Ukraine through Italian eyes

Great Russians, people from periphery!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:08:54 PDT

Here’s a text coming from my thesis degree where I explained the origin of name “Little Russia”.
I modified little bit my original one to be more clear with my readers: I want reveal a misunderstanding and manipulation that occured through centuries of russian domination in kievan Rus’.

Because many Ukrainians feel depreciated and offended when they are called “little russians” and because many russians ignore the origin of their name “great russians” I will explain it below.

The term Maloròssya come from Màla Rus’ (Little Rus’): it’s a term which have greek tradition and was used for the first time by Costantiniple’s Metropolite (the supreme authority of orthodoxian church) with the intention to make a distintion between kievan Rus’ (the southern, original one) and northern Rus’ (periphery of Kievan metropolia).
To be more clear, It have to be stressed that Metropolite of Costantinople defined southern land of Kievan Rus' Μικρα Ρωσια (Micra Rosia) that means Little Russia with the hellenistic sense of “original Rus’”.
This is a tradition of ancient greeks that orthodoxian church assimilated.
I make an example: South Italy, a territory colonized by ancient greeks, in the past was called Magna Grecia (Big Greece) and meant only “colonies of greek motherland”.
But with the time the original term changed.

Since1354 Costantinople, instead to use the term Μικρα Ρωσια , utilized the name Μεγαλη Ρωσια, Big Rus’, to identify all the 13 kievan metropolite’s diocese (Kiev plus twelve ones).
Moscovian Principat will herit the name Big/Great Rus’ taken from hellenistic’s version Ρωσια (Rosìa).
Only from here can be explained the term “Great Russia” that originally meant merely “periphery of Kievan Metropolia”.
In XV and XVI century, in relation to decreasing of Kievan power and culture, the ecclesiastic term Μικρα Ρωσια disappeared also if Aleksey appointed oneself tzar of Big and Little Russia.
Startng from here Little Rus’ will mean only Little Russia, the weakest, the less important part of Russia (in muscovit propaganda).
Meanwhile Principality of Moscow named itself “Big Russia” (even better to write “Great Russia”): the most authoritative, the most powerful, the prominent one.

We are in this case wtinesses of a meaning deliberately distorted while the old and true etymology has been concealed.

But history have its own revenge on misrepresentations and maimings.

“Great Russia”, this pompous name that always impress people that image the ephitet was given beacause of wide and powerful Russian Empire.

After all these wretched concealments and knowing the thruth, now Ukraininans should’t have inferiority complex and they can smile to people with muscovy roots and invite them to their land with a kind but not less malicious sentence:

Welcome Great Russians, people from periphery!

Grandi Russi, gente di periferia!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:09:09 PDT

Traggo un vecchio paragrafo della mia tesi di laurea dove vado a spiegare l'origine del termine "Piccola Russia" con alcune piccole modifiche perché sul blog mi posso fortunatamente esprimere in tutta libertà ;)

Visto che alcuni ucraini si sentono sviliti da questo nome e visto che molti russi ignorano la questione, riporto questo testo per maggiore chiarezza con la volontà di disoccultare questo fraintendimento e questa manipolazione del nome compiuto da secoli di dominazione russa nelle terre della antica 'Rus:
il termine Maloròssija deriva da Malá Rus’ (Piccola Rus’).
E’ un termine che va fatto risalire alla tradizione greca e il suo utilizzo viene attribuito per la prima volta al Patriarca di Costantinopoli che volle fare una distinzione tra la Rus’ meridionale (originaria) e quella settentrionale (periferica).
Per esattezza, il Metropolita di Costantinopoli definì la Rus’ meridionale Μικρα Ρωσια (Micra Rosia), ossia Piccola Russia, chiaramente nel significato di Rus’ originaria, come voleva la tradizione greca secondo cui, ad esempio, la Magna Grecia (Grande Grecia) era l’insieme delle colonie greche in Italia distinte dal nucleo originario presente in madrepatria.
Dal 1354 però, gli stessi Bizantini cominceranno a cambiare il termine utilizzando il nome Μεγαλη Ρωσια (Macra Rosia), Grande Rus’ per indicare le tredici diocesi della metropolia di Kiev (Kiev più le altre diocesi orbitanti attorno ad essa).
Il Principato della Moscovia prenderà quest’ultimo termine, Grande Rus’, tramutandolo dalla versione greca Ρωσια (Rosía).
Da qui il termine Grande Russia ma stava comunque a significare la periferia della metropolia originaria, la"Micra Rosia".

Nel ‘400 e nel ‘500 il termine ecclesiastico Piccola Rus’ scompare anche se nel ‘600 lo zar Alekséj si autonomina zar della Grande e della Piccola Russia.
A partire da questo momento Piccola Rus’ diventa Piccola Russia e chiaramente durante gli anni in cui la Moscovia passò ad essere impero, la Rus' originaria, senza un appoggio politico forte, venne additata come "piccola" mentre il Cremlino si auto nominò "Grande Russia"- nel senso della più importante, l'autorevole - abbandonando il significato ecclesiastico ellenico originario.
Assistiamo qui a un travisamento del significato originario del termine palesemente voluto mentre il vecchio riferimento è sempre stato debitamente occultato.
Il concetto "Grande Russia", con il nuovo significato imperialistico territoriale, immagino abbia lusingato non poco gli allora zar di Russia e tutta la congrega ecclesiale ortodossa di Mosca che, nel corso dei secoli, tramite pressioni e elargizioni pecuniarie a Costantinopoli (cioè Istanbul) ha sempre fatto il possibile per ottenere la la stessa autorevolezza gerarchica della originaria metropolia di Kiev.

Ecco allora che la storia si vendica e i travisamenti e le storture vendono raddrizzate.
Ecco dove nasce l'appellativo "Grande Russia", questo termine così pomposo che stordisce la nostra immaginazione e va a erroneamente cercarne l'origine nel potere politico e territoriale raggiunto dall'Impero russo nel corso dei secoli.

Dopo occultamenti così meschini e sensi di inferiorità, ecco che ora ucraini (e europei) possono ben sorridere ai cittadini eredi della Moscovia e accoglierli con una gentile e forse maliziosa affermazione:

benvenuti Grandi Russi, gente di periferia!

"In Ucraina / Immagini per un Diario" di Massimiliano Di Pasquale

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 02:16:41 PDT

Sfogliando il diario fotografico di Massimiliano ho avuto il piacere di rincontrare paesaggi a me noti vissuti nella mia passata quotidianità come volontario europeo in terra ucraina.

"Immagini per un Diario" è un lavoro di un giornalista che per me è anche poeta e narratore: Massimiliano infatti non è nuovo ad unire ai suoi articoli spunti letterari e fotografici che mi suscitano sempre paesaggi interiori di forte impatto.
Quello che però fortunatamente non fa è mostrare i soliti paesaggi patinati e turistici che si vogliono sempre sublimi e mozzafiato.
E' proprio quella normalità autentica che a lui interessa riprendere, descrivere e di cui vuole renderci partecipi.

In verità non so se chi non conosce da vicino l'Ucraina riesca a comprendere fino in fondo l'intensità di queste foto del suo diario in immagini che, a mio parere, possono essere recepite soprattutto da chi quel paese lo ha vissuto da vicino, lo ha contemplato e anche sofferto.

Di certo non si può dire che testi e foto del libro si rifacciano a stereotipi. Raffigurano invece la realtà del paese nelle sue diverse sfaccettature: se ne può comprendere la multiculturalità, i segni indelebili del passato, le contraddizioni e ahimè, in alcuni casi, anche la miseria.

Un paese che è Confine e Libertà

Ciò che apprezzo di più in questo lavoro fotografico è stata la scelta di dare risalto alle realtà liminari; apparentemente poco importanti, ma solo perché sono quelle poste meno sotto i riflettori;
il diario incomincia infatti con un ricamo di una regione ucraina dei confini sudoccidentali del paese, la Bucovina. terra di cultura ucraina ma con profonde influenze delle vicina Romania.
Diversità culturali evidenti anche da quella foto istantanea all'ebreo dal vestito tradizionale ma anche dalle immagini che immortalano la ricchezza architettonica che il paese può offrire: dagli edifici neoclassici all'art nouveau, dai mastodontici grattacieli e palazzi di epoca staliniana ai paesaggi fiabeschi dell'Ucraina occidentale.

Come Massimiliano non posso non nascondere la mia passione per i monumenti sovietici che onorano il diario; anche se pacchiani, hanno per me il gusto dell'esotico e dell'apocalittico.
Artefatti che paralizzano il tempo, un po' surreali e metafisici al tempo stesso.
Parlando un giorno con Massimiliano ho scoperto che anche lui come me perde del gran tempo a fotografarli, osservarli e ammirarli...anche Lenin.

Lenin dice che sbagliamo e ha ragione (fino a un certo punto)

Il giornalista poeta ha fatto bene ad inserire Lenin nel suo diario dimostrando così di non volere a tutti costi ingraziarsi l'amicizia dei più fervidi, stizziti e accaniti nazionalisti ucraini i quali non vorrebbero vedere associato il nome del loro paese con questo impietoso personaggio omicida della cultura ucraina e, aggiungo io, del nobile socialismo parlamentare europeo e libertario.
Questo vecchio volpone marmorizzato è simbolo presente e ancora vivo nella mentalità di alcuni ucraini e non si riduce ancora ad essere un fantasma del tempo passato.

Eppure la presenza ieratica di Lenin trionfante (ma anche tronfio) in mezzo a piazze e viali enormi, oltre a rappresentare concretamente la nostalgia di molti ucraini, soprattutto quelli delle generazioni passate, per me rappresenta anche un monito per l'occidente: ecco allora che il suo dito è puntato contro le nostre democrazie e sembra volere rimproverarci. E purtroppo può anche farlo!
Su qualcosa può redarguirci: il non essere riusciti a creare una società giusta e socialdemocratica con tutta la nostra libertà di parola e i diritti costituzionali di cui andiamo fieri dinnanzi al mondo intero.
Rimprovero che dobbiamo avere l'umiltà di accettare anche se poi non ci stiamo a sentire ancora le sue teorie idiote e folli della terza via...
Se Lenin sta dove sta significa anche, con ogni probabilità, che le nostre idee democratiche non hanno ancora conquistato: alle parole di libertà non sono seguiti i fatti e un migliore tenore di vita per la popolazione ucraina, più per mancanza di volontà, maturità e coraggio che di impossibilità dovuta alle contingenze. Osservazione da farsi sia ai democratici ucraini, sia alle nostre blasonate istituzioni occidentali.
Maturità, volontà e coraggio: almeno noi occidentali avremmo dovuto già dovuti raggiungerli da tempo!

Giallo e Blu se non ci sei tu (URSS)

Contrasto interessante per me sono le due foto accostate che riprendono una delle bandiere ucraine svettanti nel cielo mentre, l'altra una macchina dei tempi dell'URSS parcheggiata lungo la riva dello Dnepr.

Se la prima immagine mi fa venire in mente una giovane Ucraina che può professare le sue confessioni religiose proibite negli anni sovietici, la seconda mi fa venire in mente un'Ucraina che ha ancora bisogno delle infrastrutture create nel periodo comunista per andare avanti.
Non che di questo gli ucraini ne siano colpevoli, è solamente un dato di fatto determinato dalle circostanze.
Vedo poi con simpatia, nel diario fotografico, gli eroi nazionali ucraini, che per i russi sono tutti banditi (notare che anche i nostri garibaldini e eroi nazionali per gli Asburgo erano banditi e ladri) e soprattutto il poeta nazionale Chevchenko che attualmente fa a gara e si spartisce boulevard e piazze con l'anacronistico e mefistofelico Lenin.
Chevchenko, raffigurato sempre corrucciato e baffuto, un po' "pensatore di Rodin, un po' cosacco statuario e imponente sembra voler dire al russo impaziente e ai turisti interdetti: "e allora, che c'è da guardare? Si, siamo un paese complicato, abbiamo i nostri problemi, le nostre perplessità. Con chi vogliamo stare, ci chiedi? Chi siamo? E' sempre troppo presto per rispondervi, lasciateci pensare ancora un po' e tornate un'altra volta. Ma per favore: tornate e lasciateci vivere in pace!".

Donna Ucraina / Madre Perfetta

Tradizione, cultura popolare e religione sono le componenti essenziali della vita di ogni ucraino.
Elementi culturali che si condensano nel genere femminile attraverso il suo comportamento, la sua passione per i lavori artigianali e la propensione verso un sentimento famigliare e religioso che spesso sfocia nella mistica.
Quest'ultima si sa, è miscuglio di sentimento autentico e superstizione, ma proprio questo elemento irrazionale e dolce negli ucraini, e nella donna specialmente, non è mai disgiunto da una forte concezione morale dell'esistenza.
Noi che siamo occidentali facciamo fatica a comprendere questo tipico spirito eurasiatico e orientale avvezzi e ottusamente persuasi come siamo a considerare sempre corpo e spirito come due cose distinte e contrapposte.
Massimiliano ci propone quindi le donne ucraine nel suo diario fotografico.
Per forza di cose, aggiungo io, come potrebbero mancare?
La donna ucraina è l'emblema del sentimento ucraino al sacrificio per la figliolanza, della bellezza giovanile e della presenza stoica e lavoratrice nei mercati cittadini e nelle campagne.

Con le pinne, fucili ed occhiali...

Che sorpresa poi per me ammirare nel diario del giornalista pesarese quella foto di gente affollata al mare che mi riporta a vecchie fotografie sbiadire italiane di vacanze famigliari sulle costi liguri e romagnole.
Non che adesso in Italia non si vada più in vacanza al mare con mogli, figli e mariti; ma dopo tutte queste immagini del diario di Massimiliano passano davanti a me i ricordi del paesaggio urbano ucraino, per me più umano e più semplice, un po' come quello che nel mio paese ho visto morire nel corso degli anni in modo vorticoso: sono spariti i mercati cittadini nelle piazze del centro città, treni pieni di gente con valigie ricolmi di cibo e ortaggi e molti bambini in giro per le strade.
Niente più di tutto questo paesaggio umano e dinamico esiste ormai - nel nord Italia almeno - mentre in Ucraina ancora ancora è viva questa meravigliosa e caotica realtà fatta di comunicazione, di spinte di vecchietti in coda e di grida giovanili per le strade.

Il coronamento di questo mio ultimo pensiero del passato che ha sempre il culetto rosa me lo suggerisce l'ultima foto di questo diario: una fatiscente facciata di un albergo di Dnipropetrovsk.
Ne colgo la somiglianza con gli squallidi edifici urbani italiani costruiti tra gli anni 60 e 70 e che sono ancora ben visibili vicino a stazioni ferroviarie e alle periferie delle nostre "grandi città".

Ed ecco qui che "Immagini per un diario" si conclude e così anche il mio divagare intorno agli spunti di riflessione di quest'opera che, al mio cuore, è riuscita a dare e a dire tutto.

Ringrazio Massimiliano per avere rappresentato questo paese, nel suo "Immagini per un diario", in modo così realistico e convincente; ne ha rivelato le pieghe più nascoste, più intime e meno scontate sia del paesaggio, sia delle sue persone.
Leggerlo è stato per me un bellissimo viaggio interiore che mi ha permesso di rendere esplicite alcune mie considerazioni che, altrimenti, non sarei riuscito a formulare o a fare emergere tanto facilmente.

Prima di congedarmi definitivamente da questo articolo non voglio tralasciare di augurare ogni bene per l'immediato futuro (e oltre) al caro amico giornalista e poeta Massimiliano, ma anche a voi lettori che amate me ;) e questo meraviglioso paese.

P.S. Ad eccezione del monumento a Chevchenko (che comunque in "Ucraina/Immagini per un Diario" troverete fotografato in un'altra angolazione), tutte le foto qui pubblicate sono presenti nel libro di Massimiliano

Voglio un Marito Italiano (Edizioni il Punto d'Incontro)

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:01:20 PDT

Il racconto in breve

Eroina del romanzo è una ragazza ucraina dai capelli color miele, occhi azzurri e un nome tipicamente slavo: Svetlana.

Svetlana nasce e vive per tutta la sua giovinezza in un quartiere di Kharkov, città nord-orientale di un’Ucraina che conosce un cambiamento epocale, non comprensibile a noi occidentali nemmeno a studiarlo sui libri o a sentirlo raccontare: cade l’Unione Sovietica con tutto il suo sistema di valori e punti di riferimento che quel sistema politico, sociale ed economico portava con se.

Succede l’indipendenza di un’Ucraina acerbamente democratica che deve affrontare i problemi di transizione: urge una conversione dell’economia e una completa ristrutturazione dell’assetto sociale.

Il potere politico e culturale del paese ora ha come centro di riferimento non più Mosca ma Kiev.

Un cambiamento colossale che ha portato agli ucraini maggiore miseria di prima e parecchie difficoltà da risolvere.

