Essays

MY TRIP TO UKRAINE by MAX ROSE

" I hated it. The Dominican Republic is one of the worst islands on the Earth. Everyone is so poor, and there were shacks for miles outside of the resort." These were the first words told to me by my friend, Kate, after I asked her about her vacation over the previous break. Before she could even finish her sentence, the memories of my trip to Ukraine immediately rushed back into my brain. The Global Forum for Education hadn't arranged it so I would home stay with and meet Ukraine's richest of the rich. The trip's purpose was not to shelter me as all resorts purposefully do. As a result of this, shacks on the street, farmers by the road, and mothers taking their children to school, weren't variables which I felt scared and isolated from. Instead, my experience in Kalush was not only life changing, but also completely transformed my future plans for world travel. More importantly however was the fact that all of the Poly Prep students sincerely felt as if our exchange with Kalush was serving a purpose much larger than the life long bonds we were about to create. It was this attitude that was the catalyst for the bake sales we helped to organize along with our Ukrainian counterparts.

Bake Sales… Bake Sales… Bake Sales. How could such a wonderful American tradition not even translate into a Ukrainian word? Besides for this fact, would anyone really want to or afford paying extra just because it is a bake sale? The American students pondered this for quite a while with the Peace Corps volunteers from Kalush. It was quite obvious that not everyone was completely sure these questions had positive answers. Despite this, we went along with the plan to help the Ukrainian students organize their own fundraisers in the form of two consecutive bake sales. There were two aspects of this process, which were the most valuable to me. Both of these were not related to the actual bake selling hours. Everyone who I have told about my experience in Ukraine, has been amazed at how much the American students were able to teach the Ukrainian teenagers. Everyone seems to love how the Poly Prep students planted the seed of initiative. However, what no one understands is how much I learned from, and was influenced by all of the foreign students taking part in this student fundraising process. Never before had I meet young adults so eager, and willing to take on a new task. Never before had I been in close contact with any group of teenagers, who would so quickly give an idea a chance, which so obviously conflicted with a set of ideals embedded in their culture. Just as many say the Poly Prep students planted a seed in the minds of the Kalush students, they showed us how to learn and try things with an unbelievable fervor.

The second memory of the bake sale process, which will be with me forever took place on an unusually cold afternoon two days before the first bake sale. The American students, and all willing Ukrainians gathered in their auditorium to make bake sale signs. We all laid down on the carpet, ate ice cream, and drew. We showed them how to draw certain words, and they did the same for us. What was so spectacular about that afternoon, was the fact that it wasn't the Americans on one side and the Ukrainians on the other. In fact, not one of us Americans found ourselves drawing with another American. We were communicating with other students from Kalush. Yet this communication wasn't manufactured, it was very natural and beautiful.

Kwong Leung - My experience in Ukraine

On my trip to Ukraine, I stayed in the city of Dnipropetrovsk. The city of Dnipropetrovsk in one of the largest in Ukraine with a population of 1.5 million people. This city is very industrialized and the center of the city is very vibrant, like New York. I learned a great deal about Ukraine, its culture and way of life. My experience in Ukraine has been a positive one. I never thought I could have fun going to school in a foreign country. We have accomplished many things and developed relations with our Ukrainian peers and I hope this relationship will continue to grow in the future.

My impression of Ukraine is definitely not how I pictured it to be. I thought the city would be more industrialized and modern like New York City. However, the people in Ukraine are definitely a lot friendlier than I thought they would be. I encountered many people who are very interested in meeting Americans. In school, I have been signing autographs and it really made me feel special. I thought they wouldn't be too friendly because, all over the world, Americans are viewed as the richest people in the world.
Ukraine tends to be very traditional. Families in Ukraine are very close and share a lot of experiences together. For example, I attended a gathering at a sauna with my host family and their relatives. My entire host family (which consists of one father, one mother, Roma, and his sister) was there, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. They tend to be very hospitable people and welcome people into their household. They especially like to feed their guests. My host mother told me, "A hungry man is an angry man." My host mother taught me Russian, but it was only the names of the different kinds of food. Ukrainian meals usually consist of bread and soup, both of which I had every day. It is also rude to waste any food, so I had to eat everything, whether it tasted good or bad.

Ukrainian schools are also very different than American schools. I learned a little about the student government in Gymnasia 136. Each person runs his/her own activity. It's kind of like the U.S. President and his cabinet. The principal is the President, and the student government is the cabinet. The student government conference I attended was a bit disappointing because I did not have a translator with me. On one day, we attended a citywide conference where we talked about society, whether it is civic education, AIDS, drugs, or law. English speaking students from all over the city attended this conference to hear us talk about these issues. On another day, we attended another conference and showed Ukrainian teachers from all over the city how to debate and the benefits of debating. We were debating the good and bad between capitalism and communism. I found these conferences to be of particular interest to us. We discussed lots of things that we normally do not discuss in a out of school situation. At these conferences we met a lot of people. They were very interested in meeting Americans and were very excited. We exchange e-mails so we can keep in touch with each other when we return to America.

