Ukrainians1

After Yale Richmond

1. ”In private…[Ukrainians] radiate warmth, humor, and legendary generosity. Rare is the visitor who doesn’t leave with a few new friends, and memories of long nights feasting and drinking … around the kitchen table (p.279).”

2. ”Ukrainians, like Russians, stand close when conversing, often too close for Americans who may feel that their privacy is being invaded. They also give unsolicited advice about how you look and dress and the state of your health. Accept this advice in the spirit in which it is given – concern for your welfare.

Social life revolves around intimate groups emphasizing mutual self-help and comradeship, especially in times of need… Family and friends will go to extremes to assist one another whenever help is required. Having a friend who knows someone in the right place can mean the difference between success and failure. Such friendships are often based on old school ties or other shared experiences.

Visitors with Ukrainian friends will not go hungry or thirsty. Limited resources will be shared, and visitors presented with small gifts of homemade preserves to sweeten their lives, home brews to raise their spirits, herbal teas to ward off colds, and pickled vegetables to tickle their palates. Ukrainians will not expect anything in return for their hospitality or the gifts they give, but if given a gift, they will present one in return. “In no place in the world,” related one American, “have I made loyal and long-standing friendships so quickly as in Ukraine.” (p.281)

3. ”Women have a strong image in the matriarchal Ukrainian culture… Sexual roles are less strictly defined than in many other Eastern countries and, in contrast to Russians, authority in the Ukrainian home is shared by husband and wife. Historically, Ukrainian women have worked side by side with their men… Today women keep busy running households, raising children, standing in lines,… caring for their men, and work at jobs and professions. Men have more authority, though, and older men even more so; but women are recognized as the glue that holds the male-chauvinist society together. Feminism is a nonissue. Certain professions are understood to be meant for women (such as medical doctors) and others for men, but Ukrainian women seem comfortable with such gender divisions. American women who have worked in Ukraine say that Ukrainian women put up with much less and stand up to men much more than do Russian women.” (pp.281-282).

4. ”In the workplace, Ukrainians tend to be passive, without much motivation or initiative, reacting to others instead of presenting their own views… The command system has produced a people who rely on inner resources and are constantly on the defensive against the outer world which they regard as dangerous. A question will be answered with a question rather than a straight answer. Don’t stick your neck out, stand to the side, like the house in the Ukrainian proverb (My house stands to the side – I don’t know anything)”. (p.283).

5. ”Good relationships, however, are the greatest asset. Ukrainians will be fiercely loyal and trusting and will work hard for people they are bonded to….In a phenomenon that never ceases to astonish visitors, Ukrainians, after taking it easy in the workplace for long spells, are capable of intense and sustained bursts of energy to complete as assigned task. If a job has to be done, it will be.” (P.285).

6. “Ukrainians … are less ready to submit to authority. They …are more individualistic and developed an ethic of hard work. They respect private property and are economical and cautious about using their financial assets. (p. 288).

7. “Ukrainians are an outgoing people, more genial than their Russian cousins and more fun to hang out with… Optimistic and undemanding, Ukrainians see the brighter side of life, and have a proverb that explains it all – “Things will sort themselves out somehow.”… As “southerners”, Ukrainians have a more sunny disposition than Russians, and make friends more easily. When they get to know you, they have a great sense of humor, joke a lot, and laugh at their own troubles.” (p. 271-272).

8. “Some of the most resilient and courageous Ukrainians suffer from deep-seted feelings of powerlessness and despair, stemming from years of insecurity and state terror.” (p.278).

9. “The traumas of the twentieth century have indeed left their mark on the Ukrainian psyche. In public – on streets and in the Metro – Ukrainians are quiet and reserved. They avoid eye contact with strangers, refrain from calling attention to themselves, and mind their own business. On meeting a foreigner, they are likely at first to be suspicious and cautious, retreating behind a protective barrier. Smiles from foreigners, especially Americans, puzzle them” (p.279).

10. “Corruption and bribery are rampant, and the mafia is ubiquitous in both government and private sector. Every transaction with a foreigner seems to involve a kickback for some intermediary. (p.279).

11. “… a gap exists between theoretical principle and realistic practice, and caution is advised. A similar gap exists in language – what Ukrainians say and what they actually mean.” (p.279).

12. “Ukrainians are not puzzled by that great Russian question, “Are we Asian or European?” For Ukrainians, especially in the western part of the country, the question does not exist. They have always known that they are Europeans.” (p.288).

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