Born in America to Ukrainian immigrants, I explore the meaning of growing up and living as a Ukrainian in the US and Europe, yet never having been to Ukraine. It's an interesting conundrum.
Me, circa 1959, greeting the Ukrainian National Football Team in the US. My favorite player was Noha (a name meaning 'leg') standing to my right.
My father, Marian Korzeniowski, was coach of the Ukrainian National Football Team in the US, Philadelphia to be exact, in the late 1950s, early '60s. Theirs was a powerful team that traveled the country and occasionally the world to play 'футбол' or 'копаний мяч' or kick ball as my father called it. They were considered the best in America, not that soccer was very big in America at the time.
Tato recruited players from all over the world, including Brazil, which meant he had to learn all their languages. My father told me he spoke 13 languages. I know he spoke Ukrainian, Polish, German, Austrian, Italian, Chech, Slovakian, Portuguese and English. I don't know what the others were, perhaps Spanish and Russian among them.
It was the Ukrainian diaspora's way of kicking it to the Soviets who kept them from returning home after the war. They made their way the only way they knew, by being the best, the strongest, the most fit and ready to defend their honour, their liberty and their freedom.
I am going through such revelations with the Ukrainians in my circle here. The Russian speakers don't believe that I do not understand Russian because everyone in Ukraine understands both languages. They think I am pretending to make a point. So many words the Ukrainian-speakers use are Russian without them knowing it. They have very little understanding of Ukrainian history before the Soviet Union. Fortunately, I kept all my books from Uki school, and I am sharing my Encyclopedia for Young People so they can study pre-soviet history. It includes history, culture, archeology, anthropology, sociology, literature and more. Such a fascinating and heart-breaking journey. We have about 60,000 displaced Ukrainians in Ireland, none of whom wanted to leave their country, all of whom are grateful to be welcomed here.
I feel for the youth of Ukraine. But what Russia doesn't understand is that they've cemented the resolve of the Ukrainian people to relearn what it means to be Ukrainian and to maintain freedom and sovereignty at all cost. The people born under the Soviets were not permitted to speak their language or practice their religion. They were not taught their own history, only some fabrication of untruths. They lived their lives in relative harmony with their reality.
They are now searching out and relearning all the things the Soviets tried to stamp out. We in the diaspora are the keepers of the culture. In my classes, I am not just teaching English to Ukrainians, I am sharing what I learned about Ukrainian history and culture, and I am teaching what I know about Ireland. The past, the present and the future carry equal weight. And the youngest of them are very hopeful. They are determined to create a strong Ukraine for their future. It is their duty.
I haven't written in some time and so much has happened. I have started teaching English to Ukrainians in Newport on Tuesdays and Westport on Thursdays. It's interesting that the Russian speakers do not believe that I cannot understand Russian. They have, however, started to respect that I do not wish to understand Russian, even though I really cannot understand most of it. What is also interesting, is that the Ukrainian language has evolved so differently in Ukraine. They use many more Russian words, like Da instead of Tak, and ponimayu instead of rosumiyu, and harasho instead of dobre.
So I asked ChatGPT, the AI chat box what the difference is between Russian and Ukrainian. I have often told people they have different letters in their alphabets to start. Russian has also many more gutteral and Asian sounds as it had a lot of Far Eastern influence. Here's what AI had to say.
"Russian and Ukrainian are two closely related Slavic languages that are spoken in Eastern Europe. They are both members of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages and are therefore closely related to each other, with a high degree of mutual intelligibility. However, they are distinct languages and there are some important differences between them.
One of the main differences between Russian and Ukrainian is the alphabet that they use. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which is an alphabet of 33 letters that was developed in the 9th century based on the Greek alphabet. Ukrainian, on the other hand, uses the Cyrillic alphabet, but it also includes some additional letters to represent sounds that are specific to Ukrainian.
Another important difference between Russian and Ukrainian is their vocabulary. Although the two languages share a common Slavic root, they have developed a number of distinct words and phrases over the centuries. For example, Ukrainian tends to use more Ukrainian-derived words, while Russian tends to use more Russian-derived words.
There are also some differences in pronunciation and grammar between Russian and Ukrainian. Ukrainian tends to have a more complex grammar, with more cases and verb forms, and it also tends to use more nasal vowel sounds. Russian, on the other hand, has a simpler grammar and tends to use more palatalized consonants.
Overall, while Russian and Ukrainian are closely related languages, they are distinct and have their own unique characteristics and features. It is important to recognize and respect these differences, and to use the appropriate language when communicating with speakers of Russian or Ukrainian."
The modern Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters: twenty consonants (⟨б⟩, ⟨в⟩, ⟨г⟩, ⟨д⟩, ⟨ж⟩, ⟨з⟩, ⟨к⟩, ⟨л⟩, ⟨м⟩, ⟨н⟩, ⟨п⟩, ⟨р⟩, ⟨с⟩, ⟨т⟩, ⟨ф⟩, ⟨х⟩, ⟨ц⟩, ⟨ч⟩, ⟨ш⟩, ⟨щ⟩), ten vowels (⟨а⟩, ⟨е⟩, ⟨ё⟩, ⟨и⟩, ⟨о⟩, ⟨у⟩, ⟨ы⟩, ⟨э⟩, ⟨ю⟩, ⟨я⟩), a semivowel / consonant (⟨й⟩), and two modifier letters or "signs" (⟨ь⟩, ⟨ъ⟩) that alter the pronunciation of a preceding consonant or a following vowel.
