The main feature of Zakarpattia is the Carpathian Mountains. The name Zakarpattia actually means behind the Carpathians, and the geography has given it a different character than a lot of Ukraine. Most of the cities and towns are on the other side of the mountains from the rest of the country, and in general it's actually easier to get to other countries than to get to the rest of Ukraine. This has given the region a much more European feel than a lot of Ukraine.
The main industries are forestry and tourism, and in general it's a wealthy region. A lot of people from this region also work abroad, primarily in Germany or the Czech Republic, and send money home to their families.
The language here has a very distinctive sound. They primarily speak Ukrainian, but with a sampling of words from Russian, Romania, and Hungarian. It's a distinct dialect, and people I've met here complain that when they go to Kiev no one understands them because of their accent!
Time is a very interesting topic here. There are two ways to tell time. Officially, the entire country is in the same time zone, Eastern European Time. Government offices all work according to this time. However, geographically, the region is in the Central European Time zone, and unofficially keep to that time. To make it even more complicated, official time follows daylight savings but local time does not, so currently local time is two hours behind the official time which we call Kiev time.) Whenever making plans, you need to clarify whether or not you are referring to Kiev time or village time!
The character here is very open and friendly. People are very proud of their region and identity, and particularly very proud of the freshness and beauty of their landscape. There are many conversations about how fresh and good the local food and water is and bemoaning the state of things in other areas.
Being in a village is more culture shock to me than just being in another country. I have always lived in cities, so suddenly living in a small farming community with livestock everywhere is pretty hard to adjust to! But so far everyone has been very friendly and welcoming, and I'm looking forward to getting to know this region better.
Here is a photo of the local kids.