Priva ormai delle ricchezze e del sostegno dei “grandi fratelli russi” la repubblica dai campi di grano e dell’avanguardia del settore siderurgico e militare dell’URSS, a partire da questo momento ha dovuto vedersela da sola. Mosca non avrebbe più aiutato e neppure perdonato il “solito tradimento ucraino” e avrebbe goduto cinicamente, nel corso degli anni a venire, nel vedere Kiev in difficoltà e aspettando il suo ritorno a braccia aperte.

Tutto questo mentre l’Europa ignorava il problema e pensava all’Ucraina a una nazione finta, una nazione fasulla e surrogata della “Grande Russia” mentre l’America, più coinvolta, aiutava finanziariamente e a fini strategici gli oligarchi del paese.

Oligarchi che non hanno mai fatto niente di rilevante per la loro popolazione.

La nazione ucraina è riuscita comunque ad andare avanti costretta per lo più a stringere i denti: chi continuando a lavorare, chi affidandosi a lavori meno nobili e più redditizi come il reclutamento in qualche clan mafioso dei nuovi oligarchi, chi con dolore emigrando dal paese diretto in Occidente, nella Federazione Russa o in Israele.

Svetlana vive con una madre costretta a lavorare assiduamente per mantenere se stessa e la figlia (il padre muore in modo stupido, come capita spesso a tanti alcolizzati). E’ una realtà dura, dove la povertà è endemica e il paese sembra in balia dell’anarchia sociale.

Già da bambina, fortunatamente, a Svetlana succede qualcosa che segnerà il suo destino:

si innamora.

Non di una persona ma di un paese e di una cultura diversa: il suo cuore decide di amare l’Italia.

Sedotta dal piccolo completino Made in Italy e dalle canzoni dolci, dalle fiabe italiane ai quadretti che dipingevano paesaggi solari e gente allegra spensierata, Svetlana si creerà un mondo suo, una sua idea ricca di fantasia e di sogno, al riparo dalle difficoltà e malumori della vita quotidiana.
Passano gli anni e Svetlana sarà costretta a interrompere gli studi per lavorare come venditrice di abbigliamento al mercato cittadino; conduce la sua vita in una routine di lavoro cha l’ammazza psicologicamente, intervallata solamente da una profonda delusione amorosa.

Finché sopravviene un fatto miracoloso e per un gioco del destino riesce a partire nel paese che aveva sempre sognato: l’Italia.

Per Svetlana si riaccendono le speranze di una vita che vuole per se ricca e stimolante.

Molte cose le accadono nel nostro paese, molte avventure la attendono ma sempre tutte difficili, finanche crudeli, quasi tutte protese a mettere in discussione e infrangere i suoi sogni che sin da bambina ha coltivato: poter vivere felice nel paese che ha sempre corteggiato.

L’animo di Svjeta (diminutivo di Svetlana) però non si arrende alle tristi vicissitudini che le capitano e, con un pizzico di fortuna, si imbatte nel sentimento più grande e nobile di tutti: l’amore.

Per la dolce ragazza ucraina inizia così una nuova vita in compagnia di un ragazzo italiano, nel paese che il suo cuore e il destino, da tempo, avevano già scelto per lei.

Pareri Personali

Voglio un Marito Italiano è un bellissimo romanzo che narra una storia di amore vera, fuori da ogni calcolo premeditato per ottenere la cittadinanza da un matrimonio combinato. E’ quindi fortemente e volutamente in contrasto con lo stereotipo che vuole le donne dell’est (come appunto le ucraine) delle ciniche approfittatrici che utilizzano la loro bellezza in modo spietato e immorale.

Svetlana è come una di quelle ragazze ucraine che ho avuto il piacere di conoscere: dolce, con una forte carica emotiva e saldi valori morali.

A questo si aggiunga l’intelligenza che condivide con altre sue connazionali e una bellezza composta (e per questo irresistibile).

Marina Sorina ci descrive in modo molto obiettivo la realtà del suo paese cogliendone aspetti negativi e comici, ma molte volte ponendo in risalto anche la nobiltà e la generosità d’animo del suo popolo. E nelle descrizioni dei paesaggi e delle quotidianità ucraine si scorge anche la nostalgia e la malinconia tipica dell’emigrante: una nostalgia che attanaglia e stringe il cuore.

Del resto questo sentimento lo conosce bene l’autrice che da anni vive ormai in Italia.

Ecco perché Svetlana diviene simbolicamente la portavoce dei sentimenti e dei pensieri tipici dell’emigrato: il pensiero va ai cari genitori in patria, alle abitudini e agli odori di casa.

Compagna della malinconia è la nostalgia che si fa forte al ricordo di quei giorni in cui la ragazza festeggiava i compleanni con la madre o per quei momenti in cui poteva immergersi tranquillamente nella lettura dei suoi amati libri.
C’è da commuoversi per i sentimenti di Svetlana e il lettore si accorgerà ogni tanto di volerla abbracciare, consolare o di sedersi con lei solamente per farle compagnia.

Da clandestina a vendemmiatrice, fino a coprire il ruolo di badante in una famiglia medio/borghese di Verona ottusa e umanamente squallida, Svetlana sarà costretta a subire parecchie umiliazioni, tra cui il classico pregiudizio italiano di vedere la donna dell’est solamente come una prostituta o una badante.

E la sua lotta sarà anche fisica per chi vorrà abusare di lei, ma la fortuna la assiste sempre nei momenti più insperati.

Svetlana ci crede sempre, crede sempre in una via d’uscita, crede soprattutto all’esistenza della sua Italia immaginata sin da bambina (cui poi ne farà diretta esperienza anche se in una forma meno edulcorata).

Svetlana avrà la sua ricompensa perché in mezzo alla cattiveria e alle difficoltà che avrebbero potuto farla cambiare radicalmente nell’animo, lei rimane pura.

E di questa sua purezza se ne accorge Franco, il suo uomo italiano, nei primi mesi di convivenza. Ricordandosi del loro primo incontro le dirà, parafrasando la frase di una canzone di Lucio Battisti: “sembravi un angelo caduto dal cielo”.

L’autrice farà dire a Svetlana ciò che con ogni probabilità, molte volte essa stessa pensa degli italiani, ma sono appellativi e difetti che potrebbero rimproverarci anche altri stranieri. Tra di essi spicca la nostra superficialità, la freddezza (tipica del nord Italia), l’irresponsabilità e la cortesia d’apparenza.

Svetlana per molta parte del libro viene chiamata Lucia, traduzione italianizzata del suo nome slavo (svet, luce).

Si sa che questo meccanismo di fare propri i nomi stranieri è diffuso più o meno in ogni cultura, un po’ perché per pigrizia si cerca di evitare di complicarsi la vita con suoni e consonanti astrusi ma a
volte, va sottolineato, decidere unilateralmente di non chiamare una persona straniera col suo nome originale è un atto irrispettoso che nega la vera identità e tende a negare e opprimere le sue differenze culturali.

Ma la protagonista forse, attraverso il meccanismo dell’accettazione del suo nome italianizzato, cercherà lei stessa di diventare parte della cultura dominante in cui si trova inserita.

Scoprendo poi che questo non è possibile o almeno non particolarmente desiderabile: non ci si può fondere simbioticamente in un’altra cultura senza annullare del tutto se stessi e il proprio passato.

Presa coscienza di ciò, Svetlana ritorna a farsi chiamare con il suo vero nome e in questa sua decisione giocherà anche la sensazione di sentirsi accettata e apprezzata dal suo ragazzo italiano nonostante la sua alterità.

Esilarante e tragicomica l’analisi della realtà del paesaggio ucraino con i pulmini scassati, le commesse svogliate dietro ai banconi di vendite, le toilette terrificanti delle stazioni di servizio degli autobus e le stucchevoli piante di plastica appese ai muri.

Anche la gioventù ucraina è descritta in modo ironico: i giovani maschietti con il culto del machismo fintamente disinvolti nelle loro canottiere bucherellate e la birra in mano, finti bulletti che fanno finta di non assecondare le giovani ragazze dall’abbigliamento sfrontato e tacchi a spillo vertiginosi.

A mio parere per chi non si è mai approcciato direttamente all’Ucraina, c’è molto da imparare leggendo questo libro: sull’anima della sua gente, sulle fatiche, il loro recente vissuto anche grazie ai moltissimi aneddoti e curiosità che rivelano con piacevole leggerezza le abitudini di questo amorevole popolo.
Soprattutto viene messo a nudo il vero carattere e sentimento delle donne ucraine, quasi tutte splendidamente tradizionaliste, fiere, materne, graziosamente educate e con un forte senso del dovere verso la famiglia e la comunità di cui fanno parte.

Marina Sorina scrivendo questo romanzo ha fatto uno splendido omaggio alle sue connazionali rendendo giustizia alle molte donne ucraine che hanno vissuto e anche raggiunto i loro autentici desideri preservando dignità e onore.

Farò parlare il libro infine, attraverso un pensiero di Svetlana che, a mio avviso, rende perfettamente l’idea dei sentieri ambivalenti di molte altre ragazze ucraine verso la loro gente:

“questa è la mia gente, facce note, abitanti di case uguali che vestono abiti uguali, mangiano sempre le stesse cose e guardano la stessa trasmissione in TV. Basta un’occhiata per capire quanti anni hanno, che lavoro fanno, dove stanno andando, di che umore sono. Un mare di umanità comprensibile, avvolgente, a volte soffocante, ma sempre sincera e schietta, anche troppo.
Potevo dire che erano tutti uguali da far schifo, potevo dire che erano tutti simili, i miei simili.
Potevo chiamarli rozzi, oppure ingenui. Potevo definirli primitivi, oppure genuini. Potevo rimproverarli di essere attaccati l’un l’altro, dipendenti dalla comunità, troppo invasivi e conformisti. Potevo invece ricordare come questa tendenza a fare comunella mi aveva salvata quando ero capitata in una brutta situazione. Ma pensai che lo stesso spirito comunitario aveva spinto le mie connazionali a darmi una mano…”

P.S. il libro è stato pubblicato solo quattro anni fa ed è fuori catalogo. Il mio consiglio è quello di cercarlo comunque e ovunque in qualche libreria della vostra città oppure on-line.

Qui una video-intervista all’autrice del libro Marina Sorina

A presto cari amici, vi auguro una buona lettura!

Vinnytsya and its surgeon

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:40:14 PDT

Dear readers finally a new article!

After four months I found inspiration to write again but this period of life was full of changes for me, that’s why I hadn't time and will to write any article.
I love Ukraine and I take care of its fate. But sometimes is very difficult to understand ukrainians: they disappointed me many times and they touch me and love me a lot. I am not and they are not indifferents to me.These are the bases for a nice relationship :)
To speak franckly, nowadays It seems to me that Ukraine is in trouble with its govermental choices but to heard that there are people who appreciate Stalin's monument in their city It's something that make me feel horrified. They should organise a riot and destroy the monument with no remorse.
Maybe this fact impressed me more than agreements between Yanukovich and his beloved Putin...
I'm always more and more disappointed by swamps the ukrainian nation fell...
But I want to stop these sad considerations now and tale you about a place in deep central Ukraine I recently visited: Vinnytsya.

Prologue to the trip:

I was in Zhytomyr with my girlfriend and we were diyng because of extremely hot weather. One day, wearing a sweat t-shit I asked to her: "why we don't try to have a kashmarshrutka’s tour to mighty Berdychiv? It’s not far from here!”
Tanja suddenly forbade me to bring her there, because there is almost nothing to see apart from jew's graveyards. For me could be exotic but I realised I have to go alone there.
After she refused my proposal I chose an other place to visit: Vinnitsya. I explained to her that in the city there’s an important museum, dedicated to an important surgeon of the past: Nikolay Pirogov and I add that for me was very important to see it, expecially because I could see Pirogov’s embalmed body. I tried to persuade Tanja that this embalmed body it’s very remarkable.
And it’s true!
The best preserved embalmed body, even more than the most famous Lenin one!
Ok, maybe is not so interested but evrybody have his own hidden passions!
I succeded in persuade Tanja to make this terrible hot trip with marshrutka: maybe because she understood I couldn’t stand all the time in Zhytomyr, or maybe because she was also interested to see this museum (she is very in love with every topic related to health and drugstores ;))

Vinnytsya

Suddenly, just when we arrived, I understood that Vinnitsya is one of those cities I have seen many times in Ukraine: big spaces, huge streets but not many other particoular attractions. In the centre there is an hight tower’s clock, a huge monument dedicated to Second World War (relly nice, I liked) and not many other nice buildings or attractions. Vinnitsya is just a normal city with some nice building and parks. But really not amazing like Odessa or L’viv!
Of course the most interesting place is Pirogov’s Museum and the chapel where stand the embalmed body.
So I suggest you to go there but...

Warning!

Avoid to buy the ticket to the useless reproduction of drugstore (apoteka) in the park (extremly little an not remarkable things to see). And more:if you are not a blogger as I am or a surgeon tool’s fetischist, avoid also to spend money for pictures inside the museum.
You are only allowed to spend a ticket for the garden except if you go there with some girls or girlfriend!

Pirogov’s Museum
The old house that host the museum belonged to Pirogov. Its nice, is in good wooden country style.
The park around the house is quite big and full of brides who make pictures with flowers. A nice place to have a rest and see many different variety of plants.

The museum have explanations written in russian (for my happiness) and there are not exhaustives explanations in english (but at least there are, this is also rare in Ukraine).
The rooms are full of surgeon’s objects, anatomic illustrations and paintings.
There are a lot of explanations about Pirogov's lifes and activities. I was very happy that he also took care of Giuseppe Garibaldi's health!

Pirogov was very active during Crimean War front and It seems that he also met Lev Tostoy (I saw the painting where is depicted the meeting with the famous writer) but also other importants politicians and intellectuals of the past.
There, you could really understand and preceive how hard was the situation for patients and injured! We are lucky to live in this time and we have to thank a lot discoveries, work and good will of ancient doctors and people like Nikolay Pirogov.
The museum gave me some moment to think about some topics that I often try to escape, due to my not good attitude with hospitals.
If you are in Vinnytsya and don’t visite the museum, probably you lose the most interesting place that the city can offer…

Pirogov’s embalmed body

Here we are, the most important target of my visit!
To see the emlamed body of the renowned surgeon!
The body is conserved and showed in a transparent coffin in the underground of an orthodox red chapel. You cannot take pictures there (also if, in reality, there nobody to controlled us if we made pictures or not).
I didn’t take pictures personally: not only because of the prohibition, but also because I have a decency nature in front of death. And I will never force myself to change this feeling.
The bad point is that you cannot see the coffin very near because there is a bar that keep visitors quite far. This disappointed me a little.

I think, if you want to the chapel, I need to give you an hint about direction to take once you are outside the museum: with the museum at your back turn the left side and walk a little bit (there are kasmarshutkas that go in the same direction if you prefer to take its).
However the chapel it’s not so far and you can go by foot. But pay attention not to mistake street!
When you reach a fork through the street, take the right (after a beautiful orthodox church you’ll meet this fork) and go straight. You will see soon the red chapel.

This is all I have to write about Vinnytsya: because of short time and because the sun was going to melt Tanja compeltely, my adventure in the city finished soon. But with satisfaction!
I've seen an important monument dedicated to a person who made a lot for the humanity, not so easy to reach, expecially for foreign people that have not many touristic reasons to came in these deep regions of central Ukraine.

Dear readers, if you like and want to help me in discover Ukraine, please, give me, throught comments, some interested informations and places to see regions, monuments and landscapes around Zhytomyr (Rivne, Podillya, Polissya and Kyivsky Oblast); I would like to see more these regions and to know better if there are some others “hidden treasures”.
Thanks to read me, love you all!

Italian Fan vs Ukrainian/Russian Tetris line

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:25:09 PDT

Dear reader, this is an article who want to give you some help to solve some troubles if you go to Ukraine, Russia and Italy!
In these three countries you have to make confidence with system to survive to buy tickets and follow the line (that in some case it's a stream, not a line).
You will learn what is russians and ukrainan "Tetris line" and different from chaotic italian "Fan".
I have to stress that is impossible not to generalize if I speak about this argoument but this is exactly what happened in Ukraine and Italy in many cases: a siege war during waiting time for your turn.
As foreigner I have to underline that I used many different things in Ukraine not use to my customs,. but I never made familiarity with the "line system" for ticket offices... this is something I will never be used.
Some people say that the line in ex Soviet Union was very raw and people had always struggles to get food and basic services, that's why nowadays there are people that run to the cash desk and are very closed behind to you. They are so near than they touch you and in some case they push you also. expecially the old people.
20 years and still they have this habit...
The line in the rooms to take tickets for bus and trains are the most strange and stressful places I've ever met in Ukraine.
There is a line that, for for some unknow reason is not straight but diagonal and before to get the ticket there are many setbacks to afford: people sometimes came to you and steal your turn because, they say, they came before you.
It can be but It happen that you saw exactly this person waiting in the other line. But ukrainians and russians accept this (?) and just gave permission to the person to get inside the lines. They run in more easy lines and if they are not successiful in this, they return to their old line.
Something that cannot happen in Europe or in Italy: It will grow up a riot and the people on line will answer to them: "you went away and you have losed your turn. Go back and do again all the line".
But russians and ukrainans don't have this "european orthodox style" and support it. I call the system of russian/ukrainian line "Tetris".