We accomplished the task of establishing a student newspaper with an OP-ED section. We taught the Ukrainians many aspects of American school and how each of our schools differ We also share with them the many classes and activities that are offered in my school, Sheepshead Bay High, and Madison High including social science research, mock trial, moot court, and the Angels.

I believe this partnership should and will continue to grow. We hope to further develop the student newspaper and improve the student government. I would like to adopt some of the aspects of their school. They have murals on the walls, carpets on the floor, benches to rest on, and a very friendly principal. Every person in this school behaves and stands to greet the teachers. They give them flowers on the first day of school and on days of exams. In Ukraine, they have a lot of respect for the teachers. Some might come to Ukraine thinking that American way of life is superior, but leave wondering which is actually better.

In general, my experience in Ukraine will be one that I will never forget. It taught me not to prejudge people, whether it is by race, religion, or country of origin even though others may do so. I taught a lot to Ukrainians and I also learned a lot from them. I hope to keep in touch with all the Ukrainians that I have met here and one day revisit Ukraine.

Menachem Tabanpour

The development of education as a whole depends on the exchange of ideas between different educational systems. The exchange of ideas provides the opportunity for different systems of education to continue with their successes and work on their failures. This describes the importance of exchange programs in general and this program, specifically. The partnership between Ukrainian and American schools is important in helping students and teachers exchange ideas in order to help provide a better education for the new generation of children.

The New York educational system is a system that provides a small amount of knowledge compared to the system of education in the Ukraine as a result of its strong focus on the development of a child's ideas, opinions and self-expression. The lack of knowledge is also a result of the standardized testing and a lack of separation between the more and less intelligent students. First, the New York Regent's examinations seek to make students equal in the way that all students need a certain amount of knowledge to graduate. As a result, the tests are made so that students can pass because they need to be taken by a wide variety of students including the less intelligent. In addition, the examinations are general and prevent teachers from focusing on one topic. Lastly, the lack of separation between the different levels of students holds back intelligent students from being able to filly examine their capabilities.

The development of a child's ideas is very important in helping the country prosper as a democracy. The approach by which English and History is taught in NY helps students form opinions and connections in different pieces of history and literature. These subjects are taught in a manner where the topics are discussed between the pupils and teachers rather than it being dictated. The discussion between students and teachers helps the students think objectively and independently.

The Ukrainian educational system is a system where knowledge is purely dictated to children and retained without the expression of opinion. As a result students are less individualistic.

The NY educational system has gone too far in trying to develop a child, which results in their limited understanding of science and math; while in Ukraine the amount of knowledge taught limits the development of a child's opinions and ideas.
Personally, I have never been happy with the amount of knowledge provided in my NYC school and I had the impression that the NY system was totally flawed. As the program went on I started to notice the strong and weak points of each system. Our accomplishments were limited as a result of the different systems of thought and the limited time spent in the Ukrainian school. The school that I attended had already applied many aspects of what the program was focused on as a result of their recent trip to NYC.

The Ukrainian school is very impressive because of the inviting school environment and the effort shown by students in school activities. The Ukrainian students also have a greater sense of respect than most students in the U.S.

As a result of the visit to the U.S., the Ukrainian's have implemented many of the democratic values that are in the U.S. schools. For example, they have put into operation a student council, newspaper, and debate team. The problem is that the idea behind democracy has not been totally understood. Throughout the program I stressed the fact that it wasn't as important to help them with the student council, newspaper, and debate team than it was to instill the idea of democracy. 1 think that if they have the complete idea than they can develop a system of their own that works instead of taking exactly what we have and trying to make it work.

Our presence at the school has helped the student's development of ideas by helping them write an opinionated newsletter and showing them how a class in NY would be conducted. They were very impressed by how a class was taught and the teachers were interested in changing the format of how classes were being conducted in English.

As a developing country many schools in the Ukraine lack resources as a result of the limited funds provided by the government. At first coming to the country I had thought that is was a lot worse than what I saw. I was very impressed by how they had rebuilt many of the ancient structures that were destroyed by either Stalin or Hitler; this showed how much they value their culture, which is important in the development of the country.
The program for this year is in its preliminary stages of development and successful for now. The idea of the expression of thought has been introduced and things are beginning to change. In the following year, we can follow up on how things are going on and help them with problems they might encounter. The next time we come to Ukraine it will be easier to further develop the goal of the program because they would have a whole year of working with the idea of freedom of expression of ideas and opinions. We have provided them with the concept that if you want something changed you have to change it yourself.

I first met my host brother in Kiev; he is a very nice guy, I did not host him in NY therefore it is very nice that his family is taking me. Upon meeting his family they were very hospitable and made me feel at home right away. They gave me my own room, which was very nice. They live in a three-story house near the river but they are not rich. My host brother Daniel has two sisters: the one I met was Dana who speaks English fairly well; the other sister is working in Crimea. His parents are very nice but do not speak English, which is too bad because they try very hard to communicate with me. His mother teaches art at the school 136 where I am attending and his father works in a car battery plant. The food is all right and you can see that they are not rich because they eat very little meat. I am getting tired of eating soup twice a day and I can't digest it when they put a thick layer of butter underneath a huge piece of cheese. The rest of the cooking is not bad because my mom cooks similarly. Over all I am very happy with the family I am staying with because they go out of their way to take care of me.

