A Ukrainian Masquerade... or should I say Mask-o-raid?

Here's the thing... I realize that the swine flu is no laughing matter. It is a serious illness and a lot of people have died from it. And I DEFINITELY wouldn't be laughing if it was me that was sick in bed with H1N1.

But here's the other thing...

It just happens to be election time in Ukraine, and sadly enough, I'm sure you can imagine the way political figures have used things like the swine flu to get ahead in the game.

One such political figure declared a nationwide quarantine and ordered all public schools and mass-gathering places (movie theaters, public rallies, churches, concert halls, etc.) to be shut down for three weeks. Which just happened to be three days before one of her opponent's biggest political rallies was supposed to take place. Coincidence? Ha.

Maybe she really did have a pure concern for the safety, health, and well-being of the people. But maybe not.

Regardless of her motive, it was a move that not only caused severe paranoia amongst the people but undoubtedly secured her some extra votes. Perfect. For her... She looked like a hero. Nevermind the mass hysteria that took place after she did whatever she was trying to do.

And even though swine flu, political corruptness, and the lack of medical help is no laughing matter, what we saw the day after the quarantine announcement was funny. Truly funny.

Everyone was wearing surgical masks.

Seriously. All these beautiful women, dressed in fur coats and stillhetto boots, wearing surgical masks. People at the bus stops. People in the grocery stores. Men with their expensive jeans and Italian leather shoes. Wearing surgical masks. All in hopes that they wouldn't get the swine flu.

The saddest/funniest part about it is that wearing a surgical mask will not prevent you from getting the swine flu. Or any other flu for that matter. It only prevents you from giving it to other people. The simple fact that you should wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer is one that is little known around here apparently.

So I turned mask watching into a game. Just to pass the time. And I brought my camera with me.

I started by snapping pictures of any random mask I saw. Soon, I had compiled a mental list of pictures that I for sure wanted to get. Like a police officer with one on and a woman with a fur coat and mask on. And I wasn't going to blog about it until I got all the pictures I wanted. But the paranoia died down after a couple weeks and the surgical masks started disappearing. Quite unfortunate really. I didn't get all the ones I wanted. But here is a sampling of the Ukrainian population during the swine flu scare.

Just so you know, the game involved some serious amounts of stealth on my part. I got quite good at it, as you can tell.

The grocery store...

Retail places...

On the street...

Imagine the disappointment I feel that I didn't get a picture of the couple kissing with their masks pulled down around their necks. And even more so, the girl outside the grocery store with her mask around her chin, smoking a cigarette. Yep, it's swine flu that's gonna kill you...