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A Journey to Portugal: Close Encounters of the Ukrainian Kind by Olia Rudyk Left to right: Maria Zakoturia, Maria Zakotiria, Mariya Dets, Iryna Hoshovskyj (president of UNWLA Branch 30) and Olia Rudyk (vice president of Branch 30) In mid-September 2007, I traveled to Por tugal with three close friends, Iryna Hoshovskyj, Maria Zakotiria, and Maria Zakoturia. Maria and Maria are related, but separated by a vowel, and, from the start, our journey was punctuated with amusing moments stemming from that single vowel— try to keep a straight face while going through airport security, or better yet, checking into a hotel and having to explain that the room should not be charged at the higher single occupancy rate! The confusion over the names, however, did noth ing to diminish our stay in Lisbon and Portugal’s Argave region. The four of us had a wonderful time, plenty of laughs, and a relaxing week filled with in teresting adventures. One of the highlights of the trip was meet ing many “fourth wave” Ukrainians currently living in Portugal. Today, young Ukrainians are part of the work force in just about every country in Western Europe, and there are about 78,000 Ukrainians le gally registered and working in Portugal. So we were excited, but not entirely surprised to hear Ukrainian spoken as we strolled along the beautiful cobblestone streets and narrow alleys of Lisbon, relaxing at an outdoor cafe at one of the many historical plazas or dining at a restaurant with a traditional Portuguese “Fado” musical performance. Most of the Ukrainians in Portugal live in 10 major metropolitan centers throughout the coun try and maintain a favorable and visible Ukrainian presence. As a result, they are recognized as an important ethnic minority by local governments. They actively celebrate and commemorate Ukrain ian holidays and invite government officials and native Portuguese to take part in the festivities. They perform songs and dances during events honoring Taras Shevchenko, sing Christmas carols in large groups in city squares, celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day, and expose the tragedy and horrific facts of the Holodomor via pamphlets and newspaper articles. Lisbon has a Ukrainian Catholic church and a Ukrainian Association, which is dis cussing financial strategies aimed at acquiring a building that can be used as a community center. Portugal has made it easy for Ukrainians to immigrate and establish a good life for themselves and their families. The government allows a legal immigrant to sponsor other family members without much red tape. Government officials actually prefer this, knowing that it will help these immigrants root themselves as a family unit and, in return, become productive citizens who care about the economic growth of their adopted country. Portugal, in fact, is experiencing a boom in housing development, and Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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