I would like to return to Dnipropetrovsk next year. I would like to continue to get to know my new adopted family. I would like to learn more about this culture and I would like to continue the work that we have only just begun to do here.

Franco Martinez Ukraine Essay

The trip that I just took to Ukraine this past summer was one of the greatest times I've ever experienced. Never before have I been so enthralled by the beauty and the history of a second-class country. Staying there for 3 weeks changed me in a few ways and helped me learn more about what the world community is really like. I enjoyed every second of it. I feel that this program should be available to all Americans so that everyone can learn and experience what it is like to be in a different country. I would love to be able to go back and visit them again and re-live it again and again. This trip was full of many valuable experiences.

My most valuable experience was definitely the home-stay. I know that I will always remember the great family I was privileged to stay with. I was showered with kindness. My host family helped to make my stay in Ukraine very pleasant and very memorable. They overextended themselves to make sure that I would feel right at home. In doing so, they made a very deep impression on me of what true hospitality is. I feel that they truly went out of their way for me and I am deeply humbled by the fact that they loved me as one of their own. Another great valuable experience is based on the excursions we took around Kiev, Lviv, and the Carpathian Mountains. The architecture was amazing. From a tower in Lviv we saw cathedrals with gold plated steeples. Words can't describe the beauty of the buildings that were standing there with immense size and their rooftops glittering in the sun. They stood out no matter where you were, they gave the cities and the countries surrounding them an unspeakable beauty. The Carpathian Mountains added to the breath taking countryside. They stood out among the relative flatness of Ukraine and gave Ukraine a beauty that I have never experienced before. Being there was amazing because we were learning about the history of Ukraine and learning about the struggles and perseverance of a nation. Being there and seeing the sites with my own eyes I could feel like I was a part of something too special for everyone to experience. Another memorable experience was the times we played basketball and soccer with the kids at school. Playing with other kids our age and hanging out with them at their school made me feel like one of them. The common air of competition that was there united us all, whether American or Ukrainian, it led to a respect between the guys. A feeling of camaraderie reigned even though we beat them in basketball and they crushed us in soccer. All these experiences and others like them helped to make the stay in Ukraine an awesome time. However, besides being an amazing time it was an educating time for me as well.

I believe that my outlook on the world has changed due to this experience. My visit to Ukraine has given me a new vision on world issues. Ukraine is a country that for seventy years was under communism. Just ten years ago Ukraine became a democracy. Since they are a young nation they are just starting to become involved in world issues. Living in a struggling democracy for three weeks I had the opportunity first hand, to witness two rallies. The first rally was against the wrong doings of the government and the second one was a revolt threatening to remove President Kuchma from office. I came to appreciate that, even though we Americans do not have a perfect system, we have something that is priceless and that is freedom. My view on money has also changed. The difference in wealth from the US to a second world country was drastic and I had trouble dealing with it. In America we put a lot of value on money and on what money can buy unlike Ukraine. Ukrainians live a modest lifestyle. This was noticeable just by the antiquity of the cars that people drove. In some cases, families didn't even own a car. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have lived in a place like that and to be taught about worldviews and other topics which before I was so narrow-sighted on.
I plan to use what I have learned to paint a picture of what Ukraine is really like. For an 11-year-old country, it isn't the impoverished third-world country I thought we were going to visit, in fact, it will probably be the richest and most memorable time of my life ever. Ukrainians are happy people that are not only satisfied with what they have but are very patriotic. They love to sing their national anthem and show respect to their flag. I hope to be able to cut down any stereotypes or pretenses of Ukrainian people that any students hold here and dispel any rumors of what it is really like. I can now tell anyone to not judge on something that they haven't totally experienced. I hope to create awareness in my peers that there is richness in people from other cultures and backgrounds. If they take the time to sit and talk with others who are not Americans, they will learn a great wealth of knowledge.

I'm grateful to Mr. Beck for taking the time and effort to make this all happen. He certainly stirred my desire to learn more about the world. I'm grateful to the school authorities and teachers for helping us accomplish all this. I give many thanks to the American Forum for Global Education for providing us with the chance to go on this trip and I am honored to have participated in such a great program. All these people helped us learn about the culture of the Ukrainians and it helped us in having a great time. I don't think there is anything I would want to do differently in the exchange program. I had the greatest time of my life and I can't say in words how blessed I feel that I was to be able to participate in such a great program.


Jessie Lanoil
Youth Leadership Development Project with Ukraine

The Friday night before we left New Rochelle, where back to school sales and school supplies dominated most students minds, we met at my house to discuss our upcoming trip. We talked about our concerns, asked some questions and made some predictions. As we sat around the table, Mr. Beck warned us all, "don't be surprised if you lose five pounds these next 3 weeks." Three weeks later, every last one of us had to let out our belt. I had never eaten so much good food before in my life.

