A Weekly Ritual
By Walter Kish
Almost every Saturday or Sunday for the past five years or so, I have sat down at my computer, wherever I might have been, and have composed this column. In a way, it has become a ritual, one that has provided a certain framework for an important aspect of my life. Being part of what is commonly called the Ukrainian Diaspora has not always been an easy or positive experience, and writing about it has enabled me to sort out my thoughts, feelings and perceptions into some sort of cultural and personal order that I can live with.
Over the past year, a new dimension has been added in that I have been able to write from the perspective of someone living in Ukraine. In a way, it is has provided a logical continuum to my understanding of all things Ukrainian, one that would not have been possible from strictly a Canadian vantage point.
People have at various times asked me why I do it. It is certainly not for any material gain – I get no compensation for it, aside from the satisfaction of my writer’s ego, and perhaps that is the whole essence of it. I have been blessed by fate to have an interesting and stimulating life, and that combined with a modicum of writing talent, has driven me to share my experiences, opinions and perspectives with a small though loyal audience of readers of this paper.
These days creating this column has become fairly straightforward. Given an idea or theme, I can usually dash off the page and a half of text in Microsoft Word in little more than an hour. When I first started, I would sometimes struggle for half a day or more before I was satisfied with the final output.
I should note that my finishing a column is not the end of the process. I have this tendency as an author to pen long sentences, rich in compound clauses and an excess of adjectives and adverbs. Although I may personally like this style of writing, I have been told that it makes for a difficult read to the average person, so my column usually succumbs to the virtual knife of a capable editor. Over the years, this role has been admirably fulfilled by my wife Daria, while more recently, my daughter Zenia has taken up the challenge of turning my prose into the form you have become familiar with.
The hardest part of being a weekly columnist is coming up with the week’s theme. Of course these days, living in Ukraine provides an endless fount of ideas. Each day is filled with new experiences and discoveries. Current Ukrainian politics provides and endless bounty of topics, and the history and geography of the place presents an almost inexhaustible supply of subjects. Of course, I had already known a fair bit about the country before ever coming here, but the reality one encounters here is far richer than one could ever imagine. Throughout the week, I am constantly making entries in a little notebook I carry with me all the time, jotting down ideas for future columns or interesting facts and experiences to embellish my writings.
It was fortuitous that fate provided me with this opportunity to relocate to Ukraine, as I was beginning to feel somewhat repetitive and uninspired in writing about the Ukrainian community in Canada. It was starting to seem like very little ever changed in the Diaspora – the same issues, problems, debates and divisions. I realize that such judgments are overly simplistic and inaccurate, however to a writer nothing is more stultifying than repetition and I am glad that change and new inspiration came before I started to burn out or become stale.
The one thing that I would love to have more of is feedback. I know that there are many of you out there that regularly peruse my scribbling, and occasionally I will get a letter or hear second hand from someone indicating that they enjoy my literary efforts. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who regularly read my column, whether you may agree with my view of things or not. You can write to me through the newspaper (addresses and contact info on Page 4), or send me an e-mail direct at: walterkish@hotmail.com. In the meantime, I will continue to sit down every weekend and churn out these little reflections of mine on all things Ukrainian.