Shopping

So yesterday, I had to go home early to show my new "maid" where everything was and then to pay my bills. After which I decided I had better order new glasses since they will take a month to six weeks to get here.
I suppose I should explain about the "maid" first. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have hired a girl to clean for me. After living in my apartment for three months I decided that I just needed to bite the bullet and hire someone to help me out. Between going to Kyiv about once a month and needing to go to the market and other things on weekends and crashing after work, I just don't have it in me to clean. Although, I probably would still not have done it if it hadn't been so cheap! For less than $10 she'll come twice a month for a few hours. That is irresistible! But I still feel guilty. :) I am trying to assuage my conscience however with reminders that I am sensitive to common cleaning agents, so it is better to have someone else do it for me anyway. But I'm not sure I'll ever get over it! It is just too much of a luxury in my mind.
Anyway, on to shopping. The reason my glasses will take so long is because they have to send them to Germany to get the necessary coatings. I must say, I was looking particularly dowdy yesterday when I went in the store. My boots are ancient and completely out of style (and being in style is what it is all about here) as is my purse. And my coat... lol Naturally, I did not garner a lot of interest from the sales ladies and certainly no respect.
Until I ordered my lenses. As soon as I told them that I wanted an anti-glare and also anti-scratch coating they had much more interest in me! When they realized that I quite understood the cost involved and did not blink an eye at spending as much on each lens as I did on the frames... I can't help but laugh about it! I spent $40 on each lens and also on the frames. If I bought glasses and had an eye examination in the States it would be at the very cheapest twice that! I had purposefully waited to get my glasses here, but they were simply astounded that this dowdy creature would spend so much on glasses! Oh well, they probably don't wear theirs everyday.
When I go in to pick them up, I am sure I will appear much more respectable in their eyes as I also bought new boots and a new purse yesterday. I am not a person who loves to shop, because I can't bear parting with my money just to be "in style", but I know it was time to pick up a few new things. Now at least I'll have warm feet this winter and I won't have to worry about my purse strap falling off all the time! And the side benefit is that I will appear to have so little care about my appearance.
It is really shocking how important appearances are here. It is much more bout how you look than even who you are. Having lived here long enough I have learned how to garner respect despite my appearance, but out of respect for people here, I do try not to be offensive in that area. It just seems so silly to me sometimes. On the other hand, I also know that the more "in style" I am the less likely I am to be picked out as a foreigner and that is a very motivating factor for me!

I have not forgotten the promised pictures. I wanted to do it last night, but after all my shopping I could barely sit up to eat my dinner before I toddled off to bed. Tonight is small group, but perhaps I can still do it.