While its true that the food we ate in Ukraine was delicious, what I mean to say is, there was no way to anticipate what we experienced. When the students from Lviv visited us in February, we got a really great idea of Ukraine. Before Hannah, who was the incredibly friendly girl who stayed with me, came to visit, I never thought twice about Ukraine, only having a vague idea where it was even located. I remember the first night Hannah stayed with me, sitting on her bed, just asking her basic questions about where she was from. What language do they speak there? How many years do you attend school? What is your government like? It was amazing to have someone from across the world, just sitting in my house talking casually about her home so far away.

Even after their visit, there were still so many questions each of us had, and misconceptions we would soon be rid of; school for example. Coming from New Rochelle High School, a school of 3000, only grade 9-12, that was the only kind of high school education we knew. As a group we stayed in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is full of classic European architecture and cobble stone streets. Lviv 76, the school we all would venture to each morning with our host sister or brother, was grade (or form as they call it) 1-11, 1000 students. The Ukrainian educational system, most of us expected would be a dictatorial approach only, teacher speaks, students listen. While we encountered this in some classrooms, there was also a very encouraging atmosphere about the school. Meeting with the school government they explained to us that the principal and vice principal's door is always open. Teachers, even administration, know their students. Teaching, especially in English classes, where we spent most of our time, encourages students to participate. Like some foreign language classes here, the English classes consisted mostly of speech, with kids answering the teacher's questions. We were lucky enough to visit a school that's specialty was English, so there were many English teachers, all eager to have us visit and tell their students about ourselves, our school, and America in general. One English teacher invited us all to sit in her class where students asked us any questions they had about us, and then we asked them questions we had. Their English was really impressive, even 2nd form students came up to us, asking us questions like, "what is your name? How many pets do you have?" While some moments, such as the students showing their respect by standing up for us at the beginning of our lecture on America may have reminded us of the picture we had painted in our mind; while at the school, we were overcome with impressive teaching, welcoming teachers, and curious students.

Back in January when Hannah came to visit New Rochelle, everyone that met her was struck by her presence. I had never really known anyone from Western Europe, most American teens don't, and I had never had anyone stay with me I didn't know from anywhere in the world. Hannah was amazing, she was friendly, curious about American customs, and eager to tell us about hers.

When we went to Lviv, this trend continued. Being my first visit to Ukraine, I didn't know what to expect. The people we met, especially in Lviv, where we stayed, were so welcoming to us. Each of our families treated us well and above a member of their own family. My host parents speak very little English, yet in ways without words, they did what they could to make sure I was happy; lots of food, they gave me their room, a new pair of pajamas, I could go on. One moment in particular that I don't think I'll ever forget, is on the night of Rosh Hashanah. It was reaI1y hard to be far away from home for the first on this Jewish holiday marking the New Year. A few of us found the only synagogue left of the at least 100 or so within the city before World War II, and were able to attend a Rosh Hashanah service, it was really powerful to be there, discover a Jewish community singing the same prayers as we sang across the world. When we came home after services, we were shocked to find that our families had thrown the two of us who were Jewish, a New Years party. I was amazed. My host sister had set up a disco light, played music, and insisted, "we must stay up for the New Year!" I have pictures of a table covered from head to toe with all kinds of amazing, and delicious food. It wasn't what I was used to on the New Year, but I was so happy and thankful that our families had gone through all this just to make us feel at home.

Of course there were plenty of moments of frustration. The language barrier was hard sometimes; little things we take for granted, like hot water all the time, or drinkable water, it all just taught us to be patient.

Being part of the group we were just made it so much easier to deal with all the new changes. Imagine, you look up and there are signs all in Ukraine and Russian, with their own Cyrillic alphabet. Together, our group made the best out of the good and the bad. Laughing our way through awkward situations, now I have lots of great pictures of smiles, that still make me hysterical.

Going to Ukraine, I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think I would have much of a connection to it. After being there for three weeks, just two weeks ago, I'm thinking about when to go back. I would love to study the history of Ukraine in college, travel there or to other eastern European countries in the future. Our teacher, Mr. Beck said before the trip, whatever happens this trip will change your life. That might of been the one correct prediction of all.

Ukrainian Trip by Henry Archibald

This summer's trip to Ukraine was a great experience for me and for the rest of the group. I had never been anywhere so ancient and with such dazzling beauty. I deeply hope that in future other students can go to the Ukraine and have the same sort of experiences I was lucky enough to have. I made such good friendships with some of the students from the Ukraine which I hope to keep up with future visits to the L'viv.
Some experiences I will never forget include our trip to the Karpathian Mountains. They were so beautiful, and even though we didn't really get to hike on them very much, the weather was great and the views were excellent. I also will never forget the basketball game I had against some of the Ukrainian students. The entire upper class of the school piled into the gym to watch us play, and they were cheering as if they were watching a world cup soccer match or something! The intensity and competition has never been higher.

