Many cities in Ukraine are nicknamed: little Vienna, little Florence, new Berlin. Many Ukrainians are proud of such comparisons, considering it cool to call their city a small copy of another - a more significant place in the world. After all, it is not at all difficult to say Chernivtsi but not “little Vienna”, and Kyiv but not “new Berlin”. For me, these comparisons became so prickly even in the era of globalisation, that I decided to make a local connection with my own country. I used to travel only to big cities or capitals. I was not interested in looking at the life of the small and calm. In the same way, I traveled little in my native country. Where did you see an Italian who had never travel outside Rome? There are none, because all Italians traveled their country far and wide, having been to even the smallest cities and are respect each of them. Over the last year of traveling, I have learned to look differently at small cities abroad, and now I am also learning to change my mind about small cities in Ukraine. During the summer 2019, I visited to Italy and Sweden with a group of travellers. 10 days and 3 weeks, respectively, for each country. We constantly moved from place to place every day. Probably, I would not have decided on a similar adventure abroad, but in Ukraine - my native country – easily. Therefore, when I returned from my last summer foreign travel, my goal was to see as many Ukrainian cities and their inhabitants as possible. The “making a local connection” mission began in Kyiv. I had a guided tour of my hometown to learn more about it. Everyday I see Kyiv on the way to work or university, but it’s too little. We walked around the courtyards that I had never seen, and did not even think about them when I was walking around the whole neighbourhood. It turns out that in some areas of Kiev there are secret passages - courtyards that allow you to go through the times soaking up the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that people in different areas of Kyiv are different. For example, creative youth likes to rent apartments in the Golden Gate area. A lot of cafes, tattoo salons, yoga rooms and game centres have mushroomed to meet requirements of the golden youth. Students and grandmothers with 5-room apartments live in Podil area. People are tranquil and ride a street car for pleasure. I like strolling on Podil and looking at old refined houses, without noticing garbage mountains with the kingdom of rats. There is also Obolon district in which I live. This is one of the largest areas in the city number 1 choice of newborn families. The entire infrastructure is built so that you can get from this residential to any point in Kiev. There are trams, subway, minibuses, buses... And many more shopping centres. Kyiv, perhaps, is similar to Berlin with its graffiti and murals on the walls, galleries and cafes with terraces on the street. And yet, it is unique. It is individual for every tourist and resident. Kyiv opens to you from the side from which you are ready to perceive it. It's like looking at old houses but focusing on litter and rodents. Everyone chooses what to be amazed by. Then I went to the former capital of Ukraine - Kharkiv. Of course, it can be compared with Rome because of the grand buildings and huge areas, because of the rundown houses on the outskirts. There are 2 types of people living in Kharkiv: conservatively secretive or open and chatty. A very striking feature of all citizens is the vivid pronunciation of the letters "w" and «g.». Kharkiv, beeing the former capital, is current capital of constructivism, there are a lot of architectural universities and restaurants. As if students after lectures went for lunch of foie gras and croutons of gluten-free bread. Further from Kharkiv I returned to central Ukraine and, having been a little at home, went to the West. In western Ukraine there are more small cities, with the cultural center Lviv. There are a lot of churches, theatres and pebble streets. To the West of the country, people get warmer, more talkative and welcoming. They do not immediately become your friends, but after the first acquaintance they invite you round for coffee or borsch. Borscht, by the way, is different for every housewife. And, like snowflakes, you will not be able to find borscht that is the same in taste. Someone adds cabbage at the very end, someone loves with meat or beans, in Poltava they add jam to borsch, and in Rivne - a lot of beetroots. After Lviv, I will definitely go even further westward, to the very border of Ukraine with Poland and Hungary. There, in small villages, the Ukrainian language is completely different - each village has its own dialect and style. I will be walking in the mountains, eating caned food, and in the evening I`ll be sitting in front of the fire listening to stories about the life of old people. I think next I will go south to the bustling Jewish Odessa, which will whirl me in dances under the to the accordion, feed me fresh fish and fill my head with local tales and jokes. In order to plunge into the unknown, you need to start with the supposedly known country - with your own. I assure you, you still do not know much about it.