Like the video game, there are always (in this case) "tetris people" who like to drive inside other pieces of "Tetris people". From left to right, they are going to find the best place for them. Also from behind! this "Tetris person" from your back is often sitting on a chair or divan and is an old woman who cannot afford the line so as many girls with and without stiletto shoes. You need patience because you are

part of this game and you understand that it's not enough to stay in you line and to account people you see in front of you. simply you have to wait your turn and hope that "Tetris people" don't came again to fill the place that should be yours.
This "tetris" very often is not completed untill you go away: there is on the right a "Tetris person" very closed to you that want to fill your space and is very anxious that you finish very soon your business with the desk cash.
Not everytime Tetris is in action but sometimes it happen.

Also in Italy we have our own system of line: the ill-fame "fan disposition". this happen sometmes but is also not proper to use the word "line": when this disposition is done, the notorious "Fan", you have to be very arrogant and selfish and try to get the best by yourself as soon as possible. Otherwise you lose your chances to make everything fast.
This italian messy "Fan" is very unpolite and maybe I can acccept because I am used, but I think a person that is not "mangia spaghetti pizza mafia mandolino" can be very disappointed about this barbarian disorder.
By the way the system is not so cruel as you can image with people that push and use elbows to win. For us italians is like an "ordinated chaos" and we can tollerate that in the "Fan" there is not priority to anyone and we can lose an eye :)

Strange to understand, but if there is "vaulted Fan", we don't get angry and we try to get the best for ourself. But if there is a line in an office or pubblic space we respect it very much and we wait for our turn.
The disposition of "Fan" is very common in Italy. Some psychologist studied that italians have very peculiar behaviour in elevator. We create a "Fan" or semicircle and we look each other while in other countries usually people, during the elevator's trip are lined up and usually gave the glance to the entrance door.
Something that shocked me in Ukraine was an almost perfect "British line" I saw next to kashmarshrutka station. In Italy this kind of order and respct is very difficult to reach in bus stations.

In this case we use to fan out and conquer our place without any order.

Sometimes, when I think that I never accepted russian/ukrainian "Tetris sistem" and I will never accept it, I realize how could be difficult for different cultures to respect and tollerate each other.
To moderate our opinions It should be better everytime to be aware that also other people in our own country could have same problems of adaptation.

Anyway I hope that railway stations and bus stations in Ukraine will have very soon electronic tickets for the people who wait their turn :)

Signora Kiev - Госпожа Киев

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:38:32 PDT

While for many people Kiev is a messy place, for me Kiev will be always a place where I had some rest.
I have very good friends there that always helped me, gave me a place to sleep and shared happy moment with me. I take this opportunity thanks them for their support!
Kiev for me It's also a place that I used to stay for a while, waiting for kashmarshrutka to reach my love in Zhytomyr (that however I met for the first time in Kiev).
This city is the alfa and omega of my experience in Ukraine: from there I started to see and go more deeply in ukrainian culture.
But probably Kiev is also alfa and omega for Eastern Slavs. Here the civilty of kievan Rus' was born, here there's the most influent holy place for orthodoxians: Kiev Pecherskaja Lavra.
This place is the mother church and there are very interesting caves (pechery) that every person can visit. When I went in th caves, the athmosphere was very impressive: you have to keep a candle and walk through a corridor where you can find coffins of holy priests and patriarchs lived centuries ago. During your excursion you will meet always a lot of people.
But at least you can have free access to these caves, not like in Svyatagorsk where everything is so difficult to achieve!
I've seen many faithful people sing or genuflect in front of the coffins or icons. Some of them were also in trance. I also partecipated to a mass but I couldn't visit all the places because I'm not orthodox.
But the thruth is that I even didn't tried to be an orthodox and go in "forbidden places" because after many minutes I was in the caves I had enough to stay in a close and dark place.
But It has been a magnificent experience. If you go to Kiev, dear reader, try to go in these caves, also if you are not a believer! It's very mystic!
For me Kiev is female: the very high monument of II world war victory called "motherland" (rodina mat), Saint Olga, the monument of founders of Kiev (three guys with the more prominent girl lybid ahead on the ship that open the arms like in the movie "Titanic"), are for me the symbols of Kiev.

Of course other symbols of Kiev are the huge river Dnepr who cut in two parts the city. And square of Indipendence (maydan Nezalezhnosti) where there is an high column with a girl who rappresent Ukraine (called by ukrainans Gorgona because of her messy hair). In my opinion, the good quality of the square is only that in here, like in the main street near by, Ulitza Khreshatik, during the weekend there are a lot of meetings and cultural events. But to be honest I don't like this place of Kiev very much. It's full of modern architechture, commercial shops and noise. It's true, It's the centre, the urban heart of the capital, but It's no warm.
Some citizens of Kiev told me that Khreshatik Street was better during soviet time because was very green, with trees and flowers. And on the both side of the street lot of cultural shops stood while now there is at most asfalt who replace green and shops with fashion and technology stuff.
I cannot say my opinion about, but this feeling for old ukrainian capital have not to be explained only by nostalgia of soviet times but at most like nostalgia for beauty...

A masterpiece of the city for me is the underground. It's so amazing! I've never seen such kind of beautiful subway in Europe. Also in Budapest is very nice the underground, but that one of kiev cannot be compared for sure with its elegant pendant lamps, the pictures who remind communist time and ancient histoy of Kievan Rus'.This masterpiece was made under Soviet Union.
Underground in Milano and Roma are disgusting and I even don't try to make a cofrontation because there is no sense in it.
To speak again about beauty: how is it possible that in the past were created very nice buildings and now, all the times, all the governments of this world have no money to build nice buildings like in the past or to spend in pubblic services?
Some governments also decide to destroy ancient building or even a whole quarter to replace with stupid modern building who are not in harmony with the sourroundings.
I hope one day this disaster will finish. Maybe I wrote the same in some other articles but this topic hurt me very much that I want to underline all the times I can.
And I add that beauty have no price!
Apart my outlets, you have to know that the most important things you have to see in Kiev are very close each other and in the centre you can see the most important buildings and monuments (apart Pecherskaja Lavra and the Victory Motherland's monument with the museum of World War beneath).

Walking through the centre you can reach very easily Indipendence Square, Cathedral S. Sofia, and the other church S.Mikhail which have blue intensive colour walls. In the centre of the square where these two churches stand, there's the monument of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a cossack Ataman who broke the bones to polish army and made this cursed "Pereyaslav Treaty" with Muscovy. This monument have the face who look to Moscow (as sign of friendship between ukrainian people and russians). But some ukrainian suggested recently that would like to turn this statue to not to look anymore the direction of Kremlin.

An other interesting place to have a walk is near by presidential house: Mariinsky Park where you can have a view of the city (in winter there is possibility to wash your shoes there with melted snow and puddles).
Other place that is compulsonary to see is Andriyvsky Uzviz, a street that have an ancient paving and It's full of souvenir. there there is also baroque church built by italian architecht: St Andrej Cathedral.
Here you can find every ukrainian souvernir you need and soviet pins you like: only pay attention to people who want to ask you too much money for objects that you can find also in other places in Ukraine and more cheap. But It's also a legend that here all sellers ask you a lot of money. There are lot honest people there ( in general all Ukrainians are trustwothy, at least not less than Italians).
Other place you can see is Podil, a part of Kiev who preserved a lot its ancient buildings. It's the place that sufferred less war bombing than the rest of the capital: that's why there you can see more ancient houses and churches. Near Podil you can visit a museum dedicated to Chenobyl.
If you can, please, go there and give some money as offer to help people hit by disaster.
I want to mention at the end some museums I liked very much: museum of Shiitian's gold inside Pecherskaja Lavra "Vaticano" and the museum of Patriotic War (under the majestic Victory Motherland statue who bring a shield with sickle and hammer on it and a sword). This last museum for me It's very suggestive and gave me the idea of efforts made by ukrainians and people of Soviet Union to win the war against nazifascists.
There you can see lot of weapons and also nazist instruments of death and torture. What gave more emotion were all those pictures of people who fought and died, ancient pictures of men, child and women in uniform. It's really worthy to see for everybody.

The capital of

Ukraine

of course have really more to show to visitors but I don’t want to bore you with all historic and cultural informations you can easily find in a book or a good travel guide.
What I wrote is how I perceived Kiev, how I lived there my moments. I know, perhaps somebody would like I write about "Kiev by night", but I've never been there to hunt ukrainian ladies.
Ukrainian womens are beautiful but It's sad to consider this beautiful country only for this matter.
I hope all my readers will be agree with me.

Ukrainian political campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:56:09 PDT

Aga! now that the results are known I can speak freely also about this subject!
When political campaign for presidential election started in Ukraine? Let me think a while...
Ah, now I remember! At least 11 months before elections!
But I have to be honest: not all the candidates made so long campaign.
Arseniy Yatseniuk, I remember, was one of the first: this man who reminded me Marvel Comics (during the day a misfortune guy but in the night a Super hero who make justice in his "Ukraine"). This Arseniy for me didn't choose a right design for his campaign (military colours and the name "Front" ). It was too much fanatic and unhappy style. I know only that he was young and ukrainians didn't like so much also because is rich and have jewish origins. That's the big trouble for him in Ukraine: to be young, rich and jewish. By the way he was very in love with his own campaign and put militar gazebo everywhere. I couldn't forget this unbelievable man who wanted organise an holy front against the politics who are always in power: Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych. He was right in it but he lacked support...

But let's go on with other candidates now! Yulia Tymoshenko!
This Yulia also, like Arseniy, wherever: in every street, in every square, in every metro station!
Yulia is the heart of Ukraine, Yulia is working while others spent time in other way (some ukrainians suggested that, if she was the only person who was working while others did other things, it was because she didn't know other way to spend her time).

But again: she win. But she losed. Personally, the thing that made me feel embarassed more about Yulia was this little tiger and the fact that she was depicted in huge walls with the writing saying: It will be the year of the tiger, I wish you good luck for the next year.
Yulia "the tiger" doesn't know very much the year of the ox that is one of the big enemies of tiger. I'll suggest her to study chinese horoscope before to show wherever tigers in the year of the ox...
And again: other peculiarity of Yulia campaign: all the musicians were her promoters (es. Ruslana, Potap and wonderful Nastya Kamensky, Ani Lorak etc.) and the beautiful posters, with her profile, were on the walls. Very nice that one in socialist style with wheats...
She had all the cards to win but the point is that the people, in general, didn't believe her anymore. She had not this big support maybe because she was also in this coalition of Orange Revolution who didn't gave to ukrainians a better way of life (even if free of press can be considerated a big success of Orange Revolution; but It's very known that people don't eat papers to live...)
Because of this evident discomfort and disillusion, ukrainians started to call her Viedma (witch), thief or fox.
She also was considerated responsible for crisis that Ukraine had to suffer while she was Prime Minister.
Probably there is not connection between international crisis and her istitutional role or power: she couldn't make something better. She ruled really not in lucky moments. My impression, by the way, is that she speak very good in TV; but rhetoric didn't save her, at most because people needed action (people also don't eat words to survive and improve their life).
But let's go on with some other big candidate: Viktor Yanukovych!

I have been in Donbass when I was in Ukraine and of course all people who live there voted for him.
Believe me, people of Donbass always knew that he was involved in dirty scandals and he had contacts with people related to Mafia. But the point is that, like a guy on the train told me: "if all this politics are bandits, It's better to vote a bandit who came from my region". It's very pragmatic and tragicomic this sentence, but how to be against it if probably people percieved all his politics like bandits? At least this "bandit", the guys thought, he can help people from Donbass region with work and services.
I've seen newspaper of Yanukontyk (he is called like this in humoristic ukrainian programme 95 Kvartal. Konti is a factory of sweets and cakes in Donetsk) written in ukrainian and in russian for his electorate.
This has been cunning move that citizens from east and south Ukraine appreciated very much!
About Yanukovych, not only opposition but also people who voted for him think that he is not very smart and he speak like a person who sing chanson'e. But he won this campaign because people were very irritated by the inefficiency of past government (Viktor Yushenko as president and Yulia Tymoshenko as Prime Minister).

About him I remember a poster with the phrase "I listen everybody" and his spot on television with orthodox church behind. I noted that Yanukovych didn't start huge political campaign as early as Yulia and Arseniy (that I called very soon Arseniy "Lupin" like the famous french elegant thieve; I started to joke about politic/bandits when I was in Ukraine like every ukrainian usually did during political campaign. It's an hobby that I continue in Italy because we have important bandits in parliament as well...).
There was an other big candidate called Serhiy Tihipko. About him I remember only blue posters who were very similar to those in use to make spots for electronic objects or insurances. They were also big and wherever but really to much similar to those used for discounts in supermarket.
He couldn't win with this kind of promotion: too faint!
There is also this ancient politic of ukraine who wanted to be president: Volodymyr Lytvyn. He had yellow posters with a possessed face on it. He was very hypnotic and he liked to make a spot near the Victory (rodina mater) in Kiev to look like an hero for the country.
It's evident nowadays that people where not so willing to follow his eyes.

There are also other little parties I want to mention: Svoboda Ukraina that obviously couldn't win because of it national extremism not shared all over country, Communists of Petro Symonenko who gave me exotic atmosphere when they organized sit-in in Donetsk (Lenin Square) and many other little and useless candidates included that one of ex ukrainian president Viktor Yushenko (that, by the way conquered fifth place).

Hey, I want to underline an other one who is very funny: Protiv Vsih (against all)! A kind of possibility for ukrainians to be against every party.
I recall gazebo wherever and at every hour on ukrainian streets. Ukrainian citizens also told me that people who gave political journals and stood on gazebo were not interested about parties (I believe maybe the majority of them not all!) but they did "propaganda" only to get some money.
Ukrainians are very fatalists in political topics and they don't think something better will change with Yanukovych as president. They also think that politics in Ukraine are all the same by years (in Italy we share the same opinion for our sistem) and they say that, untill there are no new people (untill there are these bandits), anything would change.
A really bad mood after this Orange Revolution and a failure for democratic process!
I also believed social and economic situation had to improve more after 2004. Only words and promises are not enough to give better chance to this country.
It need changes in Ukraine. Or even better: Ukraine need people who have the will to do changes!
Jesus Christ told us that "people do not live only to eat bread".
In Italy as in Ukraine, we can pronounce these wise "holy bible's words" to our politicians adding that "people do not live only to eat bread but if people don't have bread, they can't live at all".

L'viv, the ukrainian Lion

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:51:44 PST

For Many reasons this is the most difficult article I wrote.
Coming back in Italy has been very nice for me but I had to stop a little while to write on the Blog.
That's why now I have some rust on my hands. And the way to write about this city gave me not so few problems: I chosed finally to speak more about soul of L'viv and not about its beauties.
Dear reader, I hope you will find in here some critical point of view and take this content with open mind.
I have tried to be impartial as much as possible for me. Hope you would like. Davay!
L'viv It's a city exalted by everybody (with good reason because of its fascinascion), expecially by ukrainians.
For the architecture, for the coffee culture, for it tension through ukrainian nationalism and the joyful and quite rhythm of life .

This topic of "sweet West Ukraine way of life", that you can easily find in L'viv, gave hints of complains from eastern ukrainians that they feel, they doesn't live so good like "Zapadenzi" (people of West Ukraine).
Indeed the economy of Ukraine is in the east of the country but there, because they live always in a rush and with air more pollutted, it seems they don't enjoy of their work and sicrifices.
It's also true that in North Italy we have the same impression when we look how people of centre and south lives. Of course It's a stereotype but there's always something true in stereotypes....
I have been three times in L'viv and in different seasons. I noted that I was not particularly impressed when I saw the city for the first time in 2007 when I did my trip in Eastern Europe:
I felt L'viv was too similar to many other centre-eastern european cities.
For historical reasons indeed L'viv have the same athmosphere of countries who were under Hapsburgh Empire. It's a city that, in the past, have had as citizens more polish and jewish than ukrianians (despite of countryside and all around the region, where the ukrainians were the large majority).
The city was polish in culture and style; nothwistanding throught different events across history, L'viv became totally ukrainian.

