Stahlke Adoption

Shoes

In Ukraine, Jonathan and I continued our love affair with "Kaffeetrinken," which we started when we lived in Germany in the early 1990s. After our afternoon visit with Kola at the orphanage, we'd go back into town and find a coffee shop or restaurant. One of our favorites was tucked into the back corner of the top floor of a large department store. The waitresses there got to know us, and always treated us very graciously.

The older waitresses wore very practical shoes while on the job. But one day, while we enjoyed our coffee and sweets, the shift for one of the waitresses ended, and she prepared to leave. Off went the work shoes and out came the stiletto heels. Like most Ukrainian women that we observed, she wouldn't go out in public without fine clothes and shoes, even for a simple commuting or shopping trip.

The entrance/exit to the department store had a metal grate over a shallow opening, to catch snow and ice from shoppers' shoes. For stiletto heels, the grate would seemingly make walking as difficult as livestock traversing a cattle guard. But I observed that all the women, without even a conscious thought, tip-toed across that grate without missing a stride. After that feat, cobblestone streets were a breeze!

posted by Stahlkes @ 9:24 PM