COVID-19 – How to deal with the pandemic and make the Ukrainian love last!

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic I have received almost 1000 e-mails. The e-mails have been entering my mailbox at such a rapid pace that I decided to write you this personal message.

You see – I noticed something. The senders all had one thing in common. Interested to know what it is?

I can describe it in one word: Panic! 

Thomas, can you please advice me on what to do? I was suppose to meet my girl in Kiev but all flights have been canceled. 

Maria and I had our wedding planned in August. Should we cancel it? We already made a downpayment of 10% and all hotels have been booked. 

These are just a few examples of the many questions which I received from our subscribers. There was even a gentleman that planned a big proposal in May but due to travel restrictions it had to be postponed. As a result there was extra tension in the relationship, additional stress and misunderstanding and I am sure you can do the math on what happened next.. a break-up!

Thankfully, after a few 1 on 1 consults it was sorted out and they are happily back together. But this is just one of the many examples on how a strange and unfamiliar situation can cause problems for our Ukrainian relationships.

To help out my readers, I made a summary of my experience answering all 1000 e-mails. These are my top 5 free tips on how to make your Ukrainian love last during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Don’t worry so much. You are all in the same boat.
  • She won’t rush and try to meet another date if you decide to postpone your trip. The lockdown is still pretty tight here so everybody will just have to wait.
• Keep communicating at all times. Even when your are upset.
  • You might have a few miscommunications due to pandemic related frustrations. That is absolutely normal but keep in mind that you don’t direct your frustrations towards her and vice versa. If so, go back to tip number 2.
• Keep a close eye on the airliners and recommendations of your government
  • Over the last few days the travel restrictions in Ukraine have been partially lifted. I think that in August (just an estimation) it will be allowed again to travel abroad. Use Ryanair to get the cheapest tickets to Kiev and Lviv and keep a close eye on their flight schedule.
• Use this time to really get to know each other
  • Why not work on improving the relationship by planning more Skype/FaceTime sessions? It will make the foundation even stronger when you go and visit Ukraine.
• Don’t compare your financial/job situation with hers
  • Ukraine has taken a hard hit and there is very little support from the government. She might be having more financial difficulty than you think.