Clothing:

• Business attire in Ukraine is generally formal and conservative.
• Adoption Center clothing should be casual, yet conservative. Jeans are fine.
• For court appearances, clothing should be business casual. Slacks and a shirt with a collar for men (ties optional); conservative dresses for women.
• Visit to orphanage, walking in Ukraine, or any other day, clothing can be whatever is comfortable. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts, and dresses are all fine.
• Ukrainians can be seen wearing a variety of all types and colors of clothing; however, most women prefer to wear dresses and skirts more than pants.
• Ukrainian clothing is not quite as sturdy as American clothing. Most Ukrainian clothing is washed by hand and hung out to dry. They usually will not survive washing machines back home.

Etiquette:

• Placing your thumb between your first two fingers is the same as flipping someone off.
• Shaking hands with a person over the threshold of a door is considered bad luck by some Ukrainians.
• If you give flowers to someone, be sure that you give an uneven number of flowers. An even number of flowers is only given to people in mourning.
• Women wearing black outfits, or black scarfs worn on their head, are usually in mourning. They may be in mourning for as much as three to six months after their loved one's death.
• Be prepared to offer, or give if asked, any cigarettes, snacks, gum, or snacks you have with your Ukrainian friends.

Miscellaneous:

• There must not be any Humane Societies in Ukraine. Stray dogs and cats are everywhere.
• Stray animals are basically ignored by most Ukrainians. They are allowed to wander almost everywhere, even inside restaurants.
• You will see beggars. Whenever you travel abroad, you should not hand out money to strangers. There are people that watch for foreigners to do so, and will target you for mugging. Many times, beggars, especially children, make more money than the average working Ukrainian.
• Everybody smokes. Cigarettes are sold in the market and at most street corners.
• Pornographic magazines can be found in the markets completely visible to all.
• Most trees in parks and by the roadside have the bottom two feet of the bark painted white. This is done to keep small animals from eating the bark...