As I write this brief narrative, I am about two-thirds of the way through my five-week stay in Lutsk, Ukraine, visiting Lesya Ukrainka Volyn State University. I am here working with the English Philology faculty as well as the Applied Linguistics faculty, teaching American literature, principles of literary interpretation, translation, conversational English, poetry, and other topics, as well as conducting faculty development workshops. I've also had the pleasure of participating in two conferences here in Lutsk. In one, I joined a panel discussion devoted to exploring cultural stereotyping in an increasingly global socio-economic system, and in the other conference I was an invited speaker, addressing differences between research methodologies in Ukraine and the United States.
The students and faculty at the university have been a delight to get to know. The faculty is busy, and there is a constant buzz of activity around the English Philology Department. But, despite the rush of activity, there are always a few moments for conversation and hospitality among colleagues between classes, and it is rare that a full day goes by without some good cheer over tea and cookies. The highlight of the trip has not been the tea and cookies, however; it has been the students. In all of my years of teaching, I have never been so impressed on a daily basis with the enthusiasm and quality of the students here at the university. They are bright, eager to learn, and motivated to succeed. If the students I've met here are any indication of the next generation of scholars and professionals across Ukraine, then there is no doubt in my mind that Ukraine has a very bright future ahead. I am not a prophet by any means, but I believe that with its rich past and its bright future, Ukraine is certainly positioned to become a major market and a leader throughout Europe in the coming years.
The city of Lutsk has many charms, and my visit to Lubart Castle marked the first time I had actually been inside a legitimate castle (my wife is from Orlando, Florida…the “Magic Kingdom” of Disneyworld fame, was the closest I had ever come to a castle prior to my visit to Lutsk). The varieties of architecture in the city-from the magnificent Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral in the center of town to the massive public housing projects highlighted by the soviet-era hexagonal apartment complexes-are impressive. The buildings, even the new ones, are thick, sturdy, concrete-and-brick structures that would take an act of God to so much as tilt.
The timing of my visit allowed me to be in Lutsk during the Easter holidays, and I enjoyed learning about-and even participating in-many of the eons-old traditions surrounding this most important holiday in Ukraine. I did not myself carry a basket of paska and sausage to the cathedral in the middle of the night on Easter-as did most of Lutsk-but I did, thanks to the patience and generosity of my university hosts-get the opportunity to learn the delicate art of egg painting. I gave it my best effort, but the orange and red egg with a fish on it that I painted will certainly not win any exhibitions in Ukraine.
I could write much more, but let me conclude with a word of thanks to the fine people of VNU and Lutsk who have aided me in countless ways during my stay, and have made the weeks I've been in Ukraine unforgettable. In particular, I wish to thank Valentyna Ushchyna and staff of the university's Office for International Relations, especially the student workers, Serhiy, Vitaliy, Sofiya, Halyna, and Tanya. They are, without question, one of the finest groups of people I have ever worked with, and it has been an honor to get to know them.
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