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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Vol. XLVII NOVEMBER — 1990 Editor: Marta Baczynsky UKRAINIAN STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GET A FIRST TASTE OF UKRAINE TAMARA STADNYCHENKO-CORNELISON When Orest Vlokh, RUKH’s Lviv deputy to the Ukrai nian Parliament was in America in June of this year, one of the issues he addressed was that of americanization of Ukrainian youth. Vlokh himself had been sorry to see so few young people take an interest in current affairs in Ukraine, and his concern was justifiably echoed by many of those who did turn out to hear him speak. When asked what measures could be taken to rekindle an interest in Ukrainian young people in their heritage and make them willing participants and activists in the Ukrainian renaissance, Vlokh responded simply and to the point: Send them to us. Anyone who comes to Ukraine and sees what is happening there will be changed. During a mid-summer trip to Ukraine that took place a few short weeks after Vlokh’s appearance in Phi ladelphia, I learned that his answer was more prophetic than anyone could have imagined. Having attached myself to a youth tour that happened to be going to the cities I wanted to visit on personal business and RUKH related activities, I spent a good deal of time watching and listening to what can only be viewed as an awe some process of reclamation. What I saw and heard eas ily supports Vlokh’s assessment and began even before the border crossing from Hungary. It is a night crossing and we are somewhere over river Tissa. The excitement is palpable. “Are we in Ukraine yet? Can I see where we are on the map?" It is pitch black and yet not black enough to prevent the young people from hanging out of the train windows and cheering at the shadowy images that flash by. “Look. A Ukrainian tree! Ukrainian grass. Where are the buz’ky?” One enterprising young woman snaps a pho tograph of her first non-glimpse of Ukrainian soil. Songs erupt from several members of the group. This is no coordinated venture, but an irrepressible and quintessential^ personal response to something that has appealed to their roots. Some one begins with “Shche ne vmerla Ukraina; at the next window someone else chimes in with “Chervona Kalyna,” someone else with a brief lyrical tribute to Volodymyr Ivasiuk. One young man, perhaps less patriotically or romantically inclined, bursts forth with “Ya Mykola, Ту Mykola.” One expects the spontaneous tunes to be taken up by others and turned into a sing-along. It doesn’t happen. This is an intensely personal moment, not to be shared till later. In Lviv the group scatters, walking or riding away in the company of relatives who feed them, hover over them, question them interminably about life in America. Some are thrilled with the attention, some overwhelmed. Roma Senyk and Tamara Comelison at RUKH information stand in Kolomiya
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