In the modern Ukrainian alphabet, twenty letters represent consonants (б,в, г, ґ, д, ж, з, к, л, м, н, п, р, с, т, ф, х, ц, ч, ш, щ), ten vowels (а, е, є, и, і, ї, о, у, ю, я), and one semivowel (й/yot). The soft sign (ь), which appears only after consonants, indicates that the preceding consonant is soft (palatalized).
Note: When I responded to what I thought was an error in the AI answer, "I would argue that it is Russian that has additional letters to represent sounds that are specific to Russian rather than the other way around. Otherwise, it's pretty accurate." here's what it said:
Thank you for your feedback. You are correct that I made a mistake in my previous response. Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, but it includes some additional letters to represent sounds that are specific to Ukrainian. Russian, on the other hand, uses the standard Cyrillic alphabet, which consists of 33 letters. I apologize for the error in my previous response. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Russian and Ukrainian, at first glance, look very similar. This is not so. In reality, they have more differences than similarities. In fact, Ukrainian does not use the letters Ёё, Ъъ, Ыы, Ээ, but does have Ґґ, Єє, Іі, Її, which are not present in Russian.
The following table visually shows how much closer the basic vocabulary of Modern Ukrainian is to other Eastern European languages and how far it is from Russian.
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Slovak, and Czech (Note: all country names are in Russian) https://folkways.today/different-russian-ukrainian-language/
It's not just the alphabet and words that diverge, but also grammar. Ukrainian is more closely related to other European languages than to Russian in grammatical structure. My Ukrainian friends who thought they could get by easily by studying Russian in school often were tripped up by Russian grammar.
Addendum: "For example, English and Dutch are 63% similar as to their lexical composition, which is more than Russian and Ukrainian. Modern research has shown that Ukrainian is more similar to other Slavic languages: to Belorussian (29 common features), Czech and Slovak (23), Polish (22), Croatian and Bulgarian (21), but as to Russian there are only 11 common features.
Proceeding from this, some linguists even question the unification of Russian and Ukrainian into one language group.
According to statistics, only 62% words are common in these languages. These characteristics rank Russian fifth after Polish, Czech, Slovak and Byelorussian. For example, English and Dutch are 63% similar as to their lexical composition, which is more than Russian and Ukrainian."
I haven't written much lately. I could not bring myself to concentrate on the ravages of war or the effects on its displaced and tortured people. I didn't want to document what I was seeing and feeling. So many things got in the way as well.
So let me start with a brief outline of what has happened in our lives. On the 24th of February, a date none of us will forget, Putin attacked Ukraine. The horror had begun and the madman was progressing his vision of restoring the former USSR to a new glory. But it didn't go so well. The Ukrainians did not welcome his troops, the Russians weren't always sure why they were there, and the people took up arms to defend their sovereignty and their freedom. They even got really even when they shot down the Russian ship that had taken Snake Island -- that's an iconic story reflected in the stamp which one of my Ukrainian families acquired for me.
We always knew this day would come. The Ukrainian diaspora was prepared to fight and to support Ukrainians on the ground against the terror of Russian aggression.
To my utter surprise, Ireland opened its doors to all Ukrainians who wanted to flee the country -- no visas required, not even passports were necessary. Just some means of proving you were coming from Ukraine. And come they did. Within days they started flooding into the country. Mostly women and children as the men were staying behind to fight. Men with medical issues and men with babies whose wives needed support could come. Some did and stayed. Some helped their families and then returned to Ukraine to fight.
Friends who knew I was of Ukrainian decent, offered housing and other forms of support -- money, clothing, food, children's things. I started intercepting people who were asking for help and putting them together with places that were suitable for their needs. Most of the places were in Newport and Rosmoney, but we also had Galway and Westport in the mix.
We got the early folks, before there were any systems in place. We got transport to get them out here, we organised food and clothing for those who came with nothing. We got medical cards and doctor's visits for those needing medical assistance, like insulin-dependent diabetes. We got the children into schools. We organised rides into town.
It was an extraordinarily emotional journey. For those who had left everything behind and accepted the help of a stranger they did not know anything about and for us volunteers. My mother had always impressed upon me that we would not be here but for the kindness of strangers when my family was displaced during WWII. I took that to heart and this was coming full circle now where I could pay forward that kindness.
I wish I had documented all the really special moments. The people of Ireland really embraced the Ukrainians into their communities. I will try to remember and frame experiences with time. I really could not at the time. My husband's mother, Meike, had had a stroke a year before. As the Ukrainians began to arrive, she suffered a second more massive stroke and never recovered. She hung on for days but finally let go of this wretched world.
