I am an American currently living in Belarus, the "last dictatorship in Europe." ask me anything!

My church did an exchange program years ago, bringing kids to the US and giving their parents one less mouth to feed so they can save money to leave. The parents were all evacuated from Ukraine to Belarus. My question is, is there still a high rate of evacuees in southern Belarus? They were put there with nothing but what they could carry and were essentially screwed. I just wonder how many have been able to make it out when the odds were stacked against them.

PS Belarusian is one of my favorite words to say.

I know the program you're talking about--and I have a surprising number of acquaintances that have gone to the States for repeated summers beginning in childhood. That kind of generosity makes me proud of my fellow americans.

If we're talking about the same program--I think the evacuation you're talking about is because of Chernobyl. Evacuees happened, and the dust has settled at this point for their being uprooted and all...they most likely live in cities nearby the Chernobyl zone or have moved to other parts of the CIS.

The city of Pryapit in Ukraine is an entire ghost town--really eerie place. Just abandoned overnight and quite radioactive.

Also, when you say "make it out" do you mean to make it out of the radioactive zone? So there are still stubborn old people that live in that region and they get on more/less fine. But about Chernobyl: when the meltdown happened, the government didn't tell anyone about it for about 2 weeks...every official in the city was afraid to take the fall for it...so people just continued to live there for that time, being exposed to lethal amounts of radiation. It was also a city populated mostly of young families--there were apparently some 90 weddings on the day that the meltdown happened.

Have you been to or heard of Staryya Darohi? My great great grandparents were from there, and I've always wanted to know about it.

No, I have not. The word, of course translates to "Old Road" so it sounds familiar--but that might just be because they are common words in and of themselves. Do you know, geographically, where it is in the country?

No ones asked the hard hitting question.

Hows the weed there man?

Illegal.

How are you treated over there, being an American? I remember when I visited Greece my friends and I got stared and often yelled at. Stared at for our clothing maybe? Yelled at for things like ordering food in English (yikes)

If I keep my mouth shut, I more/less blend in. When I lived in azerbaijan it was a very different story, because I don't look Azerbaijani. Here, when people find out i'm american they'll try to subtly stare at me or look with curiosity or try to use some English--nothing negative...unless it's the police who realize i'm foreign, then they just like to pick on me cause they're bored.

Also: being an American is really useful when it comes to meeting girls as well. Most of them are not after a green card--but there's an exotic factor that accompanies Western men.

Do you like Basketball?

no...it's because of a jealousy I harbor, though...nothing against the sport itself.