Apart from the personal joys I had, I believe that everyone who went on the trip was very lucky to experience life in such a different part of the world. Although the Ukraine doesn't have the greatest economy right now, it does have some brilliant minds in the schools, and with the economy already improving, it has the potential to grow immensely in the next twenty years. The school was a very interesting place for me. It was filled with teachers who were as eager to learn about America as they were to teach me about Ukraine. The American students and teachers all did their best to describe our lives in New York, but I always got the feeling that the Ukrainians were a little disappointed by us because we live lives much like the Ukrainians do, just with many more resources. They were all expecting us to live like movie stars, and some of the Americans even were mobbed for autographs wherever they went!
An important problem in the Ukrainian schools, at least where we were, was lack of resources. They were without enough desks and seats in most classrooms, and students had to share seats quite often. Most of the students were extremely patriotic and refused to even look at it as much of a problem so they just sucked in their gut, sat next to someone and took their notes. I believe that Ukrainian people are some of the most patriotic people in the world, mainly because they had been suffering under communism for so long. They were very pro-Ukrainian, but at the same time very open and loving towards all the Americans on the trip.

All in all, I believe that this was a fantastic program that should be continued for any student who wishes to travel the world. This was a fantastic program for me, one I am a very happy to have been a part of. Please continue this program in future, because it is a great opportunity for students both from America and from Ukraine.

Samantha Hunt

As Aidous Huxley once said, "Experience is not what happened to you; it's what you do with what happened to you." I believe this quote sums up my whole aura of thoughts about the trip to Ukraine. Being able to go to you Ukraine was a wonderful opportunity that I was fortunate to be selected for. Before going I had many expectations about what I would face. For example, being African American, I wasn't sure how the people would approach me, because frankly I stood out. I was fortunate to meet and stay with wonderful people who I believed didn't see my color, but the person within. Additionally, I was told to take dark clothing so that I wouldn't standout as an American, but after seeing all the bright colored clothing I had a culture shock. I felt at home when I was in Ukraine since it reminded me of my childhood country of Tanzania. Learning the history of my host city and the capital was an amazing experience because I will cherish the knowledge that I know and try to pass it on to other people who are willing to listen and learn. The knowledge that you gain is a very powerful tool. In addition, going to Ukraine further enhanced my need to study International Relations in college or university, because it pushed me to keep learning more about the world today, and how people's culture is around the world. While in Lviv we visited an orphanage which helped me grow as a person, because you learn appreciate the simple things in life that so many people take for granted. I believe the children are clueless to why they are there, because you can tell them that their parents didn't love them. However, I know that I loved being there and playing with them. I would like to dedicate this poem to them, which was a collaboration between Henry and I.

Life is so different, yet Life is great
Some filled with love, others with hate
The hardships of life, the burdens they bared
We tried to help with the presents we shared
As we carried them high, it was difficult to say goodbye
It taught us that love is serious indeed,
And we wish we could fill their every need
We will try our best to spread what we know
From heaven above to earth down below.
All in all, this experience is something that I will cherish of a lifetime and will always try to spread the message.
Sum Up of the Trip to the Ukraine
A long and tired journey, but
I basseted in the beauty of Ukraine
The country that would become my home for some time
Meeting of my host group was extraordinary
There faced glittering with glee
Mine with fatigue
Dinner was great, but
I would have preferred traditional.
Visiting the Chernobyl Museum
Visiting the Cathedrals and Monasteries
Increased my knowledge, and touched my heart.
The Metro what a sharp experience
The City Square was lit with splendor of the people
Time to leave time to go, I'm on my way to my host city of Lviv
Cobble roads and trolley tracks, Wow!
My host Mother, powerful and vibrant
My host Father, tall and knowledgeable
My host brother, playful and funny
My host sister, motherly and humorous
The Day of Knowledge, the day of Blessing
The day of Introduction
Going to school, making new friends
Learning the people, learning the culture
Visiting Castle Rock Visiting the Carpathian Mountains
Beautiful sites but cold as anything
A mixture of churches a mixture of people
The picnic, the hangouts
The Food, the hospitality
Fabulous!
The orphanage, the babies
The children, brought
Joy to everyone faces
Time to go, time to depart,
It cannot be for it is soon
Time to shed tears time to give hugs
And time to say goodbye
To the place I called home

Dahlia Rockowitz

On my first night in Ukraine I remember thinking that these were going to be the longest three weeks of my life. Little did I know how wrong I was. When I reflect back on my stay in Ukraine, words like "amazing", "fun", "life-changing", and "brief' come to mind. Yet, I cannot truly verbalize the incredible time I had and how much I learned.

To tell the truth, I was extremely nervous about going to Ukraine. I had not hosted a visiting Ukrainian student in February, and I had no idea what the country, was going to be like. Furthermore, I did not speak the language and being a Jew, I was not sure if I would encounter anti-Semitism. But now I feel silly for having had those ignorance-based concerns because I consider Lviv, Ukraine a second home.

