. Wouldn’t you know it? There is an Ukrasibbank and an Ukrasipbank. The bank I went to was the Ukrasibbank and I needed the Ukrasipbank. What I heard on the phone was, “Go to any Ukrasi??bank.” Well, it turned out that the Ukrasipbank was near the Ukraisibbank so I was able to pay for our domophone. Now I am one step closer to being settled.