Back to Ukraine: First stop, Lutsk
In February, 2022 Ukraine had made headlines with tragic news. My goal is to tell the story of my people not from tragic perspective but from an empowering one. The power of Ukraine lies within our people but also there are a lot of misconceptions about Ukrainian culture. We are often compared to Russia as the same culture. I want to tell you stories through my own eyes.
First stop, one of Ukraine’s ancient towns: Lutsk. Lutsk is a town in the Volyn Oblast’ of Ukraine, it is very close to the boarder of Poland and the region also boards with Belarus. During medieval Europe, Lutsk was the capital of Halych-Volynia. Today Lutsk is known for Lubert’s fortress, one of the best preserved fortresses of Ukraine. It is also one of the seven wonders of Ukraine, and is portrayed on Ukraine’s 200 hryvnia bill.
Town of Lutsk is very small compare to Ukraine’s capital, and other European cities I’ve visited, but it is one of countries oldest cities, as I’ve mentioned. The cities that lay west in Ukraine are considered to have preserved the language better than Central and East parts of the country. In Lutsk, you’ll find more Ukrainian speakers. Language was one of the biggest factors in this war and in overall conflict between the aggressor and Ukraine. The aggressor has claimed that it is saving people in the East Ukraine because they speak russian, therefore want to be part of Russia. However, anyone who speaks Ukrainian they choose to label as banderovci or nazis. Right now Ukraine has more and more people switching to Ukrainian than ever.
Let me ask you a question, why are Ukrainians are getting called nazis for speaking their native language? To me, it is not clear why we do not call French or Italian people nazis or evil nationalists for loving and celebrating their culture and speaking their language. But the occupants have frequently accused Ukrainians of being nationalists and nazis for attempts to preserve its culture and language.
Answers to these questions are rooted way deep in history. Russia has carried out a number of attempts to try to erase Ukrainian’s history and culture and even in 2022 it still uses its old ways.
In Poland, I met a man who was my taxi drive and who was in occupation in the East. He told me a story of his escape that had me leave his car with tears in my eyes. The man shared with me, that while occupying his small village in Kharkiv region, occupants burnt all Ukrainian literature in schools and libraries. They have destroyed anything that had Ukrainian language and have hung their own slogans and symbols of former USSR, which by the way, no longer exists. When he made an escape through russia, in filtration camp he was stripped naked and asked a number of questions to test his love and patriotism for his country.
We all know that wars are ugly games of politicians at the cost of innocent lives, but this war seems to also be a war against culture. Hence why it is extremely important for me to illustrate and to embrace my culture, share my culture, speak about my culture.
An interesting side note, however, is that in attempt to erase Ukrainian culture, Russia is actually erasing itself.
In Lutsk, people predominately speak Ukrainian, you have a higher chance of hearing someone speak English than Russian. The town is very small, but very lovely. Of course, one of the ways to learn about culture is through food, and Lutsk has some great restaurants with Ukrainian food. I can’t tell you how happy I was to have Ukrainian food on Ukrainian soil.
Before the war, I had conversation with my former russian friend, who asked me a question, “Which cities in Ukraine are considered to be slums?” and I told her, we don’t really have that, of course there are many people living below poverty line, but you can find them all over the country, in Kyiv just as in any village, but overall cities try to follow the progress and are constantly improving. Lutsk is one of such cities, it is very clean and well maintained. It has everything for sufficient and happy life a modern Western person might need: clean streets, developed and well-maintained ground transit, bars and restaurants, social clubs, and one of the most desired things amongst Ukrainian women, progressive beauty industry. In Ukraine, in all towns and cities you will find a place to do your hair, brows, nails and other cosmetic procedures. Ukrainian women love beauty.
Unfortunately, it reminds me of the image that circulated in the first months of war, of a killed woman’s hand with a Valentines Day manicure. That image brought sorrow and tears, but it was symbolic as well. Ukrainian women love taking care of themselves, it is not to say that other women don’t, but that woman, lying dead on the ground, with her manicure, had dreams and hopes and plans for her life. She went to salon to do her nails without realizing that it was her last manicure before her life will be cut short by russian soldiers. Then, she painted hearts to celebrate love and the Valentine Day. Perhaps, sitting there she was already contemplating her next design for International Women’s day that is celebrated in March. But she never made it to March. She never made it to Spring. Neither had her dreams and aspirations.
But let’s conclude with a happier note, although we shall remember that war is very real and millions of Ukrainians facing it every day.
I’ll end this entry, like a travel blog, haha:
Lutsk, is a great destination in Ukraine, with vast history. It is a symbol of Ukrainian history and culture. Clean and happy place. During my week there, I heard many English speakers, who seemed like tourists visiting. The locals speak English in service industry as well, so it is easy to get around.