People from L'viv, I think, they are not so willing to remind this reality I wrote above but there is an other one not so confortable for them: unintentionally soviet regime deleted polish majority in the city (the nazis erased Jewish populattion with their politic of holocaust in Second World War) and in this way they became the main nationality in the city.
Of course the soviets didn't want to give an advantage to ukrainian nationalism with their politics of russification (and indirectly ukrainisation) because the plan of Soviet Union was to destroy completely ideas of ethnic nationalism. The irony of fate that the worst enemies in this case turn as the best alliance to cancel one for all polish influence in the whole region, Isn't it? :) It's very Taoistic!
But in real to write only like this about a city who keep always alive (at least from XIX century) rights and rappresentation for ukrainians under Hapsburgic Empire and fought heavy partisan guerriglia against soviets and polishes, it's not fair. L'viv continuously have the great merit to keep alive memory of ukrainian people, also, It's a pity to say, with some idealization of his ukrainians partisans; in many cases they were barely killers and did terrible things against polish population. And because of this atrocities cannot be calld heroes people who slayed undefed child and slaughtered womens and old people only for national cause. And more, some of these partisans were also allied with nazis to fulfil their purposes. A shame that it's hidden very often by ukrainians to not to ruin this idealism of partisans as "not corrupted warriors".
I don't want to say that Italians, a population who invented Fascism, have to give lessons to other nationalities. But all of us, we have to love the thruth also if sometimes is not confortable and doesn't fit with our expectations or wishes. And there is an other problem for this celebration of these partisans: many people from centre and eastern Ukraine simply doesn't accept this idealisation and they would prefer that this idealistic delirium (so spread not only in L'viv but also in other many part of West Ukraine) should finish soon and once for all.
But apart of this consideration that I had to remark as historician, there is a point I want also to underline:
people from L'viv actually are more near to european values more than other ukrainians.

People from L'viv speaks their national language and they are very stubborn to not accept russian language. I'm agree with them that the country should defend and improve their native language and I'm also agree when they are angry against their rappresentatives in the parliament that do not defend this topic and don't fight against big russian influence in media and culture.
As foreigner in Ukraine I have to write that, when you have trips in West Ukraine, you can understand you are really in a place that is autentically native, but when you reach Kiev this nation start to melt with russian influence.
In metro you can listen ukrainian language from the speaker but the people of the capital use more to speak russian language. Because of this situation I understood that language politic doesn't exist and the situation is artificial with only ukrainian like official language. Some people from West Ukraine (people from L'viv obviously included), consider this russian speakers as some people guilty to speak russian language. But for me this is not so big deal, not big as ukrainian not knowledge of democratic process and values.
Lot of ukrainians still today consider their constitution as a strange animal or a useless piece of paper written by their oligarchs...
People from L'viv also get imbarassed and shocked when they see monuments of Lenin in the central squares around ukrainian cities. This is also very funny for me, to note their reactions and when they get scandals all the times about this reality. does they really know their own country?
However people for West Ukraine and L'viv, they have their good reasons to be tired of Lenin's monuments. I'm agree with them but, as Andryi Donets of Donetsk Youth Debate Centre wisely told me one time, before to remove Lenin from squares and streets, ukrainians have to remove Lenin from their heads.
This is indeed what people from West Ukraine have to understand: they cannot remove these monuments only because they are indisposed. Should be happen a change of mind of other eastern/central/south ukrainians before. Nostalghya is to much spread all over the country and somebody of russian minority....have to start to accept and to understand what is democratic system and the valour of rule of rights (or go to Russia and live with a kind of power that they like).

It's really true that there are different Ukraines in the same country. That people from L'viv lives in a separate reality from the main part of Ukraine It can be true, but this is also a blessing for ukrainian country: L'viv defend ukrainian pride. In extremist way sometimes, but there are not many power and ukrainians who are ready to defend memory and peculiarity of ukrainians like people who live in L'viv and sourroundings.
Sorry if It's very boring for me to speak about the beauties of this ancient city, there are lot of books who mention its. For me to be in L'viv to meet my friends volunteer under EVS, to feel more in Europe in this city (indeed when I stayed long time in Ukraine I appreciated more to be in L'viv than the first time when in my trip I only touched Ukraine) was the main target of my trips.
L'viv, with its streets, the big churches (Greek catholics, chatolics and Orthodoxes), its old buildings and the low and sweet way of life (the most low ukrainian people I met in Ukraine) gave me warm welcome. I don't know if for me, L'viv is the ukrainian city who rappresented more ukrainian soul. For me this city don't share the same feeling of rest of the country (ukrainians also use to say that in L'viv there are people who exagerate with discussion about feeling of identity). For me the authentic soul of ukrainian people I can percieve in Poltava and in other parts of Central Ukraine, where people use to live peacefully with ukrainian and russian mixed influence and in many cases are very open and objectives about ukrainian past.
But without any doubt L'viv is the shield and the sword of Ukraine country, it's the city who commemoreate more than other ukrainian heroes and have the courage to show openly monuments against comunist crimes.
As the name of the city reveal, L'viv will be always a LION: the ukrainian lion who stand and fight against invaders of ukrainian country and will fight for it untill death.
No many other ukrainian cities would be so determinate to hold on!

Mamma Odessa, My first love. January 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:48:02 PST

Dear readers, this is for me an important article because is the last one I made here in Ukraine as EVS volunteer. I will come back to this country again but now the deadline for my volunteer experience is coming.
I loved very much this country and ukrainian people and this experience gave me a lot. Lot of satisfactions, some hard struggles, a girl to love, a space where to look inside my heart and soul and considerate reality from other point of view. At the same time, looking at you Ukrainians gave me the opportunity to appreciate more my culture and roots but also criticize its.
In four days airplane will bring me again to Italy: that's why I decided to write my first approach to Ukraine, the first city I saw in this country. I knew before Ukraine only in school books but with Odessa, I can say, I started to get inside ukrainian world. Maybe Odessa is something else than traditional Ukraine but what to do? This city has been the first love for me and It always will have a special place in my heart.
How many times I have heard about Odessa, a name who recall Greece, russian movies and muticultural athmosphere. For me, as Italian who decided to have a trip crossing the Balcans to reach Kiev, Odessa was a irrimessible target to reach. I even didn't know how this city would be.
But this name, Odessa... how could I resist to a city which such kind of wonderful name?
Indeed It coloured my fantasy: the Black Sea who stand in front, a sea who knew exotic people and unite Europe to Middle East world. From here Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Bizantines and Ottmans travelled and built also lot of trade and cities.
Also if Odessa were built later under Russian Empire, It preserved the spirit of multicultural space like should have been in the past (n south Ukraine is known by documents that Greeks lived peacefully with Scythians).
To reach Odessa I took a special Kashmarshrutka from Chisinau (capital of Moldova) who avoided to pass through Transnistria, an autonomist repubblic in Moldova who have his own rules that I was not ready to follow (expecially because this rules are created at the moment by the police, expecially with foreigners).
An Ukrainian made a joke about Moldovan kashmarshrutka and underlined that the transport was in bad conditions because it was a "Moldova mean of transport".
Only later I knew that Ukrainians make joke about Moldovans and viceversa; but the kashmarshrutka was in reality in bad condition as may other Ukrainian ones...
Odessa gave me a cold wind welcome (I was there in January) and still I remember how my breath were broken off by that frozen air. In the bus station I asked the direction to the centre to a girl that for me rappresent Odessa: She couldn't understand english but she said me exactly where to go and she smiled all the time and looked at me with curious eyes. These green cat welcoming/joyful eyes belong to the spirit of this city. Once I was in the centre I realized that Odessa is very elegant.

I remember I lodged in a XIX century hotel: cheap and big.
Now that I have seen a lot of cities I realized that you cannot have the real impression of Ukraine if you visite only Odessa because this city is something different from the rest of the country.
The same impression I had in L'viv but this is an other history I will write about it in an other article...
Odessa preserved lot of it's ancient architecture; this is quite unusual because many other ukrainian cities knew bombing, destruction and reconstruction with rules of socialist realism that in many cases disfigured the ancient and harmonic shape of ukrainian prerevolutionary cities.
One of the most interesting things I noted in the city is the existence of not-christians architecture, something that in Italy is very rare to see (I saw the synagoge and centre of islamic culture built in perfect middle-east style. If in Italy muslims would decide to built such kind of building there will be serious problems, due to the xenophobia and provincialism of many ignorant italian people).

The tollerance of Ukrainians by the way is particularly temperate by anti - Semitism who some of them express openly without shame. A guy who I met in the street (who stayed also in Italy to work, as he told me) indicated me a synagogue but make a premise to this informations adding that there many extremist Jewish decided to meet with other Hebrews in Minsk (2006) to organize a big plan: how to destroy orthodoxian faith in East Europe and Russia.
An evident foolishness...
I decided to see this synagogue full of "extremists"and I pretended to be Jewish. I asked for their hat and went inside their church. I was totally sourrounded by people who prayed reading and shaking the head on holy books. I tried to do the same because I didn't want they discovered me. But they didn't pay attention to me fortunately.
The experience was unusual and funny but I cannot hide I felt little bit in discomfort without black clothes and long beard. It's very possible they understood I was not a Jewish...
What I remember now about this enchanting city is the astonishing and decorated Opera Theatre, my adventure to find a pubblic washing mashine (I didn't find It and this adventure finished giving 20 Euro to a maidservant of my hotel who was willing to wash my clothes. A good business for her but also for me because I needed to continue my trip with some cleaned clothes to Kiev, L'viv, Krakow and Budapest!).

I also remember Russian Orthodoxian Church Panteleymonivsky that welcome people with extra gloomy priests. More than peaceful people they looked very pessimists with their glowering look. The atmosphere there was so dark that I didn't had pleasure to spend time in that place. This church was built in XIX century by greek monks with stones coming from Costantinople (now Istambul of course).
During the evenings was also a pleasure to see how bar and restaurants are colourful and decorated.
I felt also very sorry in that moment I didn't have a girl to invite in some romantic place for a dinner!

And more, how not to mention the famous stairs of Prymorsky Boulevard who appear in the famous movie "The Battleship Potemkin" of Sergei Eisenstein?
Is there that I've known two nice girls from Kiev with wich now I'm still in contact: Anya Andrusenko and Alena Chernenko.
They behave all the time enthusiastically and they were by the first time so funny and friendly that I had very soon good impression about Ukrainians. After this year I confirm this first good impression I had.
Believe it or not but the spirit of these girls gave me the impulse to discover more Ukraine and now I can say that I don't regret the moment I decided to stay in this country for a whole year :)

Kharkhiv, where everything is big!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:19:58 PST

If the cultural city of West Ukraine is L'viv, and Kiev of Centre Ukraine, Kharhkiv is the eastern cultural heart of ukrainian nation.
Founded by a Cossack called Kharko, the city exist like populated place since XVII century in an autonomous area of Muscovy called Sloboda Ukraina (an area that covered part of actual north/east Ukraine, Russia - near Belgorod - and south/east Belarus).
More late in Karkhiv was founded, under Russian Empire, an University (1805), the first who appeared in all Ukraine! Here in XIX century, the first ukrainian intelligentsia, heir of aristocracy's autonomous Hetmanate, kept and preserved the tradition of the ancient indipendent Cossack Hetmanate.
These intellectuals gave the first hints to the first ideas of ukrainian nationalism.
The importance of this place will be remarked also under Soviet Union when it was Capital of Ukraine from 1919 till 1934 and an important centre for industrial and atomic research.
Kharkiv today is the second largest city of Ukraine after Kiev and mantain an high cultural and academic profile.
Because this is a place absolutely worthening to see if you live for long time in East Ukraine, my german's friend Cosima Lust and I, we decided to conquer the city.
Again, after 50 years from War World II, German and Italian troops togheter marched through Kharkiv (even though now, without any military purpose...).
Our headquarter was a flat quite far from the centre, a Krushchovka (low-cost apartment building built in Krushchev era) owned by a native citizen that try to find his serenity with meditation, Yoga and other mystic stuffs.
But we, German and Italian troops, we were not so interested in this kind of topics and we focused on the conquer of the city. Fortunately or not, this native citizen was also our guide in Kharkhiv. We had sometimes to negotiate with him to reach some places because in many cases he had other plans for us.
In any case we had to accept some rules and had to behave diplomatically.
When we arrived in the city centre, It was evident to us that Kharkiv have a long history. At most we realized it looking at the buildings and architecture. Lot of these were built before Soviet Revolution and are situated just beside soviet or new buildings, but in such kind of way that the urbanistic view is not spoiled!
I liked very much the architecture of this city.
Soviet buildings, like for instance the University and the soviet skycraper Derzhprom, built in twenties and survived for its firmness to nazifascist attacks, are impressive for the huge size.
Near Derzhprom there's also Freedom Square. In it also the usual monument dedicated to Lenin.
The square is famous to be one of the biggest in the world but didn't gave to me particoular feeling.
It's seems only a bare space sourrounded by soviet buildings.
Very nice instead the mounment dedicated to Taras Chevchenko, not far from the square and the enchanting (at least for my point of view) Opera Theatre.
It's majestic and built in Soviet style; I never seen an Opera Theatre built in such kind of way. It looks like an UFO spaceship! In front of the building there's also two fountains and futuristic street lamps.
I visited also the interior and it's in pure seventy style. For me It's a jewel of architecture. I want to work in a place built in such kind of way. It push you to an other reality!

It's a pity that governments of rich countries nowadays always declares they don't have money to build so huge and beautifull theatres for the communitites (but the same can be said about Metro, Ralways Stations and so on) as this one.
Governmets now don't want spent money for the community, this is the truth!
This is not only a pity, this is also a tragedy that reflect in some way the indifference of the State for their citizens. Hope better times will come and this rift between people and their governants will be bridged very soon. But let's came back to the main topic of this article!
The native citizen and the italian-german coalition (Cosima and me for those who lost consciousness for my digressions) continued our visite to see the churches in the city like the colourful orthodoxian Cathedral Blahoveshchensky (that reminded us a tasty pie) and the Monastry Pokrovsky, a classical orthodoxian complex.
This last is near Constitution Square and from here you can also note a cute mosaico under the roof of Puppet's Theatre. From this part of the city you can appreciate Kharkiv's architecture style. It's a great view!

To visit Art Gallery Museum was compulsonary for us (and also suitable because it started to rain).
There we could see some paintings of importants artists of XIX century like T. Schevchenko (then only, I discovered he was not only a writer but also a painter. Shame on me!) and Ilya Repin. Here you can admire the second version of the famous paint "Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV"; the most famous version is in St. Petersburg (State Russian Museum).
Satisfied by this visit we had to negotiate with our guide to see the Museum of Sexual Culture in Majakoskovo Street n.5. It's quite unknown and hidden place, in a ancient house not directely visibile in the street. There is a sign anyway that would help you to find it.
I knew this place thanks to my girlfriend's friend Olga Kuzmenko who was there one time and had so much fun and so much learn after this visit that suggested us to visite it :)
Indeed there you can learn very much how to use your inner places and how the people and animal all around the world behave in these circumstances that the church want you are involved to only when you want to have a baby.
It's true what is written there, that love is also an art. As for me, I noted nothing bad happen when you have sex. Only thing that happen is that you feel better after doing it and you want to do it again :P
Go there, you will have new inspirations in your bedroom! And you can also discover how penguins and shells loves each other!

These are the most interesting places that German and Italian troops explored in the city but before to make my conclusions, I want to sponsor a place where you can buy ukrainian souvenirs: I've never seen so much folkloristic ukrainian clothes concentrated in a single shop!
Here the products sold have nothing to envy of those you can more easily find in L'viv and Kiev's Andriyivsky Uzviz. Here there's every Shara Wara (Cossack's troousers) or sorochka (ukrainian folkloristic shirt) you like. It's in the central street of the city (Sumskaya Street n.6).
Dear readers, at this point german and italian troops have finished their task and they understood the peculiarity of Kharkiv: everything is BIG!
Big culture and history, big skycrapers, a city so big that need a Metro, big monuments, big square and big...

Donetsk, the city of the Hammer!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:14:31 PST

The spirit of Donetsk is deeply related to its coat of arms: an hand who hold an hammer.
This symbol rappresent more than any other the temperament of "donchan" (citizens of Donetsk):
stubborn, hard worker, inflexible and strong.
More than just a symbol this coat of arms is a warning for the people who have to manage with them.
Of course the symbol is associated to the presence of coal miners and factories in the city and sourrounding but like all the symbols, it says something more than the simple history and circumstances in which the symbol itself was originally created.
Donetsk is a russian speaking city and also the name on the streets is not written in ukrainian (Донецьк) but in russian (Донецк). That people here speaks russian it's not a question of principle (if we exclude the feeling of russian minority) but the results of city's history: created by Russian Empire, in here lives now people of more than 100 different races.
The many nationalities came in this place to work in the factories and coal mines allured by good condictions and salary that Russian Empire and Soviet Union after gave to them. Their descendants now live here in indipendent Ukraine but they still preserve the culture and the language their parents used: Russian
That's why this russian (that whether ones like it or not it's international language in ex USSR countries) is spread and currently speaked by people of Donetsk.
It's the pure reality and It's also not a tragedy by my point of view but I understand also that Ukraine should solve this question of the national language once for all!!!
Donetsk is the name of the city after the destalinization (1961) and take the name from the river who flew in the Donbass: the Seversky Donets. Before this denomination Donetsk knew other names:
The first name of the city was indeed Yuzovka (Юзовка) from the name of the founder of the city John Hughes, a Welsh businessman who built here his first metallurgic factory and coal mines near the city (1869)
During soviet time the name changed in Stalino (1924) before destalinization time I mentioned above.
The behaviour of the people from Donetsk is also very pragmatic, a bare pragmatism; sometimes discouraging and gloomy and that's why perhaps, many Ukrainians don't like behaviour of Donetsk's citizens (even people from Donetsk Oblast have this feeling, not only metropolitans kievians or people from West Ukraine!).
But we don't have to confuse pragmatism with efficency because also in Donetsk, like the rest of the country, services sometimes work with an exasperating sluggishness (try to believe it!)
Even though this dark side of Donetsk's people, there are some prejudice to break about this city and its city dwellers!
For example this is not a grey and dirty city as many Ukrainains thinks.
If we exclude the winter, for the rest of the year the nature here is astonishing: green is all around to you, trees and flowers are everywhere!
To understand it, try to go in spring and summer in "Boulevard Pushkina" in the city's centre that offer a wonderful and relaxing walk. You'll be sourrounded by nature. People of Donetsk are proud of this boulevard and I've heard someone to make some comparison with boulevards in St. Petersburg (an evident exaggeration) :)

Personally what I like more in the city centre is not this boulevard but "Lenin's Square". It give me emotions everytime: it's very elegant with a big fountain, confortable banks and a beautiful view of "Theatre's Tragedy".
In my opinion this square is more agreeable than kievian chaotic square "Maydan Nezalezhnosti" and more beautifull than the huge "Svoboda's Square" in Kharkiv.
Other place absolutely to see it's "Sculptur Park" just behind the monument dedicated to bolschevik hero Artiom and who gave the name of the city's central street (Artioma Street).