My host family embraced me and made me feel like one of their own. I loved sitting around the dinner table and talking with them even if I did not understand what they were saying. They taught me about life in Ukraine, the Ukrainian name calendar, the Ukrainian language (I now know 60+ words), and more importantly, the proper way to make Verenacas, the Ukrainian national dish. Since I am a vegetarian, they did not eat meat for the majority of my stay so that I would not feel uncomfortable. In return, I taught them about American life, English music, Judaism, vegetarianism, and September 11th. I even made my family an American meal of macaroni and cheese and fruit leather which I brought from home. However, it did take me a while to get used to the lack of privacy and close family relationships.

My host sister, Nataly, was great. She could translate very quickly, which helped me communicate with her parents who spoke only a few words of English. I shared a room with her and we stayed up late talking about Ukraine and America. She would tell me how she hated the fact that many people have a negative view of Ukraine because it is her country and she loves it. I definitely feel as if she is my sister. She signs all the e-mails she sends me "Love, your sister, Nataly".

The rest of my host family was equally warm. My host brother, Andrew, is fourteen. It was gratifying to hear his English improve as he spent more time with me. He is really funny, and we always joked around. My host mother, Holia, is the best cook in Ukraine. I ate like a queen for two weeks. Sewing is another one of her gifts. The evidence was the gorgeous and elaborate ballroom dancing costumes she made for Nataly. She is a botany professor and, therefore, she knew that my name, Dahlia, is a flower. My "mother" took off two weeks from work, forfeiting her precious pay, just to make sure I was perfectly comfortable during my stay in her house. Vicel, my host father, was wonderful as well. He, too, practiced English during my stay. He took me and the rest of the group on great trips including horseback-riding and hiking in the Carpathian mountains. Vicel teaches biology at the neighboring Forest University. He taught me that elements are called by their Latin names in Ukraine. It was so hard to leave my family that we all cried. They invited me back with my family, my husband, and my children. I hope someday to take them up on that offer.

School in Ukraine was quite an experience. We began by seeing the special ceremony on the Day of Knowledge (first day of the school year). The little first graders were adorable, especially the girls with huge hair bows. It was an eye-opener to see a priest present to bless everyone. I attended classes in Math, Chemistry, Physics, and History in Ukrainian, and I am sad to say that I could not understand a thing. I was tested on my World War II knowledge. What I found interesting is that they use a different structured Periodic Table of Elements in Ukraine. Mostly, I went to English classes and answered questions about the United States and American teenagers. I think I was asked a million times if I have any pets. Another thing that took getting used to was the fact that the school had students from first grade to eleventh grade. Therefore, there were seven year olds running around and playing tag in the hallway. The Americans loved to buy bread with apples (yabluko) and tea (chi) from the cafeteria.

Interactions in school were great fun. One day we taught about America, and I explained the high school experience. It was hard to speak very slowly and clearly. In addition, we were interviewed when our chaperone, Ira Hayes, taught a newspaper lesson. We also met the student parliament and discovered, to our surprise that it is more organized than the General Organization at New Rochelle. On another day, we participated in debates. I was on the team that opposed teaching religion in school. My teammates were Ukrainian and they were in favor of teaching religion. Christian Ethics is taught at Lviv 76. It was a real stretch for them to come up with arguments, but we still did excellently. I had a blast watching the American boys play a highly competitive basketball game. Furthermore, I played soccer in school. The Ukrainians were surprised that a girl could hold her own in a game which in Ukraine is played predominately by males. However, I had the most fun just talking with the teenagers after class and in the hallway.

Lviv is a gorgeous city. It seems as if it stepped right out of a fairy tale. The buildings from the 14 and 15 century are picturesque and some of the few that were not destroyed by the Nazis. We had a lot of fun walking around the beautiful city center and seeing a hilarious ballet in Lviv's famous Opera House. It is quite annoying to hear Americans call Lviv by its Russian name, "Lvov". I get very protective and have to explain that Lviv is the capital of Ukrainian culture and language, so it is an insult to call it by its Russian name.

As a Jew away from home on the High Holidays, I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I saw how it is to live in a country where one is not truly free to worship one's religion. On the Jewish New Year, I was lucky enough to pray at Lviv's only synagogue. The one hundred people who showed up for services were a far cry from the 3000 who come to my synagogue on Rosh Hashanah. Brothers of Israel is a beautiful synagogue which houses the declining Jewish population. There used to be over one hundred synagogues in Lviv, but now there is only one, and it has Nazi bullet holes stifi visible in the ceiling. We also visited Babi Yar, the site of the major massacre of Jews by the Nazis during World War II, and prayed on Yom Kippur Kiev's largest synagogue. These experiences were truly memorable.

I came back from Ukraine with more than dirty clothes and nine roles of film. There are now many happy memories forever burned in my brain. I have been asked by many friends if I would have participated in the program ill had known how much schoolwork I would miss! My response is that, I would do it one hundred times over.

A TIME OUT OF TIME BY NICOLE SMITH

During my stay in the Ukraine, I was introduced to many new and different things. The food and culture are things that I have never experienced prior to my visit. The people, for the most part, were very welcoming and wonderful. It was still very hard for me to be integrated into this culture. Because of the color of my skin, I stuck out like a sore thumb. It's pretty difficult to fit in to a whitewashed world when you're black. A few very small-minded people made sure that I felt the difference between them and myself. Other than these few uncomfortable moments, I would say that the people of Dnipropetrovsk are very welcoming and hospitable.

