Life

       Go to Google and type, “What is the meaning of …” The query will be pre-filled with “Life”. I can’t comprehend what the big deal is. In Ukraine, LIFE is a phone company. A better description would be it is a mobile phone service provider.

       In America most people will sign a two year contract for cell phone services. Usually this will mean a free phone and monthly payments of $50.00 - $100.00.  When I first came to Ukraine for a 2 week vacation someone wanted to rent me a phone but I realized that it was a better deal to just buy a phone and get a SIM card. However at that time I had no idea where to buy a phone because my Russian was so limited. I ended up just doing without.

       You have a couple of choices for mobile phone service in Ukraine. First of all, you can just acquire a phone and then get a SIM card. Your service is prepaid so there is no need for a contract. You can buy a card almost anywhere for more time. These can be purchased in different denominations such as 30, 50 or 100 Hryvnia (grivna) plus a small service fee. The card will usually have directions in English on how to refill. The Life card says: “To refill: dial *111*, enter the refill code and the # sign and press dial.” When you do this, Life will send a text message to you. I get these messages all the time and I have no idea what they say. You should find out which service your friends use because most of the time the calls are free with the same provider. Another option is to just use your phone from home and insert a new SIM card. You can only do this if your phone is unlocked. My understanding of my phone plan is very limited. I thought that I could call anyone using LIFE for free but I was recently informed that I could only do this for a month. After that, I would be paying for the calls that I make unless I refilled the phone. You are charged for texts but I’m not really sure how much. I have no way of knowing when my phone time is getting low. I just refill when I’m prevented from making calls or sending texts. I always keep spare ₴50 cards for emergencies.

Some other tips….

• Phones don’t work in the subway. I have seen people using phones in the subway but I’m sure they are just pretending their phone type devices have superpowers.
• Incoming calls are free.
• Life calls end after 30 minutes then you need to redial.
• Most people do not have voice mail unlike America where everyone has voice mail.
• If you call someone when their phone is off then a text is sent notifying them that you called.
• At an event that is very crowded (like last weeks Victory Day in Freedom square) phones may not work because the nearest cell tower is overloaded.
• Strangely enough my phone works in America and Russia but not in Moldova (I promise this is a real country. I believe it is near Grenomia) which is obviously much closer. It may not be a good idea to make or receive a call out of Ukraine because it will use up all the time on the phone of the paying person. Someone called me in Russia once and it killed my phone. I couldn’t even send text messages and I could not refill the phone. Never let this happen if you are in any sort of relationship. 

Posted by John