Sculptures are made in iron (of course can be different in the city of Hammer?) and are incredibly marvelleouses: fantastic, romantic and funny!
Some dedicated to child, some to lovers, some to zodiacal signs. This place it's recommended to every person who decide to visit "the city of million roses"
City of million roses? Yes, the city have also this nickname!!! Expecially in the past Donetsk was famous because flowerbeds were totally covered by this flower. Now the situation is changed, many citizens told to me, and there are no more so many roses planted in the city.
I really cannot see the problem because anyway in spring and summer Donetsk is full of flowers!

In the opinion of the majority Donetsk now It's better than in the past because thanks to the crisis many factories closed and the air is more clean.
I cannot even image here how could be pollutted the air in the past...
The city has been built to give confortable and good atmosphere to citizens and some help to gave better aspect to Donetsk came also from rich people like donchanin Rinat Akhmetov, that is the most rich man of all Ukraine.
But unfortunately what lack in Donetsk is the vivid cultural life that you can have in Odesa, L'viv or Kharkhiv.
Money in this field cannot do miracles and cannot overcome strong culture and traditions of the cities I've just mentioned.. Maybe less rich but more smiling!
Other prejudice to destroy about Donetsk is that in the city there are bandits and criminals everywhere and because of it you have always to pay attention in the streets. This is totally far from reality.
Of course Donetsk it's a famous centre of interests of Mafia but I'm living here since January 2009 and nothing never happened to me. And I've never seen violence in the streets.
Instead I want to underline as my association, Donetsk Youth Dabate Centre, who is very famous to be an NGO with EU orientation, It can perform its activites without intimidations of metal hammers and pieces of coals throwed inside the office by some filorussians Moskalì.
Maybe this can be a surprise for some Western Ukrainians who think that all Donetsk's population is the bridgehead of russian interests and anti-ukrainian feeling.
To finish this article (I feel I have my hands dirty of coal) how not to mention the extraordinary Donbass Arena where Shaktar, under the chorus of "ahead miners, ahead!" (in reality a team full of brasilians carioca) defeat every ukrainians and foreign teams... in the sign of the Hammer!

P.S. Donetsk is twinned with an italian city, Taranto, who have as ancestors greeks of SPARTA!!!
Beside, how can it be different? ;)

False Plants on the Walls

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:13:05 PDT

First to deal with this topic I have to make a remark: what I am going to describe is a costum not peculiar only to Ukraine but also to other Eastern Countries (for instance Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Romania).
I want to write about an Eastern Europe's taste that is not returned very much in the West: the use and abuse of false plants in private and pubblic spaces.
As I can note in my daily life,Ukrainians have a lot of responsability in this abuse! :)
I'm always very shocked to see false plants in unpredictable places where usually vegetables cannot grow: hanging on train's doors, on internal mirrors of kash-marshrutka or around pipes in the offices and hotel's rooms.
You can find also false plants in isolated places that indeed, more than give you more good feeling and serenity, its have the opposite effect to underline the desolation around you.

Do Ukrainians and Eastern Europeans think that these artificial plastic plants give more happiness and positive feeling?
Maybe yes, and that's why not seldom in the hall of hotels and restaurants, you are sourrounded by fake jungles MADE IN CHINA.

P.S. As for me, this questionable taste of Eastern Europeans is sometimes morbid and without any doubt very kitsch!
It's true the latin proverb De gustibus non disputandom est but I ask if you also don't think that, in some cases, there are also people who go too far!

Kamyanets Podilsky - Stronghold of Christendom

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:03:25 PDT

The sultan Osman II asked to his confidents: Who has built this town?
Allah himself was their answer.
The last sentence of sultan was: let that Allah take it himself.
After saying it he retreated his troops.

The keeper of Christian Faith

For many centuries this city was near by the border with Ottman Empire and held on against it.
As sentry of christian culture in the east, the citadel always had to stand against Crimea's Tatars and troops of Ottman Empire. Kamyanets suffered many times fire and sieges and also when It was occupied by Turks, the city never changed it's christian soul.
For four centuries, the city was part of the Rzcezpospolita (Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth) and untill Ottman Empire threatened Podilya (the region around Kamyanets), the city with its powerful castle defended all the land around and christian culture stopping Ottman imperialistic expansionism.
In this heroic city three nations (Polish, Ukrainians and Armenians) lived togheter without any problem and civic life was ruled by Magdeburg Law, introduced by a Polish prince since 1374.
Have to be underlined also the strong presence of Jewish in the area.

- The Magdeburg Law

I need to made a short description about Magdeburg Law because It's very important for history of West Ukraine and mark definitively a difference from East Ukraine who never known this kind of "statute": Magdeburg Law was very similar to German Town Law that the German Emperor allowed geman cities to self manage their own economic life and administration. This autonomy was really useful for the cities and gave to them strong dynamism and a good burocracy structure.
Princes of Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth soon understood the advantages to allow the Magdeburg Law to their cities and they introduced it in their territories.
It's interesting to note that in that time, Magdeburg Law was spread in the Rzcezpospolita but also in the Kingdom of Hungary and Baltic Cities. In few words, this Law was spread in all Central/Eastern Europe.
After this short explanation that I consider basic to understand history and culture of Kamyanets, I will go on to talk more about this superb citadel.

The Superb Citadel

The modern Kamyanets Podilsky divided in two parts, the new Kamyanets and the old one: they are linked by a bridge (built only in 1872) that overcome the canyon, which in the past, was the natural defence of Kamyanets against the enemies. The canyon have an average height of 30 metres and here Smotrich river flow. In the past the river was more capacious and helped a lot the defence.
The word kamin in ukrainian means "stone" and indeed the old city It's like a "stone island" sourrounded by the canyon while the south side, not protected by that natural defence is guarded by the castle; of course to render hard and almost impossible an assault to the citadel!
But now, with the modern bridge, to get the old city, is not so difficult (and impossible) like in the past and you can arrive there with the traditional kash-mar-shrutka.
When you'll arrive in the old city, you'll note soon the presence of many churches.
At least the tower you can note in the central square (polish market square) don't belong to a church but to the so called Ratusha, a building where was settled the authority of the city.
It's pretty, in a good shape and give fairy tales suggestions.
There you can visit a museum dedicated to Magdeburg Law but there are not translations of inscriptions in english: with regret a peculiarity of many ukrainian museums.

Beside the Ratusha there is an Armenian Well with roof deep 40 metres. To get inside you have to spend 3 grivna but, once there, you can see also some expositions of local artists that can be interesting (maybe).

The big building behind Ratusha is a Dominican Monastry that actually is under restauration and you cannot visit the interior. But you can appreciate this rose walls that remind a cake ;)

Saints Peter and Paul's Cathedral: pope, turks and Jesus Gangster

The most interesting building in the old city for me it's the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul: you can get in the complex from the Polish Market Square through an ancient triumphal arch.
This Catholic Cathedral have the peculiarity to be just beside a minaret built by Ottmans during their occupation of Kamyanets (in that time they converted also the Cathedral in mosque as often they did when they occupied christian holy places.
The Cathedral was not unguarded or neglected by Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth and with Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) the holy place (and all the city) returned in christian's hands.
Only extravagant turkish request Polish had to respect with the restituition of the city: the minaret had not to be destroyed!
The citizens of Kamyanets couldn't pull down it but they put a golden Virgin Mary on it, replacing the crescent muslim. Had to be clear definitively which faith ruled the city: Christiandom!
Ottmans few years could mantain the city and the most long occupation last for only 27 years (from 1672 to 1699).For me this cathedral is also interesting because there's a Jesus Christ's statue keeping something in the hands that, in my opinion, seems to be the original sawn-off shotgun used by italian Mafiamen.
Whortening to be reported here also the bronze statue of John Paul II in front of the church with Vatican Flag on it side waving proudly in the sky. This monument was dedicated to the ex pope and to his visit in the city (26 January 1991).
With his visit he celebrated the refounding of catholic diocese in Kamyanets that, under the Russian Empire and USSR it was completely eliminated.

Churches all Around

Outside the old city but visible from the chatolic cathedral and the castle, the Orthodoxian Church of St. George: a little bit far from the centre and not so interesting to visite: but the facade that offer is splendid with all the landscape around.
The Armenian church have a beautiful bell tower and an elegant liberty gate while the Greek catholic church is in baroque style (next to the bridge to the old castle).
An orthodoxian wooden church (it's a reconstruction) is on the path near the old castel's wall.

But why so many churches in this city? Were the people so much believers and devotes to go?
Maybe but there was also a pratical reason for the presence of all these religious places and bell towers: all these holy buildings were used also as defence system against the enemies in case of attack:
the ratusha tower, for instance, could control the north area of the city and the sourrounding very well, the Armenian bell tower controlled the south/west part, the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul the east side, the Dominican Monastry the centre of the city.

Prayer and War, the destiny of Kamyanets Podilsky for centuries!

Walking around the Ancient Walls

If you want to have a tour around the old town, the first advice I give you is to take a staff with you : the path that sorround the old city is totally full of dogs.
Through the path you can see the Polish and Ruthenian (called also Russian) Gate: an hydrotechnical complex built since XV century to control the volume of the river and raise it up in case of enemies attack.

Other things you can see around the path (apart the general view that is exciting) is the old wooden orthodoxian church, the Sn. Anne's battery (the main entrance of the old city also called Wind Gate: it's so called because here Peter I losed his hat from his head because of the strong wind).
This main entrance was built under the direction of polish king Stephan Batory in 1585 and was rebuilt after by Stanislaw August (an other polish king).
The west side of the old city is studded by defence towers because it has always been the weak side of the old city. through the path you can see all of its: Potter Tower (Goncharny), Butcher Tower (Riznytska) Arrtificier Tower (Krawetska) and Furrier Tower (kushnirsky).
The towers, like in other middle age towns, were connetted with the guildes of the city. These guildes had the duty to mantain the towers and provide it with materials. In case of attack belongers to the guildes, held the positions and defended its by enemie's raids.
Old documents of Kamyanets repored that, in XV century, there were 16 handicraft guildes. It means that probably other towers were in the city and through the centuries have been destroyed simply because ended the purpose of militar defence of the city (expecially when Ottmans in this region ceased to be a threat).

The Castle, pride and glory of Kamyanets

1- Turkish Castle is totally european
There's a legend here in Ukraine: that Ottmans made a perfect work to build this powerfull castle. It's not true at all! The Turks only empowered some walls. the big work and all the countruction is totally european: Germans, Dutches and also Polish militar engineers through the centuries improved the defence's system with the last innovations coming from West Europe militar architectures.

2 - Turkish Bridge "is not turkish"
The bridge, the access to the castle, that for some reason is called "turkish bridge" is also not an ingenious contruction of Ottmans: in fact, they detroyed it with their powerful seige in 1672 and they had to rebuild the main part of it. Maybe for this last reason is called "turkish bridge".
But they didn't do the stable bridge that we can see today: the bridge was rebuilt during II World War.

In my opinion the history of Kamyanets Podilsky is the symbol of the difficult situation Ukraine had always to suffer, sorrounded by big powers with a land desired by people of different faiths.

From Voivoda of Moldova to Polish/Lithuanians, from the Ottman Empire to Tatars and Russians, all the important armies and empires of this area came here.
At least since XIV century it was clear the vocation of Kamyanets Podilsky: to be not only a border between Christians and Islamics but also a border between Europe and Tiranny.

3 - Inside the Castle

In the castle is beautiful to walk and appreciate the breathing view of the sourrounding from the wall and towers. The nickname "Pearl of Podylia " is well deserved for this city!

In the castle it's interesting to see the tower with a well deep 40 metres and the pit where insolvent debitors were put as punishment. There's a staute of a debitor in there and people (like me) liked to have fun throwing some kopecks to help him to solve his debts...
The New Castle built behind the old on to better defend the city is absolutely not a big attraction: only a place where you can see stones and grass. Nothing more.

Because Kamyanets Podilsy under control of Russian Empire losed its militar importance, it became a prison. Here Ustym Karmalyuk, a ukrainian revolutionary of peasant origin, was imprisoned.
Today is considered a national hero.
The legend want that women loved this man very much and to help him to escape from the jail, they throwed to him their plaits to make a rope and escape. The legend say that he did it!
But apart of this trifle, if you click the link, you can note that this person had had an interesting life.

Other events of the past, indeed not very pleasant, I want to remember in this article:

Massacre of Jewish

In this place Jewish knew a cruel persecution by ukrainian cossacks and later by Soviet anti - semitic politic but the worst happen when German Nazis when they killed here about 23.600 jewish.
It's always important to remember this shame because there are people who like to deny this events or they like to minimize its.

Fortunately today Kamyenets Podilsky don't know anymore this tragic and diffcult situation and don't have to stop foreigners or new comers .
On the contrary, this city have to welcome the tourists who come willing to visit its rich culture and history, a place that can offer also an extraordinary view:
Kamyanets Podilsky it's one of the most beautiful citadels all over Europe!

Taste of France in the Steppes: Artyomovsk Winery!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:10:41 PDT

All this adventure started with an imperative: NO!
I will explain better: my first intention when I decided to make and excursion here in Donetsk Oblast, was to visite salt mines in Soledar. There was the possibility to do that!
Every day there, they organize excursions for tourists interest in these deep caves. The mines in Soledar are not used only for producion of salt but also for people that, for healthy reasons, they need to breath iodine.
One week before I had to reach the Soledar mines I telephoned there and they told me that was possible to go: they gave me information how to reach the place and about the costs.
But the day I had to confirmate my excursion they answered me: It's not possible.
"Why not?"
"Because not"
Ah, maybe this information to know why is interdiction thwas Top Secret!
Pissed off about this behaviour I called Cosima Lust, my german friend volonteer, to cancel this excursion. She wanted to come there with me and other our ukrainian friend Alexander Gladish.
But this is a good luck we know Alexander!
He was able to organized an other excursion thanks to his journalist friend Ghena Stepanenko. a journalist originary from Artyomvsk that actually live in Odesa. This journalist knew some people who organize excursions in Artyomvs Winery factory and it's only thanks to him that we could go there (otherwise there was not place even to go there because we didn't prenote).
This was nice event, because was in my mind to visit this factory!
There were other person who joined the excursion with us: Marta Panyus, the new volonteer of Donetsk Youth Debate Centre; she have ukrainian origins and can speak very well ukrainian. she is very active in her work and I think she will do great things here in Donetsk with local people.
An other ukrainian guy, Roman Ernovsky, friend of Alexander Gladish, joined us: he was always happy, expecially after tasting Champagne ;)
This enterprise where we decided to go, Artyomovsk Winery, is very famous in this country and in all Eastern Europe: it have a very big production and huge exportation (in more than 20 countries).
The excellence of this Chanpagne is due to the choice of the grapes, the traditional ones for the production of Champagne (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) but are also used others like Merlot, Cabernet and Saperavi (a grape from Georgia).
The most interesting aspect of this production, for me, is the place where they dacant the bottles: in caves very deep, 70 and even 80 metres in the ground.
In this way Champagne is not corrupted or altered by temperature or wet weather in the surface.
The amount of bottles I saw in these caves impressed me and I read on a leaflet that every year they produces 12,5 milions of bottles!

I f you are interest you can have more technical and more accurate information in the official website about this enterprise: http://www.krimsekt.ua/m1/en/index0
But let's spent some time to speak about the excursion!
We were a group of 30 people (more or less) and the guide speaked to us in russian. This guide forbade us to make picture of the place because the people were working.
Or maybe the place is Top Secret!

