Impressions

The most common question posed to me as I left Ukraine was:

“What will you tell people about our country?”
It’s a very poignant question- asking a stranger to ‘judge’ one’s country; and their expectant eyes let me know that my opinion was very important to them.

“I’ll tell them that your country is very misunderstood.”

And surprisingly, this vague answer seemed to satisfy them.

As I look back on my time in Ukraine, I think it is, indeed, a country that is very misunderstood. I’m sure, like many others, you may initially envision a snow-covered landscape- filled with people wearing fur coats and grey hats with ear-flaps. Perhaps images of concrete Soviet-style architecture pass your mind. Or perhaps, your mind draws a blank- you have no preconceived notions of Ukraine.

Whatever your initial visceral reaction to the word, “Ukraine,” I am certain that beaches, sea-side cliffs, and expensive ski resorts aren’t the first thing that come to mind.

And possibly you'd never imagine a country filled with people who are surprisingly chatty.
Certainly, I think the geography and beauty of the country is greatly underestimated. But that is not the only thing. I believe the weather is greatly misunderstood as well, in that people imagine that Ukraine is much colder than it really is. Odessa, in fact, only faced a handful of snow-days this winter.

Most importantly, I think many aspects of Ukrainian culture are misunderstood.
I was greatly surprised by Ukrainians’ close relationship with extended family.
Any time I enquired about whether an individual had any brothers and sisters, their response almost always included their cousins. This is a very “eastern” concept; a much more extended definition of 'nuclear' family. Most Ukrainians can not dream of moving away from their families; and in fact, some consider the distance of a mere 7-10 km from their parents as an enormous distance!

Ukrainians have certain cultural nuances I found intriguing, because while there are many similarities with typically European mentality, there are other times that I found Ukrainians more similar to Asian cultural values.

Certainly, like many traditionally "western" Europeans, Ukrainains love to purchase fewer items of high quality rather than numerous items of lower quality. Ukrainians love being outdoors- walking along promenades and parks. They love fresh foods, fresh-cut flowers and fashion.

However, concepts of meals and eating more often correlated to things my own experiences growing up in an Indian household.

For instance, Ukrainians eat meals rather late. Dinner is generally around 8pm, which would be considered rather late by American standards.

They prefer to drink room-temperature water rather than water filled with ice- this is not just because of water quality but it's because it is thought to be better for digestion. This is actually very similar to what my mother told me when I was growing up.

They prefer to eat 'warm' meals for lunch, such as a bowl of borsch- as this too is thought to be better for the body.

Ukrainians have more respect for parents, authority figures, teachers; than I have found in the rugged individualism of Americans. Perhaps this stems from their Soviet past, but their notions of listening to their parents and needing parental approval for their lives' decisions is in many ways very 'eastern.'

And finally, Ukrainians are in many ways more sentimental and emotional. Their ties to people and relationships are deeper than one would initially imagine. And we learned this first hand with the torrent of well-wisthers that came by as we bid our farewell.