I attended many conferences with my peers. We discussed the difference between their government system and ours. They had the chance to ask us questions about life in the U.S and the problems that we have to deal with in our economy. We also had an open debate about how much help our governments gives us when dealing with problems like AIDS, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. It was very interesting and enlightening to hear what they thought about these problems. At the end of this process, we exchanged mail addresses so that we could further exchange ideas.

While I was in Dnipropetrovsk I attended the Grammar school 136. This school, unlike Sheepshead Bay High School, seems very orderly and uniform. Their school government is very large. It has many different committees and many departments. Although it is very large, in my opinion it is not very effective. The student government seems to be run by the principal. The students don't really have a say in their own government. It is very different from our experience with self-governance. The students' administration does not appear too open to changing their methods of operating.
The classrooms are more like a soldier line-up. The teachers are very efficient in teaching their lessons but there are no exchanges of thoughts and ideas. The students only speak when they are spoken to. We are teaching them the form of debating to further the student-teacher interaction and discussion.

When we went to the classrooms to talk to the students about our community service group called the Angels, they were inspired to begin their own community service group. We will work with them to help develop their community service group, through corresponding and trading ideas.

I stayed with a loving and closely-knit family who accepted me and cared for me and embraced all of my differences. I've noticed that the Ukrainian family loves to eat and drink. At the dinner table there can be more than ten toasts in one sitting. I enjoyed my stay with the family and I will miss them very much. I have experienced many new and interesting things. I like Ukraine and its culture, but I'm not sure I would like to move here. Although living in Ukraine would be nice because of the close-knit ties with family, friends and neighbors, I would strongly miss the diversity and various adventures of New York.

I believe that in leaving this place I will take with me the knowledge that I did something worth doing. I helped my peers grow from my knowledge and they have done the same for me. We all may seem worlds apart but by taking part in this project I believe that we are growing closer. We are learning to understand each other and to except each other's differences and I think that is the main idea of this program.

RASHIDAH SULEIMAN

This trip has been more like a journey. I came to Ukraine with such little knowledge and even fewer expectations of what a country like Ukraine would be like. I was ready to start a new life with new experiences, open minded to whatever was to come my way. Indeed this was an experience to remember. I stayed with an extraordinary family who was very kind to me. They were very welcoming and comforting. I even called my host parents Mama and Papa, my older sisters name was Marsha and my two other sisters were Olga and Helen. They treated me as if I really were part of the family and that really helped because I had no idea about the impression they would have of me being from America and also being African-American.

I always looked forward to coming 'home and sitting around the dinner table--not only because of Mama's wonderful salad, but that was like family time for us. Usually everyone in my house comes home from a long day and they are either too tired to eat or would get a snack and go to sleep for the next day to start. Here, we would sit around the table and talk about our day and Marsha would usually have a funny story to tell us either about her day or about a memorable time for the family. It would leave us all with a good laugh before bed.

I also enjoyed and looked forward to coming to school. TL was a good chance for me to talk to and interact with the other kids my age. We went to different classes and since we didn't understand Ukrainian we were very bored throughout the whole session. So we'd sit in the back and converse with the other students. Although they did not speak English very well we'd usually draw cartoons with funny pictures and make fun of each other. We also had a chance to come to the front of the class and get interviewed by the class. They had a chance to ask us about where we were from and what life is like in America. We found out there were many contrasts in the school system in America compared t3 Ukraine's.

The school we attended was very traditional and formal. They had an opening ceremony whereby students would bring in flowers for their teachers and would have performances. Students were to dress in their best white tops and black slacks\skirts. They even had the official raising of the flag and ringing of the first bell. Students had so much respect f their teachers. They had no metal detectors and high security measures such as security guards. Everyone was pretty much involved in the well keeping of the school and its students. The principal was very hospitable to us and saw to it that we were always comfortable he even gave us our own lounge room. The principal and assistant principal taught classes as well. Students grew up together in the school. The school started from age 3 until the 11 grade. After graduating, the students go on to the university and continue their education. We brought in American magazines showing American fashion and music.

We did find out that a lot of the music listened to in America is very popular in Ukraine. Also teens in both countries somewhat the same point of view on many topics such as human rights and peer pressure with drugs and alcohol. We visited a conference with students from all over the city and we were the guest speakers. We discussed different aspects such as Aids, substance abuse and law. There were kids who wanted us to come to their schools and discuss these topics after listening to the conference. We found out that a lot of the schools and students were uneducated on such topics as sexual intercourse, substance abuse prevention programs, human rights and many other topics. We also found out that a lot of them were under the impression that our government does everything for us. We had to explain to them that these were anonymous private groups that helped recovering addicts and who started programs teaching young kids aside from programs in school. We even discussed community service projects such as feeding the homeless, city cleanup, etc. and lots of ears were open. They wanted to be involved. We explained that kids can make a difference in their school and the environment they live in. At the end of the conference they all came up to us and asked for our addresses to keep in touch and they presented us with gifts. We were invited to several schools, but we visited one of them and took a tour and answered questions. I wish we could've talked to them more but we were pressed for time. Even a school government whereby the students can be very active in the way their school is being run would be a start in making a change.