The tunnels and some caves have been coloured to gave to the people who work there a nice feeling (otherwise they would see only grey and dark walls on the ground). I understand it and I am agree with their decision to paint the caves.
But I think that false castles, painted walls with rabbit and false middleage lanterns are very kitch and remind me fairs and kindergardens.
The noise of workers forced the guide to scream his techincal explanation to the group. But apart difficulties of Cosima, Marta and me to listen this specific terms, we where more interested to taste Champagne.
The excursion in my opinion were not well organized and the people always had to run and follow the guide who was all the time in hurry (the other group indeed followed closely to us).
My memories of this restless excursion It's chaotic noise of people who were working in the caves, bottles shaked by machinery and rainbow colours and neon everywhere.
There was not serenity at all and this also happened during the tasting of Champagne: the style to give us Champagne was very rough and I felt myself part of the whole industrial production.
After a short explanation for every kind of Champagne we had to drink fast and other Champagne soon followed. In the same glass!
What a different quality in Alupka (Crimea) where I could taste peacefully 14 different wine of Massandra in different glasses! Wine didn't mixed in the mouth like in Artyomovsk Winery tasting!
Also if I like very much Champagne Krim (product in Artyomvsk Winery) more than every sweet crimean wine, I think in Crimea they have more culture to sell their product to the people (I have to underline that Crimea is also touristic place and they know how to manage with the people while Artyomsk Winery is a place lost in the steppes).
By the way I don't want to excuse them for they disagreeable style.
50 years of existence and experience in the world of commerce are enough to learn how to sell their products.
There are topics in which style and substance have to be unite togheter: this is the case of wine market.
Maybe this enterprise gain lot of money and have any interest in organize good excursion? Can be...
But for the prestige of this enterprise, I recommend to them more attention to their profile and how they organize their promotion: it could happen that there are some foreigner in the group, maybe a blogger or a journalist that is not satisfied about the treatment and can use also more hard words than mine.
Beacuse It's true that "the devil is in the details!"

Ode to Babushka. Вона працюе, вона є серцем україни!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:16:20 PDT

Babushka probably in the past was a wonderful woman and She worked for her family. Now that her sons are adult, she continue to take care of grandsons and her housband.
Babushka knew an other time, when money were not so important like nowadays.
But even thought She lived this changes, She never felt down and still have the force to solve her own problem (and sometimes also those of his housband and all wide family).
Very often She went abroad and lived with pain this distance between her and loved ones; to solve indigence problems, to give better future to her discendents.
Babushka have strong will: nor the age, nor her delicate health can stop her to manage domestic economy.
She is an hard worker.

Babushka give always what you need when you feel hunger in the stop train and busses: She wait with patience your arrival to feed you with Varieniky, flat bread or sweets...
and in big cities She will give you always a flat to sleep if you don't have place to lodge.
Babushka fill thrillerbus at every hour and take two places instead than one: because She is big or because She carry heavy and huge handbags.
Babushka say straightly what She think to you with some comments often not required and even roughs.
But always you have to sorry her and you will note that frequently there is some wisdom in her words.
Babushka want you get married happily because is not rare She had bad experience with men.
And She will pray for you and your future, because She is very religious and superstitious.
Babushka is the earth and soul of this country: She is the unduying heart of Ukraine.

Ukrainian/Georgian Marriage of a Mentor

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:28:58 PDT

Finally the day has comed to me to see my mentor Olga Donetsk with the most important ring in his fingers! We went not in the church to see the celebration of the marriage but in an administrative office in Donetsk used for this purpose.
Alos if this union is not celebrate in the church with the famous speach of love toghether in good and bad lot, this promise is compulsoanry for them (I decided it this obbligation for them).
All the ceremony started when I saw a Limousine who carried Olga in this special place of the city who unite the people for ever. I have to underline that I saw the Limousine for the first time in Ukraine: here the people like to rent this car in their day of marriage.
The numberplate of Limousine reported that it belonged to David and I cannot avoid that this car is related to an uncounscious sex meaning, but I have to finish also to be everytime so indecent! :)

The ceremony in this building, with the happynes of every invited, was very short. Fortunately because We know that love is forever etc.
But the sermon of this official woman touched visibly the heart of David and father of Olga; but indeed everybody was satisfied and pleased of these words proununced by the official. During the ceremony the couple married made a bow to thank the parents (for me this is very unusual custom like other who will follow below).
Once the ceremony in that office was over with ufficial signature of the marriage, out of the building people waited them to throw petal of roses.
We had to wait untill the afternoon to see them again (they disappeared to make some pictures with the photographer), in a park near to the old stadium of the famous football team Shaktar.

After this we went to our last destination: Khartsyzsk (the hometown of Olga and David).
Here a sumptuous dinner waited us but before an important ritual had to be done!
The mothers of Olga and David waited their arrival with the cars near the entrance of the restaurant: they kept in their hands a tablecloth with a big bread on it. The bread was hollowed and inside the hole was put salt (bread and salt are considered to be the basic food that should never lack in the house)
In their hand there was also an holy Ikon with Jesus Christ.
The ukrainian tradition want that in this moment the couple married arrived near the mothers and have to make a step on an other tablecloth put on the floor and the first who touch it is considered to be in the future the master of the house.

Diplomatically they touched the tablecloth in the same moment ;)
An other bow, now only to the mothers, was made. After they kiss the holy Ikon and they eated a piece of bread with salt.
To this followe a throw of candies and money to the guests in order to wish prosperity to every partecipant and the ritual ended when Davide crush down a dish on the threshold of the entrance'door of the restaurant (I don't know exactly what does it means this act but I guess it's a way to win luck in the house of married couple).
Finally came the time for the lucullian dinner!
The rooms of the restaurant were very elegants and in every table were put a pantagruelian quantity of georgian food (very tasty, at most consisting of meat and stuffed vegetables).
The guests were very friendly and I couldn't always guess who were georgian and who were ukrainian. But this is important? They were only nice people there.

A georgian guy was the leader of the party: the Tamadà. the role of this man during the marriage in the caucasian region (but now this role is played also during pure ukrainian and russian marriage) is to coordinate all the party and decide the rithm and decide also when the party have to be finished. In few words, in that day, he have supreme power in the party.
Once this guy/tamadà knew I'm italian, he tried to meke me drunk asking me at every right occasion to drink a glass of vodka. For my safety I have to thank Volodya Sheygus (the boss office's housband) who in hiding put water instead of vodka in the glass.

In this way I could hold on all the evening and night with his requests!
Very often there were interruptions to the dinner because is custom here that almost evry invited dedicate a toast to the married couple.When It was not for the toasts, It was the animator of the party (with the consensus of tamadà of course!) who pushed the people to take part to funny games.
And about dances, for sure I could see great performance of georgians in their folkloristic dances!
Also an italian interlude happened when I sang songs like "O sole mio" and "Bella Ciao".
I liked this party because everyone was spontaneous and I could easily communicate.
I have been very impressed by friendly nature of georgians who is so similar to people from centre and south Italy. It was really great the time spent time with them!
To finish properly this article I want also made a dedications to Olga and David because I didn't call for the toast in the party:
I wish to you wonderfull and lucky future and that your dreams could become reality.
That God will protect you and that the light will be always your guide.

Passion for Narghilé....sorry, Kalyani!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:15:19 PDT

This passion for this instrument recall me ancient times, when Ukraine was controlled by other powers. But I will explain better later this topic, now let's speak about contemporary time (that is also more interesting!)
Like in Middle east and North Africa, people here like to smoke with this tool that is better known in Europe with turkish and arab name: Narghilè and Shisha.
Here in Ukraine they call it, like Iranians, Kalyani.
There are other names to call this pipe to smoke but I guess you understand what I am going to write...
Here Kalyani is a fashion: in many bars or restaurants you can rent a Kalyani to smoke it alone or with your company.
But why people here are so in love with this instrument to smoke?
I have an explanation for this passion: it's connected with ukrainian holidays.
Ukrainians like to spend their holidays in Egypt and even more in Turkey.
Not because Ukraine have not beaches or sea to swim or to have a rest, but because these countries are more cheap and with better services than, for example, Crimea or Odessa!
This love for Turkey is very spread all around the country and many ukrainian women have turkish boyfriends and they get married with them.
The ukrainians are very open minded even more than western europeans in this topic (we are more scepticals about turkish culture and religion).
But what I always think is: how can they overcome their different cultures? It will be a great deal for them if ukrainan women get married with turkish man? Maybe love and nothing else will solve all this troubles or my prejudices...
But apart of this remark, let's come back to Kalyani!
I have to be honest: this instrument is not my passion. Sometimes I've smoked with this pipe in the bottle because I was in the situation and I decided to follow the will of the others and to be part of the company.
I don't have any pleasure to smoke it and still I believe that many people like it only because it's a fashion.
Or maybe because, smoking this pipe in here, ukrainians could remember the sun, the sea, tasty turkish food and something else that start with s... :)
Remember that in the first paragraph I wrote that Kalyani remind me ancient times:
my idea is that strong influences of neighbour countries still exists in Ukraine:

- POLAND: for the culture, religion, the language so near to ukrainian one and for the effort Poland made to promote Ukraine in EU

- RUSSIA: for culture,religion, for the strong influence of economy, for the huge russian minority that live in the country and still prefer use russian language in daily life (and unfortunately, for russian militar presence in Crimea)

- TURKEY: in the past allied with Crimean Tatars in South Ukraine and Crimea under Ottman Empire Empire, it seems that now influence Ukraine only with delightful argouments: Bacchus, Tobacco...
and Venus!

Surrealistic Scenery: doors need their owners

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:49:25 PDT

If it happens you see doors on the pavement, in open market, near bus station on ukrainian streets, don't worry: you are not in a metaphysics dimension or in a painting of Renè Magritte, Slavador Dali or Giorgio De Chirico!
It's very common here to see doors, in seemingly, strange places.
Ukrainians sell doors like every other daily object you need and seller on the streets give you some advertisements: they push you to buy its because everybody need doors in his life.
The system to trade the doors everywhere for me is so original that I couldn't avoid to be struck. But why people here are so resolute to sell this product?
And why in the same places where you can find lot of babushka who sell fruits or vegetables, near bus stops and in central roads?
The reason is understandable only if you can get this explanation from ukrainians:
to sell doors (and windows) nowadays is a good business, more than in other parts of Europe.
I was surprised by this information: in my mind came the idea that, for some mysterious reason ukrainians need doors more than other europeans.
But soon came all the explanation: people need to change doors and wndows who were built during Soviet Union time. They were built in wood and now are old and not more good to shield from winter cold.
Ukrainians explained me also, with some nostalgic attitude, that old wooden doors and windows are better than the new plastic ones and unfortunately people buy these last ones because are more cheap.
It's true, wood is perfect insulator, more beautifull to see and cosy, but apart this sad but true ukrainian remark on beauty respected in Soviet era, personally I would be happy if ukrainians will change windows on the train: these are impossible to open and often worn out!
With the new windows at least, it will be more useful that tool fixed on windows and doors that is called door/window handle.
I don't know how often I had to say to sellers "I don't need doors" and how many times I will going to reapeat it, but to see doors on the streets and in other unimaginable places it's always funny for me.
Thanks Ukraine that you gave me also the opportunity to live this bewildering
experience!

Kashmarshrutka and Thrillerbus

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:29:57 PDT

This is an article that concern transport and I cannot avoid to threat, because It's closely connetted to ukrainian way of life.
I have to remark that real names of this means of transports are differents: real name are Marshrutka and Trolleybus but for the extreme situation you live in there and for not so confortable interior I always call its Kashmarshrutka and Thrillerbus.

While thrillerbus is easy to understand, I need to translate you the meaning of distorted name Kashmarshrutka. Kashmar (кошмар) means nightmare while Marshrut (маршрут) means "way".

Kashmarshrutka
This means of transport is the more spread in ukrainian roads and at the same time is the more uncofortable for passengers. People need of this transport because is the more speed and can reach every part of ukraine, even the countryside.
It can be a normal bus but in most cases it's a little van.

Kashmarshrutka is always smashed outside or inside or, when not, It's very dirty and full or rust. But these are not the only elements that gave to me the idea to call it nightmare (кошмар).
The real reason why for me It's a daily terrible experience is becasue inside the van could often happen you are pressed like a sardine. In a place where should stay 20 people, instead there are double with relative consequences of squashing and nervous tension of everyone.
I noted that there are also different behaviours of people in marshrutka in Ukraine. It's depend by places you are so I cannot generalize even though the differences, I believe, are not substantials; but in Zaporizzhya the people pay the tickets directly to the driver when they came inside the Marshrutka.
In Donetsk, where I use everyday to travel, it's habit to ask to the people, after taked seat, to pass the money to the driver. And people are always in hurry to get the seat, also if no one is inside the van! So, also if nobody is inside the van and marshrutka is empty, if you are near the driver, people ask you to pass the money. For me this is not understandable: this haste to take the seat, for me, can be justified only by old people or pregnant women but no in other cases.
Other peculiarity of Kashmarshrutka is that you have to scream the bus stop you need, otherwise the van don't stop.
But the drivers are very attentives and happen almost never you miss the place you need to stop. Misundarstandings about this topic are very rares.
In Kashmarshrutka I broke trousers because of a pure sheet steel near to the entrance door (and I'm lucky I didn't hurt miself with it), I sang some songs with some ukrainian children and with Cosima coming back from Svyatagorsk. I explained to an ukrainian man that there are other italian singers than Adriano Celentano and Toto Cotugno and I appreciate legs of ukrainian women with short skirts when I was sitting in front of them.
In that case "nightimare" becomed "sweet dreams"

Thrillerbus
When I am not in hurry I can wait Thrillerbus also for 10 minutes to avoid the "nightmare" in Marshrutka. Other reason to prefer Thrillerbus is that is more cheap (1 Grivna instead than 1,50 or 2 Grivna). It's not a big difference but sometimes, for some unknow reason, I am happy to save 50 kopecks. This is an enigma because I save these little moneys and with any problem I spend 50 or 60 Grivna. I am not good with economy...
Thrillerbus is a pitoval mean of transport here in Ukraine, It's ecological (also if people here do not care very much about this matter): It goes with electricity.
Old people are exempt to pay this transport and they full this mean of transport. That's why Thrillerbus are also smelly.
Trolleybus are very old and built 30 years ago and never replaced by modern ones.
In Thrillerbus, that is more big than Kashmarshrutka, you live the experience to be pressed and squashed only in some specific hours, if you are near to market or city centre.

The only reason why for me are "thriller", is only because they are so old and not repaired that they are falling in pieces day by day. The lamp can be broken and hanging, the doors full of rust and don't want to open, the seats often uprooted and covered with patches.

They are built to be used untill the end!
It's very common that Thrillerbus stops because of some avaria or because they lost contact with their high tension cable. In this last case needs only to wait that the driver or the ticket seller (very often women) fix the problem reconnecting the trolleybus with the cable.
Apart of L'viv, where you have to buy the ticket from the driver, in Thrillerbus work a ticket seller. This person run to one side to one other to the people who get inside screaming "pay the ticket please!". The situation for them is very bad when Thrillerbus is crowded. Thy are pressed and very stressed in this run-up to passengers.
Sometimes the situations turn to be very comic, expecially when the ticket seller is a fat woman: she squash all the people; sometimes to solve the situation she need to go ouside and reach the other entrance of Thrillerbus to sell the tickets :)

Have a nice trip in ukrainian cities!

Svyatagorsk, Svyato Uspenskaya Lavra (Donetsk Oblast)

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:22:49 PDT

The "Map of European Citizenship" (12/05/2009 - 21/05/2009)

I decided to write about this place so late because It was my intention to mention here all the visit I made to this monastery during my EVS in different period of time.
The first time I have been there was thanks to proposal of Elena Smagliy to take part of a international training in a hotel near Svyatagorsk Lavra.
Elena is a woman who work in the same office of Donetsk Debate Centre but belong to an other association: EURC "Social Partnership". EURC Social Partnership is a organizer of non-formal Network of Inter-district Social Partnership centres. The organization realizes volunteer project, Its aim to create positive volunteers image in society and attraction of young people to volunteers movement.
This association have lot of contacts with foreigners, expecially from Germany, because It partecipate to "German-Russian exchange".
Thanks to EURC I made friendship with three smart, warm and gentle girls:
- Anne Klink, wise and very friendly, that worked for some months in Donetsk to organize workshop and generally was devoted to create network for the association. Now she returned to Germany because she found a nice work in social sphere.
- Hanne Ruehs, a very talented girl that teach german language and music in Makiivka (near Donetsk) to children who lives in the streets. Now she came back to Germany
- Cosima Lust, an energetic, sweet and happy person who work with the children in a "children house" in Slavyansk, three hours about from Donetsk). She is the only German girl of the troika still in Ukraine
The training "Map of European Citizenship" was sponsored by Council of Europe and was conducted by Micheal Richardson, a freelance trainer from Scotland and Peter Keijzer who work from dutch NGO Richter. The training was aimed to spread the knowledge about european citizenship and to ontribute to understanding of european culture and institutions.
During the training Micheal and Peter introduced and explained also EVS and othe Youth in Action programmes.
The main goal of the training was to share knowledge and train young people and youth leaders of NGOs involved in work with youth and which deal with young people with fewer opportunities (geographical, cultural, social or economic disadvantages).
We were a lot to take part of this training and, apart of ukrainians, other partecipants camed from Sweden, Poland, Georgia, Netherland, Germany, France, Romania, Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Moldova and Italy.
To have more clear idea of the partecipants and the spirit of the training, consult this link:
http://mapeu.blogspot.com
The nice thing is that was not at all to comunicate because everybody knew english language.

