The very first morning in Odessa, Ukraine, I had gotten
ready and was waiting for my teammates. Our apartment is quite a tight fit for
7 people, so I stepped outside. I brushed away a few orange and yellow leaves
from the front step and took a seat. A moment later, an old woman with a scarf
over her hair (the stereotypical picture of a babushka) came and began to
reprimand me and tell me not to sit on the step. Everything she said was in Russian and the best I could make
out was that my butt might get cold or dirty from sitting there. She seemed
very upset with me when I told her I was fine and she continued to scold me
until I finally stood up.
Later, our contact, Sveta, came to meet us and I asked her what
the old woman might have been trying to say. As Sveta started to explain, the
old babushka woman came out of her house and our Sveta was able to translate.
It turns out that the woman did not want me to sit on the cold step, because it
would hinder me from being able to have babies. Apparently, in the Ukraine, it
is a common belief that if your butt or feet get too cold, as a young woman,
you will not be able to reproduce.
I guess it is good to know my new neighbor is looking out
for me and my ability to some day get pregnant. 🙂