We witnessed the student government in School #136. It was very organized as usual. They had the president come out with special music. The head of different committees came out and discussed their topics and what they would try to do in the new school year. The principal interrupted the meeting several times to make admonitions to them for not wearing their badges or being organized or to question their positions. He then went on stage and made a speech about the government. Although it was all in Ukrainian, it was being translated to us. It put us all to sleep because it seemed that the student government was more of a play than an active student body force. The principal was too involved. The student governments in schools in America are usually run by, organized by and programmed by students to fit their comfort and at the same time not disturb the process of the everyday program of students in school. That's why it's called the STUDENT Government.

In the end, I am changed as a result of this experience, in the sense that I have a broader sight of the world. Before this trip as far as I was concerned America was the world and everything was the same because it was supposed to be. Coming to Ukraine was like traveling back through time to where America was when it first began to develop.

I am looking forward to possibly having a larger conference, possibly on television so more people could understand. It's disturbing that we had so many people at the conference wanting us to share the ideas we had at their schools and one girl even said why not do this on T.\/..Yet, we can't because of lack of time or because we have to wait until we were invited. There was always some excuse. I am determined to do more traveling and write to the American Forum and Travel Agencies for funding for other exchange programs and to fund for students who are not financially capable of traveling. I think, as future representatives of America, many of us young adults need to at least once have a chance like this to travel somewhere else in the world to another country to open our minds. Not many students in America are good in studying Global History because it seems to be the same story everywhere with so much confusion. No one really understands what's going on until you visit the actual city like Dnipropetrovsk, where you see it actually recovering from Soviet rule when it was in a communist society. You see that it was devastated and almost completely destroyed in World War II. You don't see these things in our country.

Although our goal was to start small by distributing materials to help develop their democratic society, I feel we've done much more by enlightening the minds of young adults our age. Not only can we help to change the way of society but they can also help themselves. The piece of mind that they've gained cannot be lost but only developed more into useful ideas. I feel that by making our trips more frequent and more abroad it would help, by educating ourselves as well as others. I hope to travel to England, Cuba, Spain and Ukraine again. This biggest goal we have is to make a change, whether it's in the smallest way possible. We did more than we thought we could in such little time. Our only regret is that we have to leave so soon.

Adjustments in Ukraine By Tatyana Zavyalov

In Ukraine I moved into a very nice family. They weren't that different from my regular Family back home. We eat the same foods and have similar traditions. It wasn't complicated getting used to the family.

Since I speak the same language as the family, communicating was simple as well. We had great fun sharing stories. My host sister and I are very similar. We contrast very well and our stories had similar meanings and results. I met most of her friends and they were welcoming. Living in Ukraine with this family made me feel at home. I haven't had a chance to become home sick as well.

I don't think any one of us was homesick. We had no time to think about what was left in New York. We were kept very busy. In Ukraine we spent time at conferences, debating, and telling students about our school and our lives in New York. We noticed the differences between schools and attitudes of the students.

Many students understood English. They followed our debates, and in our conference. they participated with great interest. Our debate was about communism and capitalism, which one is a better government policy. We debated well and communism had a better argument but the communist side agrees with capitalism. The conference was very interesting for us as well, because we got a chance to hear their side on the topics. We talked about law, drugs, AIDS. civic education. and environment. The students had many questions about drugs because drugs are a problem everywhere. After the conference, we exchanged e-mail and home addresses so we could write to each other and discuss our respective lives and any changes since we were in Dnipropetrovsk. We decided to become pen pals and keep in touch. Keeping in touch I think, is a 4eat way to communicate with foreign nations.

English speaking students of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, enjoyed listening to our stories. They loved understand our words and wanted to hear how real Americans speak. 'They heard our Brooklyn accent and, at times, didn't understand us as a result.

Our group at Dnipropetrovsk had many goals. We wanted to teach the students how to write a newspaper, how to debate, how to develop opinions on issues, and how we study in New York. Most of our goals were accomplished. We showed them how to debate and write a newsletter highlighting opinions on issues of importance. They asked questions about New York. We answered them, and this brought us closer and taught them about our government~ and policies, and us about their cultures and lives.
We were also in Ukraine during September 11. 2002. To me, it seemed as though they wouldn't care a lot, but they did. They showed us their sympathy and showed us that what happened in New York City matters to them also. We were very grateful, as they were when we told them about what happened. We saw caring faces of empathy and sorrow and that left a great feeling at heart.

Throughout this trip I noticed that life in Ukraine needs adjustment in industry. Life for the people is all right. 1 realized that family is the most important part in a person's life. The truth was told Ukraine is not a very well developed nation. But anyhow people are the same. everywhere. They can care and hate all at once. We are not as different as everyone thought.