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12 OUR LIFE • January-February 2025 What Does It Mean to Be a Soyuzianka? My Personal Story and Self-Reflections Let me begin by introducing myself. I am a relatively new member of UNWLA Branch 10 (Philadelphia). The primary reason for telling my story is to share the experiences I have had immigrat - ing to the U.S. and joining the UNWLA. Maybe you will not feel all alone as I felt? Maybe someone will find anoth - er way to do things? Maybe someone will open their heart and take that first step towards true friendship? I think many of you already live the lifestyle of a Soyuzianka- posestra , but not every - one. I also want to encourage others to find the Soyuzianka in themselves and start thinking of this as “Who I am” and not “What is my title?" I would love to see other Soyuzianky share their own experiences and the impact the UNWLA has had on their lives. I also understand that, by submitting this ar - ticle for publication, I am opening my - self up for some criticism and putting myself in a vulnerable position. I was born in Kalush, Ukraine, and am still a Soyuzianka in the Kalush branch of Soyuz Ukrainok. My mom had me when she was only 17. Since childhood, I remember my aunts and grandpar - ents helping because my mom was al - ways working. As a teenager, I was very confused about the role of women in today’s world. My grandmother was a chemist who worked full-time and was a mother to three girls. This was no different than my grandfa - ther, who was an engineer, worked full-time, and was a father to three girls. And yet they always said that it was a woman’s job to make the house a home. As a child I was very confused trying to understand these family dynamics. With her unique talents and skills, the president of Kalush Soyuz Ukrainok, Lyubov Lypovska, was able to attract youth to the organization, and I was one of the lucky ones to join her youth group. Spending time at our svitlytsia in Kalush as a teen - ager helped shape my language, prioritized education, and moti - vated me to pursue higher achievements in life. It created such a cool image of what it was like to be a Soyuzianka. I was surround - ed by many powerful, smart, strong-willed women, and they be - came the definition of a woman in today’s world for me. Their efforts to promote the Ukrainian language, for example, were important because 80% of radio, TV, and books were in russian (even some of my schoolbooks were in russian). I was proud to be a member of Soyuz Ukrainok, and the phrase “a woman’s job” equated to “a woman’s strength, power, and ability.” At 18, I immigrated to the U.S. — by myself — and experienced the profound loss of my Soyuzianky. I did not know life outside of Soyuz Ukrainok because every moment of my life until then had revolved around the organization. I found myself totally alone and trying to make friends. Being 18 and needing to work in or - der to eat and pay rent, I had nothing in common with Ameri - can 18-year-olds who had just graduated high school. I also had nothing that would tie me to the local Ukrainian Center. I had no children to take to Ukrainian school to meet other Ukraini - an women. I was too old to join a dance group. I most certainly did not have the talent to join a choir. If you ask, “How about church?” I will be honest: at the age of 19, and probably until 25, churches did not sound like a place to hang out or socialize. I was faced with a choice: Do I dive deeper into the Phila - delphia post-Soviet Union community, or integrate with Ameri - cans? In my first six months, I chose to stay in Northeast Philly, where I noticed that my English was deteriorating while my rus - sian was improving with the speed of light: I lived in the U.S., but I felt like I had returned to the Soviet Union. I moved out and started integrating with Americans. It was through them that I discovered a Ukrainian sports center nearby, and Ukrain - ian churches. About five years after my move, I learned that Soyuz Ukrainok also exists in the U.S. I turned to the web to find out how I could return to what I was missing so dearly — being a Soyuzianka — but had no luck hearing back from the UNWLA. A few years later I tried again, in a different region. I sent emails and Facebook messages, left voicemails, and still heard nothing in return. Deciding that it should not be this hard to join or to become a volunteer, I began volunteering at women’s shelters and other American organizations, because working hands are always needed. With time, I had to plan my wedding and was able to find a number of Ukrainian women vendors. To my surprise, these Solomiia Kobuta , President, Philadelphia Regional Council
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