Our Trip to Ukraine

By Hania Prybyla

Michael and I arrive in Kyiv on Ukraine International Airlines from Rome, on April 30, 2007, at 11:30 p.m. We are greeted with the traditional flowers and taken to our accommodations.

May 1^st – May Day – is a holiday, and the Communists are celebrating with their usual parade, waving their red banners. It is poorly attended.

Despite the cold weather, our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Mykola and Yaroslava Plawiuk, take us on a sightseeing tour of all the significant locations, churches and more churches, each more resplendent than the other. We are shown all the highlights of this beautiful city, statues erected in honour of past heroes, government buildings. Independence Square (Maydan), and all the important and outstanding buildings and places. The chestnut trees are in bloom, the tulips are out, and the trees in bud. Everything is green. Parks are plentiful and the view of the Dnipro River flowing by is remarkable. The city is literally in a park.

We go to Babyn Yar and see the statue dedicated to the thousands of people killed by the Nazis. We also pay homage at the grave of Olena Teliha, which is sacred ground. We are directed to the spot where the statue to her memory will be erected. This is a project sponsored by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture. Many private donations as well as various organizations have contributed toward this statue.

The following day, we are taken on a tour of the Olzhych Foundation. It is a large building and we are introduced to the staff, who are most friendly and happy to show us around. It opens our eyes to the amount of good work being done by the Foundation. Newspapers are being printed, as well as books, pamphlets and periodicals, all in Ukrainian. When necessary, the Olzhych Foundation lobbies the government for legislative changes.

Alongside Independence Square, we are able to observe demonstrations in support for Yanukovych. Blue flags and tents fill the park. We see mostly young people, who have been paid to demonstrate.

We spend four wonderful days in the beautiful City of Kyiv. It is a very prestigious city with many lovely buildings, many parks, and many, many cars, but with no place to park. Most people speak Russian. The shopping malls are moderm, just like those we have in Canada. The grocery stores are like ours... they sell everything. We are very surprised and impressed by what we see and experience.

To our hosts, Mykola and Yaroslava Plawiuk, we owe a huge thank you, for they took us everywhere, showed us everything and treated us royally!

On the morning of May 5^th, we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to be driven to Lviv. We see Ukraine from Kyiv to Lviv on the most perfectly warm, sunny day: the countryside with its many rolling hills, the orchards all in bloom, people working in the fields planting bulba (potatoes), the villages with old people sitting on benches in the Sun, the roads through the villages with their hens, chickens, cows in the pastures, and people walking everywhere. The golden domes of churches are sparkling in the sunlight. Everything looks shiny and bright. It is a wonderful trip!

We spend the next week in Lviv with family. We stay with Mariya Kurnytska and her family. They are most accommodating and gracious hosts. They take us to the selo to visit with Michael’s family in Pidhorodesche. We soon find out that we have more family than we knew of, for half the selo was family. What a surprise! Everyone knew that we were coming, and all were waiting to meet us and to host us. We are able to go to the house where Michael’s father was born. It is standing empty now, yet it is quite an emotional experience. Next, we go to Romaniw, his mother’s side, where his Aunt Kateryna is living in the family house. Again, all are awaiting us, and everyone is anxious to host us. What a wonderful day we have, meeting family we never knew we had, and seeing the villages where Michael’s mom and dad were born.

Of my impressions of Ukraine – people are better off than I thought. The village people work very hard. They have hydro and gas, but do not have indoor plumbing, and still have to go to the well for water. However, I did notice quite a few TV sets in the various houses we visited. The city dwellers all come out to the selo on weekends to look after their gardens. Mostly the old people are left in the villages, the young all live and work in the city.

There are some signs in English and Ukrainian in Lviv. The word “supermarket” and the word “stop” at intersections are most visible. Everyone has cell phones – men, women, the young, the old, and children. I could not believe what I was seeing! The outdoor market places are filled with food, everything from vegetables, dairy products, meat, clothing, shoes, and chocolates. You can buy whatever you like, the only thing needed is money. Many young people have left the country to earn a living. They leave their young children home with family, while they go to whatever country they can, to earn a living and come back home to better their lives.

The people that I talked to do not have much faith in the local family doctor. They are suspicious of medicines prescribed as they don’t always help. Teachers in the schools are often ready to take money from parents, and promote the pupils with grades that they have not earned. I was told that they are trying to unify the teaching methods, so that standard exams will be necessary throughout Ukraine, especially in high schools and universities, in order that all marks given for exams will be honestly earned. There is a lot of bribery going on at all levels of education.

I was impressed with everyone I met. I did not know what to expect when I left home, but I liked what I saw. The good, the bad, and the indifferent I took it all in and enjoyed myself very much. The country is beautiful, the people very kind and friendly, hospitable, and hard working. Everyone I talked to are for Yushchenko, and are hopeful for a better life to come.

For me, this was a trip of a lifetime, and I thank God that no one became sick, nor got hurt. We were able to go back to the Land of our parents, visit the graves of our deceased family members, to see the Land that I have heard about all of my life, and witness the beauty and the wonder of Ukraine!