The training has been very useful to everybody for different reason but at most, I think, for people who works in NGOs: the main part of the training was devoted to the techinique of "energizer that is a way, through different games, to know better each other, to socialize and remember the name of the partecipant to metting or conferences.
Some games I really liked and were very ingenious and need pur creativity, some simply broke some our stupid embarassment and fears.

We had also a Debate about EU and for me, it has been very interesting to listen the point of view of ukrainians and people who belong to country which are not part of Ukraine (Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Moldova and Russia).
I noted that while the opinions of partecipants who belong to EU were quite similars, the point of view of non EU citizens were more discordants.
Of those days I remember as most beautiful moments, the presentation of our own countries and the preparation of ukrainian food.
The ukrainians made the best to present their countries with their folkloristic clothes, songs, food and drinks.

Other topic momenous during the training was our visit to the Lavra Uspensky of Svyatagorsk.
To go inside the moastery the girls have to wear a scarf and a skirt as orthodoxian rule want and man have to wear long throusers.
This rule about long throusers was something that I didn't know. I weared short throusers in that day, that's why for me started a lot of complications.
It's to remark that while in Vatican there are Swiss Guard, also here they have their own guards : the modern Cossacks.
Also Chris Roedema , the dutch partecipant from Netherland that as me didn't had proper throusers couldn't get inside the monastery.
That's why Chris, me and Olga Conop, a sweet girl original from Moldova, who decide to stay with us, We made an other tour around the hill to reach the others group who could get inside the caves that finish on the upper hill of the monastery.
When we saw the nice roof of monk's hermitage We tried to go near that beautifull wooden architecture. But again a Cossack stop us and interdict the free passage!
Even to walk around this wooden hermitage (that by the way is not accessible to believers because is sourrounded by fences) was not possible!
We were fed up of this exagerations and rules and we decided to come back to wait the other group. The imminent rain discouraged also Chris, Olga and me to reach the monument of Fjodor Andreevich Sergejev, an hero of communist time that stand as a magnifique white statue on the main high point of the hills near the monastery.
This was my first experience in Svjatagorsk and I am very grateful to Elena Smagliy I could do this experience.
About the training I will always remember the filosophic speech of ukrainians Marina Chorna and Tatiana Omelchenko, the beautifull nordic eyes and kind soul of Anija Johansson from Sweden, the provocative and histrionic behaviour of Peter from Netherland, our trainer, Nicolas Kadic from French (but of croation roots) that every morning at 7 o'clock in the room did stretching singing some russian or eurovision songs while my desire was to sleep.
And more: the funny and friendly Olga Ilina that host me this summer in Poltava, the smart and creative performance of germans girls during our session games and the over enthusiastic attitude of Svevolod Bannov, ukrainian guy from Gorlivka.

Visit of Patriarch Kirill in Svjatagorsk (29 July 2009). I was there

The visit of Patriarch of Moscow in Ukraine, the first year in charge after death of Alexious II in 2008, has been very felt by ukrainians and had political and religious meaning.
In his trip in Ukraine, He decided to visite the most important cities and monastries with some difficult moments and protests because in this country there are other churches that claim their supreme authority upon others. The most prominents in the country are:
- Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate
- Greek Catholic Church (also famous as Uniat Church)
- Autochephalous Orthodoxian Church
- Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate
Kirill is at the head of this last branch of Orthodox Church and is only second to Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate for number of believers.
The trip of Kirill in West Ukraine knew some hard momentous because, this people say, there is strong connection between Orthodox Church of Moscow and the political power of Kremlin.
And It's probably true.
As often happen, the spiritual question is mixed with political interests and as Italian, I can understand very much this argouments.
It's regrettable every quarrel about religion but is inevitable that the tradition that church bring with itself conditions human behaviour and points of view. Many questions of temporal power are very related not only to ecclesiastic power but also to way of life of the people.
If it's true that real religion concerne only love, It's also true that every people in these world have their own ideas of what is sacred and what is not. And would be also unrespectful don't give importance to it.
All these questions have not importance for authentic universal valour of religion that is based on love, by the way this spiritual though wherever in the world is side by side with temporal power of almost all religions. And we have to cope with it.
The main point of the contact between religion and daily life is that churches or holy books gives an ethic direction to way of life of the society and influence directly the economy and social life of the people. That's why the relation between spiritual and temporal power It's very delicate and difficult to be solved.
Only if we live in the same way in whole world thi problem would have an end. But It's really attractive that all the people on this earth think and live in the same way?
I don't think I would like such kind of world and sorry about John Lennon...
Let's bring this aside and I will return to my main subject: my second visit in Svyatagorsk!
The main cause I decided to go there was an unrepeteable event who occured: the visit of Patrarch Kirill in Svjatagorsk. I couldn't avoid this event!
I was really willing to be present to this celebration for the arrival of the Patriarch and also Cosima Lust, my german friend, decide to join me in this adventure.
We started our trip on Marshrutka (a kind of mini bus) from Slavyanskm the city where Cosima live.
Once in overcrowded Marshrutka we were sourrounded by babushke that come from different part of East Ukraine. By our english they easy understood we were foreigneirs and they started to pose us different questions. One old woman forbade also to us to speak english, I think because she felt confuse by this, for her, unknown language.
An other old woman was was angry against one other because she posed more than one time the same question. We had also to mediate and to quiet this woman from his odd anger against this poor old woman that repeated more time the same senctences.
Once we arrived in Svyatagorsk We saw thousand of believers and an impressive cordon of Cossacks. All this Cossacks in different uniforms they came to defend their Pope.
It was very colourful athmosphere!
Cosima and I, We waited the arrival of Kirill in the monastery. Again we were speaking english and a babushka told to us not to speak (all the people around us were speaking, there was not religious silence). We continued to speak english...
The waiting was very long and the monks with their cross, drapes and ikons in ritual manner, accompaned by sound of bells, continued to go and fro untill Kirill arrived.
At the sight of Patriarch everybody become crazy and for me and Cosima was even not possible to take a picture of Kirill. We were pressed and overwhelmed by the mass of believers.

We tried also to go inside the monastry but there were so many people that was not possible to have free walking. A big screen outside from the main church, gave the opportunity to all the faithful come in Svyatagorsk, to follow the mass.

Cosima and I, however, We were satisfied for what we saw and we decided to walk freely outside the monastery and buy some postcard and food.
We tried also to reach the monk's hermitage but the gates for the path were closed. Again It was impossible for me to visit this place.
They closed the path because the hermitage was unguarded: all the cossacks and monks gathered around Kirill.
At the end Cosima and I, We walked in the path of the forest around Svjatagorsk and, with idea of Cosima to reach the bus station throught a short cut, We totally lose our way. Fortunately we met some woodcutters that gave us instruction to find the way. We found again the path and we were exactly at the same point where We decide to find the short cut.
Tired but sweaty and with dirty clothes we reached the bus station. I saluted Cosima knowing that soon We will meet again.
Still I was not satisfied to my visit of Svjatagorsk and this lack of freedom to move and see what I desired. I would tried again after three months. But this is an othe story...

P.S: isn't it odd that I'm catholic and Italian and I saw the orthodoxian Pope but not the catholic one? :)

In Svjatagorsk with Love (11/09/2009)

An other opportunity for me to come back in monastery, was the arrival of my girlfriend Tanja in Donetsk. She wanted to see this city but at most, because she is a strong believer, she was willing to visit the monastery.
As she arrived with the train from Kiev in the morning, just the time to go in my home to put her luggage and we left with Marshrutka to Svjatagorsk.
We made our classical 4 hours to reach this beautifull place and once we arrived, we tried to take the return ticket to Donetsk. But was not possible because of time break of clerk who sell the ticket.
In Ukraine is used that the counter clerk, during the day, have a break from work of 1 or 2 hours. This is understandable for better life of the worker but the problem is that sometimes there are cities where only one cash work (cities of 200.000 or 300.000 inhabitants).
In that time when clerck have his break, it's impossible to buy tickets. Sometimes the situation can be very critical because could happen that you are in hurry and there is not way to have the ticket in other ways. You can only be lucky that the driver of Murshrutka accept you, but you have to confide only in good luck.
But the worst thing is maybe that the clerk, when hour of break strike, she slam or close in a rude way on your face the window or curtain (I use subject "she" because I only saw women at ticket offices and cash desks) that stand between you and the clerck's private room.
After this beautifull experience of windows slammed on our faces we simply had to accept the situation and went straightly to the monastery without to be sure of Marshrutka to come back in Donetsk.
But in the monastery the cathedral (Uspensky Sobor) was closed untill 16 o'clock! We couldn't wait untill that time without to know when we could take Marshrutka to go home!

We decided to try to go in an other more small churc that is near to the entrance (Pakrovskaya Church) but also that church was closed!

Ok, there was an other chance for us, the main interesting: to get inside the cave of the monastery that finished on the hill. Once reached the hill was my plan to go with Tanja to see the monk's hermitage and reach the monument of bolscevich Artiòm in the up of the hill.
By the way the passage was interdicted to us by a cossack because to get inside we needed a ticket. But all this problem to visite a monastery!!!
I remember when I visited "Pechersk Lavra" in kiev I didn't had all these complications!
Just some money to get inside the cave and all was done, without interdiction of cossacks everywhere like here in this Svyatagorsk Lavra-Monastery!
At least we fullfil a mission: to buy an Ikon for mother of Tanja and for her grandmother.
I have to underline that the requests of Tanja's mother are a kind of torment in every place we decide to go: can be fruit, some local andicraft work like embroidered towels and even instruments for gardening! And now was time of Ikons of course!
Sometimes it's a problem to handle with her strange requests.
It's not a tragedy by the way, but a burden to carry :)
Our mission for mother's ikon was completed in an overcrowded shop of religious fans where we found a beautifull Ikon of Virgin Mary.
Our bags becomed heavy and It turned to be boring to take the other path to reach monk's hermitage and Artiom monument. But apart of our heavy bag now full of Ikons and some other religious souvenir, we decided not to go have this climbing walk because we were very disappointed about the strictly rules of this monastery and the weather was cloudy.
Tanja things that at least one church should be opened: to give the opportunity to everyone to like a candle and to say some prayer. I'm also agree, It's a right of a believer!
For me the scandal is that on saturday the two main churches were closed.
When if not saturday and sunday the believers go to the religious places to find a moment of peace and relax after a hard and difficult week full of work and duties? And this is the adequately welcome for believers?
The only satisfaction I had is that Tanja could reach Svyatagorsk and see it (only if only from outside) while I've understood that for some mystic reason, for me this monastery is inespugnable.
Goodbye Svjatagorsk, maybe we will see each other again one day, but it's not my will to come to visite you in these my last months I stay here in Ukraine as EVS volunteer.
You are beautifull but with narrow mind but I want to give you a last present: I will write about your history. Maybe you wouldn't like because of you reserved character.
Perhaps more than a pleasure, you will perceive it like a mischief. Let it be!

Svyatagorsk - Heroic Past and Glorious Present

Svyatagorsk is situated on river Seversky Donets and can be considered as one of first inhabitated place in Donbass area.
Different sources reports that the hill, that for the present of a rock on the upper hill is called mountain, was famous, at least, since 1547 as It was referred as "holy mountain".
This is indeed the meaning of the name Svyato - Gorsk (святой= saint, гора=mountain).
The legend want that an image of San Nicole was found around this place and some monks present in the area decided to made of it an Ikon and to became it's keepers. They put the Ikon in a cave's rock and soon become the"holy mountain". Old documents reported this place and we have to suggest that this site was very know in the past and that some anchorites secretly and heroically kept in safe this Ikon in the mountain's cave.
But why heroically?
Because this place in that time was the border of territories of old Rus' and those belonged to Khan of Crimea's Tatars. Often happened that tatars attacked and killed the Slavs present on this lands or took them in prisons or use them like slaves.
The booklet I bought in the monastery about history of Svyatagorsk report that some descriptions of XVI and XVII century narrate about it. It also underline that it's probable that first settlement of monks around "holy mountain" date back in XIV century.
Life was difficult there not only because of Tatar's raids but also because that area was scarsely populated.
Very soon the monks did their best to make this land productive: they started to create a little port on the river of Seversky Donets, they create nice place for commerce and fishing. artificial lakes and lagoons in the bushes around the "holy mountain".
Soon the place become an authentic monastery and a Muscovy outpost against enemies of lands belonged to ancient 'Rus. Then a place dedicated not only to prayers but also to the militar defence.
For it's strategic location and for for it's strong religious attitude, Muscovy and later Russian Empire, in XVII and XVII considered this monastery as a pitoval and primary strategic location.
Moscow did also some privileges to the monks concerning properties and possession of agricultural lands, properties of swines and possibility to product gunpowder. In those times also a militar garnison was present in the monastery.
In XVII century the monastery welcomed and hosted thousand of ukrainians refugees moved from Dnepr regions and persecuted by polich and Uniat Church. The place around the monastery thanks to this huge immigration started to be more populated. Once century after Svyatagorsk turned to be an important centre of ascetic monks.
Despite the apparent quiteness the monastery in XVIII started to know a period of dark age:
for the will of Catherine II (the same Zarina who destroyed Zhaporizhia's Sich) the monastery was forced to close
The reunion of Volost (amministrative local assembly under Russian Empire) acted as mediator between monks and will of Kremlin and did petitions to Gubernja (major administrative subdivision) and to Holy Sinod for the restoration of the monastery.
These actions gave results: Svyatagorsk was rehabilitated as important religious centre (and not more as militar outpost because the Tatars were totally defeat and disappeared in these lands thanks to the victories reported by army of Russian Empire just under Catherine II).
Thanks also to some rich local devoted all this has been possible.
Soon the monastery knew new economic florishing with its agricoultural productions, works with leather, metal, production of golden Ikons, cattle-breeding, apiculture and viticulture. Also an hospital was created, so as a home for orphans and an handicraft's school for for childs.
Monks were also active as teachers for children lived around area of Svyatagorsk.
But with XX century problems for survival of the monastery become insormountables: during First World War the monastery was closed and used like hospital for wounded soldiers and the event of Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 had extremely bad consequences.
Plunders and thefts in the curches started and in 1919 the "holy mountain" was converted in a colony for children from Sain Petersburg. Monastery seems had to exist anymore.
In 1922 It become an holiday residence for workers of Donbass area.
Svyatagorsk was unguarded, violated and disecrated: bolshevik ruined the churches and desfigured original architectures and frescos.
That's why if you visite today the monastery, despite it's old origin, you can note that buildings are new and clearly restaured and rebuilded. All disaster communist regime made needed to be repaired.
To give an example of communist desacretion, the booklet about Svyatagorsk's History I translated mention that Uspensky Cathedral in soviet time become a cinema and Pakrovsky Church a termal place (the altar of this last church become a place for mud baths...)
Monks were forced to exile, many of them were shooted and others deported ot put in jail and the more lucky found refuge in other monasteries of Ukraine.
Only in 1992 Svyatagorsk knew time of new magnificence after 70 years of persecution from soviet regime. But this was the situation of many other orthodoxian churches that, with the end of URSS, they raised again.
Thanks to some local rich people the monastery could be rebuilt.
The beautiful monk's hermitage, a wooden bulding with architecture style of XVI-XVII century, was finished to be built in 2000.
But the most important event for Svyatagorsk cam in 2004 when the monastery received the title of Lavra (17/04/2004) for the importance that the monastery had in Donbass region during the centuries as keeper of orthodoxian christianity, for the faithful always showed to the Patriarchate of Moscow and for the help that the monks of this monastery always gaved to the local population.
Nowadays there are only 5 monastery that Patriarchate of Moscow gaved title of Lavra. Excepted Svjatagorsk mentioned above the others are:
- Kiev Pechersk, Lavra since 1688 (in Ukraine, Kiev)
- Troiske-Sergiyeva, Lavra since 1744 (in Russia, near Moscow)
- Alexsandr Nevsky, Lavra since 1797 (in Russia, near S. Petersburg)
- Pochaijv, Lavra since 1833 (in Ukraine, near Ternopil)

European Days of Neighborhood (29-30 August) Festival on the border with Poland (and in Poland). Krechiv (Volyn Oblast)

