In the country where its national anthem starts with words like “Ukraine hasn't died yet…”, it is notoriously obvious whom its gravitating towards, it is USA. The current president with its American wife only adds to this very noticeable relationship. Ukraine and USA are like sisters now. Very close.

Ukraine as a second largest country in Europe with the population of about 45 million people, is the center of the 1500+ year-old Slavic culture and civilization, aka Kyivan Rus, aka the bread basket of Europe.

Ukrainians drive cars, German and American, pay more for Japanese cars, pay about the same price for gas, have rising prices for food and real estate, banks giving credits to finance things they cannot otherwise afford, spend their money at supermarkets, McDonalds’ and coffee houses. Some items on the restaurant menus are in English, not to mention, store signs.

As part of its attempts to join EU and NATO, Ukraine has granted entry to all USA citizens without visa. Unlike USA though, Ukraine does not ask people to remove their shoes when going through the airport screeners.

Supermarkets in Ukraine are like new apartment buildings, popping up like mushrooms after the rain. As if there is an expected shortage. Everywhere, on every corner. Big flashy signs and billboards lure you advertising loans, cellular phone services, electronic products and cigarettes.

“Okay,” “Villa”, “Mega Market,” “Blockbuster,” “Imax”, “Coffee House,” “Hallmark,” “City.com,” “Target,” some in English, some in Cyrillic letters spelling out phonetically English words. Reading it, I felt like I never left USA. In fact, I felt like USA has expanded its territory to now include Ukraine as its new colony.

There are about 150 different banks in Ukraine. Financing cars and houses is a relatively new idea that is rapidly gaining popularity. Most people have their houses paid off due to privatization, inflation and other money transferring events that happened since 1991. But the young generation just joining the workforce is taking loans with interests that in the end makes them pay the bank almost double the price of the house, just like here in US.

Real estate prices have almost come up to the same level as in USA. About two years ago you could still buy a 2-bedroom apartment in Kiev for $250,000 US. This price tag has doubled by now. Vacationing houses and apartments on the shore of the Black Sea could easily cost you several millions of US dollars.

Urbanization had thrived in Ukraine as part of industrialization cultivated by USSR, and in more recent years, by USA. You can find giant multi-story apartment buildings that form districts or micro-regions in most Ukrainian cities. People who live there commute to work by buses, metro, cable car or other public transport.

Neither one of us really figured out what to do with garbage. Ukraine doesn't recycle except for glass items. Both countries have an incredible amount of garbage on the streets.

Air pollution remains on the list of things to do to “keep the city clean”, a government campaign delivered through social ads.

One area in which Ukraine is ahead of USA is in its policy about genetically modified crops, drugs or food items. It's illegal to grow or sell those in Ukraine. However, it is not always possible to test them, so most everyone is convinced that some of those are being circulated on the market, especially imported grains.

Ukrainian people had always kept close ties with nature and in the light of recent obsession of scientists with changing the DNA of food items, they've come up with their own solution to it – being self sustained in their food sources. Most everyone who has a house in the rural area grows their own food and animals.

It is relatively free to get medical services such as emergency help. But everyone expects some soft of bribes. So saying that everything is free is an overstatement, but saying you are out by $27,000 US after having an appendix removed if you don't have medical insurance is an extreme.

This is what many Ukrainians think of USA. They say it's the country of extremes. One example was about the animals. From one side we have Green Peace fighting for the dying whales somewhere off the coast of Indonesia, but here at home we castrate all dogs and cats.

Another one was about USA being the free country. Free on the paper, but when in comes to personal freedoms, it is very much restricted. US citizens back home cannot go to the park after dark, for example. In Ukraine you can even drink beer in the park before or after dark, which is what many people do there.

There is one big binding convenience for USA. Ukraine gladly takes US dollars at the rate that hasn't changed much in the last 8 years. Despite the fact that Euro had risen and devalued US dollar to almost half of its price in most countries, not in Ukraine! It is still traded at the same rate as it was before Euro came along, which is about: 5UA = 1US (+/- .50UA).

Although merchants and business men are slowly switching to buying more Euros than US dollars, Americans still feel pretty comfortable at the Currency Exchange kiosk.

But no matter what they say about USA and UA, aside from their names being different by only one letter, we all have one underlying goal – better future for our children. In pursuit of that many Ukrainians migrated to Greece, Germany, France, Canada, USA and other “better” countries. According to the Ukrainian embassy in Washington DC, there are about 900,000 Ukrainians living in USA. If anyone ever been to Chicago land, they’d attest to the feeling that Ukraine has expanded its territory, transcended boarders and geographical coordinates. Once in Ukrainian village near downtown Chicago, it’s like you never left Ukraine.

Since I just came back from my sister’s wedding, I can affirm that weddings are more fun in Ukraine, because of the entertainment part of it, full of challenges and obstacles for the groom to win over the bride. Some people here told me it used to be like that in US back in the days, but somehow “we became too lazy” to do it. Well, I’d say, it’s never too late to bring it back.

One thing I have never seen in USA is the love notes written with big bold letters on the pavement under someone’s balcony. Is this considered graffiti? If so, then it must be illegal here. But, I’m sure, if it ever becomes illegal in Ukraine, it will not stop the romantic Ukrainian soul from this form of self expression. I hope.