So in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, we had a funeral service that was massively attended in Westport, followed by cremation in Cavan, and an overnight stay with the Moores in Monahan. We would wait and celebrate Meike's life with burial on the island in April at Easter, when more friends could attend.
The following week, we were due to fly to the states for an Ocean Cruising Club AGM, of which I am Vice Commodore and was instrumental in orchestrating the first OCC AGM outside the UK. It was in Annapolis and we were to see the Moch family, my niece's. I hadn't seen them in almost 3 years and Alex had never met the little one, Miles. We decided to go despite reservations about Covid rearing its ugly head again.
It was a wonderful trip. The AGM was great, the stay in Annapolis a trip through memory lane, the Moch's were in great form -- we love those guys, and we got lots of banking, licensing and business done. The day we returned home, Alex became symptomatic. I developed symptoms the following morning. We tested very positive by antigen test for Covid a day later. We had 10 days before Easter Saturday and the funeral on the island.
We organised an island clean-up, a bagpiper, and MultiMax for the day remotely and prayed that the weather would hold and our symptoms would clear up. Alex tested negative the day before but had symptoms that persisted -- shortness of breath and tiredness. I had very mild symptoms that resolved quickly but I still tested positive the day of the burial. I wore a mask all day and as far as I know, no one got infected. It was day 10, and I was not obliged to self-isolate.
One of my Ukrainian families came to the burial and to the reception at Ross House afterwards. It was an interesting introduction to Irish funerals for them. It wasn't really typical but not atypical either. That's when I realised that Ukrainians and Irish also share some funeral practices including an open casket tradition. I wrote a poem for the memorial card which people said reflected Meike's life perfectly. I was happy with the personal nature of it.
So that was how March and April transpired. Kirstin and I started cleaning out the house while Alex continued to manage the estate and the farm.
We launched our boat, Aleria, in May and sailed her home because we had a cruise in company coming up mid-June that Alex was organising. Two weeks of sailing from Clew Bay to Galway Bay and back with members of the Irish Cruising Club. The weather was shite as they say here, so it wasn't the nicest holiday ever. In fact, it wasn't a holiday at all, but rather too much like work.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians settled in and are helping us get the gardens at Ross in order, we had a heat wave upon return from sailing, and it sort of feels like we may have an okay August although we will have lots of visitors. I feel bad as I have been unable to interact with the Ukrainians as much as I'd hoped, but most seem to be settling in fine.
More than 43,000 Ukrainians have settled in Ireland to date and more are on the way. It's very interesting that I can now walk down the street and hear Ukrainian spoken. Not only that, my Ukrainian is becoming more fluent every day. After not speaking a word of it for at least 15 years, I am quite conversational now. How interesting. Our languages have evolved differently. Mine has more English and Polish in it, theirs has more Russian. When I learned, there was no internet, no mobile phones, no technology really. So I have no words for those things, but then again, most of those are from American. Internet is eenternet.
Meanwhile, Zelenkiy has become a world hero, his wife is doing great things for the mental health of her people, and the Ukrainians have held their ground against massive assaults which took the lives of thousands of civilians. Countless crimes against humanity have been documented and yet Putin continues his relentless attacks unchecked. Somehow, Ukraine has to win. Ukraine must prevail or the continent will suffer. Ukraine is being fast-tracked into the EU, while Norway and Sweden have applied to join NATO.
Will WWIII break out? I hope not.
In the meantime, the US falls deeper into the divide with the Supreme Court dismantling rights and Congress investigating the former President's role in the Jan 6 insurrection, Italy's government has fallen, Boris Johnson got kicked out, millions face starvation due to the destruction of grain in Ukraine, and the earth is baking and burning due to climate change. What more can go wrong?
Fascinating article about the success of children of immigrants in the US. I love the new way of doing interactive graphics.
I was often asked what my parents did to raise three successful children in one immigrant family. I only knew that my parents (from Ukraine) stressed doing well in school (A was not enough -- it needed to be an A+), choosing the 'acceptable' professions (doctor, lawyer, engineer), and working hard. And my father always told me I could be anyone I wanted to be -- even President of the United States of America since I was the first in the family born there.
My brother was an engineer and high-level executive at Unisys. My sister was a highly respected infectious disease physician known globally. I broke the patterns - I was a scientist turned marketer who ended up running companies on Madison Avenue. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer but later used to call me her daughter the President. Hahaha!
It was the American story. Three immigrant kids making their way in America, the promised land.
Despite heavy losses, Russia presses on in Ukraine. And in a fit of retaliation, Russian media have reported the threat of a nuclear tsunami for the British Isles (that includes Ireland).
“The explosion of this thermonuclear torpedo by Britain’s coastline will cause a gigantic tsunami wave. Having passed over the British Isles, it will turn whatever might be left of them into a radioactive wasteland.”
The comments came in response to calls by PM Boris Johnson and FS Liz Truss to boost western military aid for Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia’s offensive. Not that they themselves have done much to help since the conflict started in February. No, just a visit to Kyiv for publicity photos for Boris the spider.
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