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:26:27 PDT

An other opportunity for me to meet my friend volonteers!
This time the occasion was gived to me by a festival organized by polish and ukrainians in West Ukraine, on the borderline of the country. I took this chance immediately so much I wanted to see the other volonteers, have party and social life!
The trip from Donetsk to L'viv, of course, It's very long because you have to cross all the country. But I had funny time. On ukrainian train is very easy to make friendship with people. I passed all hours to speak, play cards and eat kolbasà and Varieniki (ukrainian salami and ukrainian kind of ravioli) with them.
An unexpected adventure happened to me in the morning when train stopped in Ternopil, a city not so far to my last destination. I went outside of the train to buy a bottle of water after asking to ticket inspector how much time the train stopped in the railway station.
The inspector told me clearly: 14 minutes.
I went out, I bought the bottle. After not more than 6 or 7 minutes the train start to leave the station! I run as a crazy horse to my passenger coach while the train was moving.
I was really restless and angry with the inspector but the only sencence I had from her was: "Oh, nothing happened, don't worry now that you are here!"
Never trust ukrainian perception of time. One hour can became two, one week becames three and so on... Something that make very nervous people from North-West Europe (and so am I because north Italy is more similar to France, Switzerland and Germany in matters like train, waiting for turn and in general respect of human time and other commodities).
Finally I was able to reach safely the last station: L'viv.
There I met my friend Pawel and we went to his flat where I could put my luggage, have a shower and sleep. The next day the bus would bring us from L'viv to Krechiv, a town in Volyn Oblast closed to the festival on the border with Poland.
The bus leaved with partecipants to the festival form L'viv. 2 or 3 hour of trip that I spent sleeping and talking with french volonteer Matthias on topics like: how we can save or survive in this world. It's typical discussion of idealists as Mathias and me...
Once we arrived to the place (an huge natural field sourrounded by militars controls because of the border) we fixed our stuff and materials that we brought from L'viv. There were some people working in Academy of Ukrainian Youth (association in which volonteers of L'viv work) who waited us.
We found the sistem to fix our big umbrellas with some ropesand with our heavy baggages (the problem was the persistent wind). On a plastic table we put our material prepare for the event: papers with question about EU and some prizes for the winner: pins and key rings with the logo of the Festival.
Our purpose was to pose question to teenager and child about EU (It's istitutions, culture of countries who belong to the community and cooperation between Ukraine and UE).
I got the permission to go there by the boss of my organization: first because I'm really expert of matters about EU (It's me that I made about 80% of the question for the competition "Europa Nostra" that still is going on in all the country) and the second reason is that my organization appointed me as rappresentative of Donetsk Youth Debate Centre that, in reality, invented this competition now also ufficially sponsored by European Commission.
An other important message to my presence in West Ukraine: to make understand to the people of West Ukraine that the East part of this country is not only interest in relation with Russia and to the Nostalgia of Soviet Union. Also in the east there are some activities pro EU. The work of Donetsk Youth Debate Centre and my witness there was useful to knock down some stereotypes very spread in westerns ukrainians that considers themselves the only pioneers of europeanization of the country.
Some people were astonishing indeed that such kind of work of "Europa Nostra" was created in Donetsk!
The competition took all the energies of volonteers during the day and also adults showed their interests to answer to our questions: sometimes easy, sometimes absolutely complicated :)
Award for the winners, at the end, was given to everyone, so much the partecipants wanted those pins and key rings...
I also pose some questions with my not perfect russian to a place where people speaks preferably in their national language. Fortunately they showed to understand me that I know only russian and we could comunicate very well.
I am so happy that I could manage this situation and comunicate with them! All the competitors were very nice and polite. Some of them stayed to answer to our questions for long time. A sign that they were more interests to the process of the competition more than to our modest prizes.
To improvise houndred of question was not easy at all and there was a moment nobody could replace and help me. I was little bit in trouble but fortunately a providential strong wind forced this competition to be stopped. It eradicated our bigs sunshade parasols and our tend.
The siege finally came to an end and with this disorder came my freedom.
But not for long time! Because I weared my dress of Cossack I was much in demand for photos. A Cossack from Italy It's little bit exotic, I have to admit...

The festival was not huge but very partecipative, more in ukrainian side than in polish side. It
was linked at the border by a militar bridge on Buh river (with
militar controls on the border line) and in both sides there were people who made some historical recontrucion of Middle/Modern Age and Napoleonic Time with all that this could involve: reproducion of ancient clothes, armies, workmanships and encampments.
Food everywhere (more tasty in Poland) and some different entertertainments (for example footbal matches, throw with bow and tug of wars).
In both sides was also prepared a stage that in Poland was used to show a comic theatre and in Ukraine a rock/pop concert in the evening. I saw little bit the polish comic theatre but I don't know polish language so that I was more interest to the old women who were selling marvelleus cakes.

We didn't stay to see the concert in ukrainian side during the evening: We were tired and with not so comfortable clothes for that weather that becomed more and more cloudy and raining. That's why we decided to come back to L'viv, glad for our successful activity during the day and refreshed by the gentle air of ukrainian autumn.

P.S. Thanks to Matthias Crepel that gave me the opportunity to use here his wonderfull photos!

Berdjansk and Azov Sea (Zaporyzhzhya Oblast)

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:23:37 PDT

Time to holiday, to have a rest, to embrace the sea!
But not many days I had. I perceived that summer is going to finish in Ukraine and still I couldn't go to swim and take the sun on some ukrainian beaches.
For my days of holidays I decided to go in the most famous touristic place near Donetsk: Berdjansk.
Only four hours in marshrutka and voilà, I got the sea!
Berdjansk is a small city on the Azov Sea and was created by Russian Empire as harbour; even though It's important also today like commercial harbour, this city now know a huge amount of ukrainians and russian tourists. It's more cheap than Crimea and the sea, even if is not of aquamarine colour, is suitable for swim.
I have to say that in Ukraine It's not possible to find really cheap accomodation and need to pay 20 euro as minimum (that for ukrainian currency is very much) to rent a flat (very often not very cleaned). Need adaptation but if you are not a fussy person you can manage.
Berdjansk have all what is necessary for a touristic sea place: stalls through the promenade, people who sell food and drink on the beach, beautifull girls in bathing suit and cheerful atmosphere.
For me was really important to go on the sea to swim because It was nine years I didn't do that!
Quite strange for italian guy but all these years I spent summertime to go to meet my friends in Finland , to have trekking on the mountains near place where I live or to work to get some money.
Finally in Azov Sea I met seawater again.
It has been like a blessing for me that I love so much the sea, the harbours and all things conneted with "Sea Life".
Berdjansk have a peculiarity: you can swim in front of the promenade but you have an other option; you can go on a long tongue, next to the city, that offer a long coast.
In my opinion to go on tongue It's the better choice if you want to have perfect relax atmosphere to the sea and It's is not so crowded as the other beaches more near to the Berdjansk's centre.
If you want you can go also in Aquapark who is located at the beginning of the tongue.
Really, Berdjansk have all the commodities you need!
I had beautifull moment during the nights because, in that hours, promenade of Berdjansk becomes a real Luna Park. Fair, amusements, people who propose you to take pictures with exotic animals, stall with souvenirs, ice cream, kebab or ukrainian tipical food.
Three nice days in funny atmosphere, only a taste for me that, for strange unkind tricks, I couldn't prolong: for the immoderate price of the apartment but also because is not fantastic to stay for long time in such colourful place alone, without friends, company or girlfriend.
Melancholy It cames and you understand that in Berdjansk, with this feeling, you are out of place.

ЗАПОРИЖЖIЯ and СIЧ. Ukrainian Pride and Glory!

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:24:00 PDT

I live in Ukaine, in the eastern part. here industry and economy are the most productive of all the country. The majority of the people here speaks russian. But eastern part of Ukraine is not easy to define. You can think here people are like russian, people of East and Centre Ukraine can call easterns Moskalì but: in Kharkiv born the first ukrainian nationalism, in Poltava has been created the first book in ukrainian language, Dnipropetrovsk was the city where the ex president Leonid Kuchma spent big part of his like in study and work.
But there is an other city that is a legend for ukrainians and for all who know or studied ukrainian and russian History: Zaporizhzhya!

Here on the river Dnepr, after the rifts (за:behind, порiж:rift), Cossacks settled on the impregnable island Khortysia and built their community named Сiч (fence) in 16th century.
The symbol of Independent Ukraine, of self-government that so much clashed through centuries with zarist desire to keep all the ancient Rus ruled by Moscow Empire.
An island continuously inhabitated (there are some Neolitic remains in the island and also Schytians graves here have been found) untill 1914, when zarist government decided to render it National Park (Cossacks have been defeated by the most powerfull Russian Army and the Сiч was destroyed definitively in 1775 under kingdom of Catherine II).
Nowadays visiting Khortysia Island could be interest but not so much as can be exspected despite It have great importance as symbol of ukrainian people.
The island is 12 Km long and It's link from the dryland with a modern bridge. This is the first element who take away the atmosphere of an Island; to reach the museum you need to go by walk and there are not marshrutka who bring you in there. This can be not a problem for me but of course for disabled persons.
But what is this museum of Zaporizhzhya's Cossacks?
Even though before to enter in the museum you can note glorious monuments to Cossacks, the exhibition in the museum is not satisfying. There are some traditional clothes (that you can see also in some other local museums in all Ukraine), three Dyorama and some armours and swords.
Remarkable also the fact that there are not books about Cossacks of Zaporizhzhya selled in the hall of the museum (I tried also to find some books of Zaporizhian's Cossacks in the centre of the city without any success).
At least there us a wonderfull view of Dneprogès (Dam of Zaporizhzhya) that have been built for energetic reasons and that unfortunately replaced the ancient natural rift.
In the park there is also the reconstruction of Сiч that has built for the recent russian movie "Taras Bulba". It's very little complex and there are not people who gave anymation to this artificial place. Of course is pretty to see and well built but should be some entertainment organizer in there! To give more funny atmosphere, to the families who have some childs, to get some more money selling some interesting souvenirs!
It has been also very regrettable to see in this Natural Park so many thrash everywhere. By the way I haven't seen any basket in the park. If the authority put some container and educate the people maybe they will anwser behaving better!

Apart from my disappointment about Khortysia Island (and the Regional Museum that is really poor and unsatisfactory) I liked Zaporizhzhya's city.
The most important street is Prospekt Lenina and is straight and long about 12 km. Around this long street there are the most important things to see and to do in the city. The destiny of this big long street is to finish with a monument dedicated to omnipresent Lenin who seems to point out at the dam, with his glorious hand direct in the sky.
But what a dam! It's very big and work as hydroelectric station. The dam with his 800 metres lenght and 60 metres height is one of the bisggest in the world. you can go on the dam because there's a bridge/street who connect the two sides of the city.
Untill few years ago the dam was considered on of the 7 wonders of Modern World.
Now probably has been replaced by some other new astonishing colossal building.
From the dam there's a notable panorama where you can see the side of the river where stand Khorthysia Island and the other side that is enchanting as well! From this side before the rift the Dnepr look so huge that can be compared to the sea.
Along the river Dnepr in Zaporizhzhya there are beaches where ukrainians like to take the sun and jump in the water to refresh themselves. It's a pity I didn't had swimming trunks with me!
Worthening of interest in this city are also It's beautifull war memorials dedicated to fallen of II World War and Afghanistan War.
I really hope that in the future Zaporizhzhya will have nice future as touristic place and will reach more attention from ukrainian government: for It's urbanistic frame, It's history and beautifull shores on River Dnepr this city is a hunique and incomparable place to any others.

EVS Mid-Term Evaluation, Peryechin- Uzhhorod (Transcarpathia Oblast) 14-17 July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Gabriele) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:27:35 PDT

After more than 6 months spent in Ukraine, time has come for all EVS volunteers of Ukraine to meet each other for EVS Mid-Term Evaluation.
I waited very much this moment because I wanted to see my friends volonteer and because I was willing to have a confrontation and a discussion with problems I had to afford here in Ukraine (adaptation, misunderstanding with the people and so on...)
This year the Mid-Term Evaluation for volonteers has been unusually divided in two different groups because some volonteers of other associations couldn't come. It's a pity all of us We couldn't met but I hope I will be an opportunity to see them in some other occasion.
But I think there were also good sides of this splitting in two groups for Mid-Term Evaluation: we were not so many peoplem so that It has been more easy to talk, the discussion was more intimate and close and the nationality were more mixed.
Indeed, differently from On Arrival Training, this time Western Europe was more rappresented in the meeting with three people from French, one from Italy and only two Polish volunteers (the majority of volunteers here in Ukraine are Polish and almost al of them will take part to the other Mid-Term E. in August).
It has been also very interesting to have as special guest in the meeting Anja Kinash, an Ukrainian girl who just finished her EVS in Austria.
With her We have had the opportunity to share her experience and point of view of EVS and to ask some questions and wises useful for our volonteer service.

The partecipant were:
- Olenka Yaremko, multiplier if EVS, trainer of EVS Mid-Term Evaluation working in Academy of Ukrainian Youth (L'viv)
- Anja Kinash, our special guest and ex volunteer EVS in Salzburg (Austria)
- Joanna Szaflik, Polish volunteer hosted by Caritas Drohobyc (town near L'viv)
- Blandine Scrève, French volunteer hosted by Academy of Ukrainian Youth (L'viv)
- Pawel Hincza, Polish volunteer hosted by Academy of Ukrainian Youth (L'viv)
- Matthias Grepel, French volunteer hosted by Academy of Ukrainian Youth (L'viv)
- Moussy Thomas, German volunteer (but Thomas is French) hosted by AEGEE Kyiv (Kiev)
- Gabriele Papalia, Italian volunteer hosted by Donetsk Youth Debate Centre (Donetsk)

We lodged in an Hotel not far from Uzhhorod, in a small town called Peryechin.
We spent nice time togheter and the training has been very fruitful: It gave us lot of answers to our problems with our Hosting Organizations and with our activities.
We have learned also how to manage our difficult situations, how to be more concentrated on our tasks, how to protect our rights as volunteers.
A fresh air come to us after this meeting: renewed energy, new ideas and more peaceful attitude to carry on our activities here in Ukraine.

From Donetsk to Uzhhorod for me It has been a very long trip.
Pratically I crossed all the country from the east to the west!
The difference between East and West Ukraine is remarkable: the nature, the people, the architecture. I can say that when I went to Transcarpathia I felt a familiar scent; of course because of the mountains, the air in there is similar to my hometown Lecco, a beautifull place closed to italian Alps.
Has been amazing this trip through Carpathian Mountains! From the train I could see a beautiful view: green everywhere!
I saw such kind of green and uncontaminated nature only in Switzerland!
Transcarpathia Region is very peculiar because is close to the border with many european countries: Slovakia, Romania, Poland and Hungary.
Uzhhorod, which is the capital of Transcarpathia , is very close to Slovakia and in the city is palpable the international athmosphere. In there, Ukrainians and other minorities are use to live peacefully togheter. The main ethnic group of Uzhhorod are Ukrainian, Russians, Slovacks, Roumanians and Roma. Because of It's location near the border, this is a city very used to see foreigners and the people here are open-minded.
Uzhhorod have known russian occupation only during soviet time and through the century the city belonged at first to hungarians kings and later to Apsburgic Empire.
After First World War was also annexed to Czechoslovakia!
Knowing the past history is very easy to understand this climate of tollerance, this respect of It's inhabitants for other cultures, nationalities and traditions.
The original name of the city at first was hungarian ("Ungvar" that in hungarian language means "Castle of Ung") and only in a second time It took the slavonic name Uzhhorod (ужгород) from the Uzh River (уж in slavonic language means "ring snake") that indeed flow through the city like snake gait.
During our visit to the capital of Transcarpathia I appreciate at most the multicultural atmosphere you can breathe in there. And the shape of buildings and the huge presence of gipsies reminded me roumanian cities. Interesting building near the main bridge of the city is the former Synagogue that now is the Philarmonia Orchestra building.
We went to the "Uzhhorod Castle" but thought very big, It didn't gave to me big emotions. However the castle host the Regional Museum that for me has been quite interesting.
There are preserved tipical regional instruments like transcarpathian big hornes (Trembita) used by mountainers but also beautifull folkloristic clothes. I think that garments of Transcarpathia are the more colorful and elaborated I ever seen in all Ukraine.
I also appreciate very much the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture, Art and Life.
It's situated near Uzhhorod Castle. In the city, during the seventies, the authorities brought dwellings and homesteads (хата) of Transcarpathia Region from their original places to create the museum. These ancients dwellings belonged to different ethinc groups (Roumanian, Hungarians, Hutsul, Lemkys, Boykos. These three last ethinc groups can be controversially considered regional subgroup of Ukrainians). Majestic and beautifull in the museum the Shelestiv Church. The church is completed made in wood and have very pretty shape. It has been erected in 1774 and is very well preserved.
I liked very much what I saw in Uzhhorod!
I think I will come back again in the future i this region to have some trekking throught the mountains and around unknown villages.
What I bring to Donetsk from this Mid-Term Evaluation in Transcarpathia is not only beautifull experience I had to discover this part of the country. Above all I will remember the time I spend with other volunteers: those evening spent to play "Jungle Speed" (everybody know my snake ability ;) . Doesn't matter if other volunteers are not agree in this topic!), play card and drinking tasty wine and Cognac produced in Transcarpathia.
Hope that these days will come soon again. Days of mutual aid, friendship and joy!