Ukraine Bulletin

November 30, 2007

The fall semester has flown by – I am still really enjoying life in Dnipropetrovsk. I have met more students, and have gotten to know some of last year’s students even better. The English conversation sessions have expanded from one time per week to two times per week, with an occasional third session on Saturdays. Some members of this group read The Incredible Journey. This group has new members each week, and we have had up to 20 people of all ages attend. When David came to visit here in October, he was the featured speaker! We also hosted American artist Janos Enyedi who spoke to the group.

This year I am teaching literature, history and memoir. Last spring we read I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou. This fall, we read the autobiographical novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. We also looked at poetry, songs, and the students are reading Beloved by Toni Morrison. In addition, they are choosing books to read from among a ton (almost literally) of books I have brought here: One Writer’s Beginnings (Eudora Welty), Night (Elie Wiesel), Never Cry Wolf (Farley Mowat), Written by Herself (Jill Kerr Conway, ed.), Sula (Toni Morrison), Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott), Writing for your Life, (D. Metzger) and so on. Some members of this group want to form a book club and a writer’s group.

I am teaching European History and the Atlantic world to history students, and non-profit organizations and foundations to International Economics (similar to business) students. We hosted a member of the Dnipropetrovsk Soroptimist organization who spoke about the charities her group supports, and how the group is organized. Each of these students is researching a non-profit group or foundation and reporting to the class about it.

In addition, I have asked all of my students to interview an older person, and ask him or her about his/her earliest memories and strongest memories. Students report to the class about the interview. Most chose to interview their grandparents, and most of the earliest memories are about World War II – often about the arrival of enemy soldiers or the sound of bombs or living in close quarters.

At the beginning of the semester, all my students wrote and talked about their goals. Now, I have begun asking students and others to list three hopes and three fears that they believe Ukrainians have. This is done anonymously on paper. We are collecting and collating these – and an energetic colleague has agreed to formulate a ranking system. Although this is not a “scientific” sample, it does spark some interesting discussions.

At this time of year, I have students evaluate what they have learned (anonymously). I use this information to see what was new for them, what they already knew, what information was absorbed and retained. In addition, it is a useful exercise for deepening their own understanding of their learning.

Some of the responses to these questions have been enlightening. In addition, there have been some fascinating turning points in conversations. I provided readings on the United States and world events. The students are quite unanimous that they would like to read more about Ukraine. Most of the students had no knowledge of the existence of non-profit organizations or foundations before they took the class. One student mentioned that as a result of the class he knows what his goals are. Many said they learned about the stories of their own grandparents and their classmates’ grandparents.

In class and in English conversation sessions we have had lively discussions about the different forms of the Ukrainian language in different regions of Ukraine (and which one is purer), the possibility of abduction by aliens, stem-cell research, the California fires, discrimination against minorities in the United States, anti-Semitism in general, and anti-Semitism in Ukraine, the election process, art, business, spiritualists and the occult, American traditions, Native American culture and history, Ukrainian heros, the fatal explosion of a building here in Dnipropetrovsk, the various Mafia “clans” in Ukraine, human motivation, ecumenism, the functions of international organizations, and job prospects in Ukraine.

Students want to know why American men come to Ukraine to find brides. They asked about elevated highways, curriculum, music, university life. They wanted to know why, during Halloween, we pretend to be ghosts. Why are American blacks treated badly? They want to know how much Americans earn. They ask about Hillary Clinton. Have I been to Hollywood? They want to know what Americans know about Ukraine, and what they think about Ukraine. Professors want to know what Americans think of Marxist theory. Why, they ask, do Americans not know other languages?

So, these questions keep me on my toes. Because we have entered the darkest time of the year, we are watching movies twice a week in the afternoon. “The Incredible Journey”, “A Separate Peace”, “Philadelphia Story”, “Kramer v. Kramer”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Tootsie”. You can imagine the discussions we have!