Chapter VI.
Oksana asked for a Samsung SGM Cell-Phone, right after lunch one day, at Bekker Cafe. I got out the Hryvnya's and bought it for her.
I also bought her Air Max Running Shoes ($500 UAH). Oksana tried on twenty pairs, annoyed the store clerk to the extreme, and we took the first pair she tried on.
Eight months later, when I returned to Odessa, she had worn the hell out of them!
Oksana, Tanya (Oksana's roommate), and myself visited an aqua park in Chabanka named the Poseidon, on July 4, 2003. It is in a suburb of Odessa. We had to ride a seemingly long trek via Mitsubishi Mini-Van taxi.
I was accosted by a seemingly bitter babushka that day, in this foul smelling vehicle.
The Poseidon facility was 85% encapsulated, with a small patio for sunbathing, plus a wet bar, in the back. I received one of my two hot showers in the locker room as well.
A young Ukrainian man who worked at Poseidon asked me if I was American, in clear English. I was slightly shocked to hear my native language again. I told him I was.
The Architect-Designer of this aqua park's name is: Vladimir Finko. Finko worked on this particular park from 2001-2002. I was there a year after it had opened.
Tanya Davtyan went with us to Poseidon. I told Tanya that day that I wanted her to look after Oksana once I had gone home.
She fit into the common segmentation of Young Odessean Women I observed on this trip; diminutive, dark complected, and a smoker. Ukrainian females, I observed, appeared much different than American girls in stature, mannerism and overall sense of priority.
It was when I was with both girls that I noticed their small-pox vaccination scars. Women there wore blouses that revealed all of their arms during the summer, so their scars were vividly apparent.
I gave Oksana a friendship rock, which had been given to me on my birthday that year. It had “Faith,” inscribed into it. I told Oksana that it signified that I would be returning.
The McDonald's in Odessa I found to be home away from home. It is located near The Monument to Utysov. It was also very close in proximity to my apartment.
My apartment was close to The Odessa Opera House, The Monument of Duke Richelieu, the Odessa-Kempinski Hotel, and The Potemkin Staircase.
We ate at Bekker Cafe, several times, where Oksana is the Cafe Administrator. We took pictures separately on giant, leather upholstered, black and white bean bags in the bar area.
We took an evening ride on the ferry on the Black Sea on July 3, 2003. It was wonderful! We also took pictures in a professional studio together. Oksana wore vibrant gold braids in her glowing red hair.
I took her to MEXX before I left. I bought her a red, leather purse, as well as Italian pants and shirts.