Once again, I am sorry for not writing here for so long, and for not responding to your emails. The past 5-6 weeks have really kicked my butt. After months of not being able to do anything but watch the news, try to help on Maidan, and worry worry worry and worry, I had to dip back into my “regular” life and actually do my job again. Preparing for 2 conferences, which include 3 presentations and a workshop I am leading plus reports, and a million other neglected responsibilities …. at least being swamped with work helped me not obsess 24/7 about the Russian invasion of Crimea and then eastern Ukraine and their attempts in other regions.
I also participated in the OSCE election observation mission in Macedonia in April, which is always an interesting experience, and I got to add a new country to my list! Macedonia is beautiful, by the way. I was in the Struga region, around Lake Ohrid, which was especially lovely.
And we finally made it to the critically important presidential election in Ukraine, and Petro Poroshenko won in the first round, the first president in Ukraine to be elected in the first round, and with the highest voter turnout ever, something like 60-70% of eligible voters participated in the election. It’s important on so many levels that Poroshenko has a clear mandate from the people to take the country forward. I don’t envy him, he’s got a hell of a lot to deal with, and a hell of a lot of Ukrainians watching closely, with high but cautious expectations.
I left Kyiv early on Monday, May 26, the day after the elections, for the NAFSA conference in San Diego, CA. Don’t ask me how San Diego is, I had no time to see or do anything but work, and spent a depressing amount of time inside a cavernous exhibition hall devoid of all natural sunlight. I hear it’s a nice city, though, and there is water or something nearby. I did have fun sporting a patriotic Ukrainian wardrobe throughout the conference, and was really happy my outfits sparked many conversations with friends, colleagues and even strangers. It felt really important to be able to explain to so many people what is going on in Ukraine, to dispel myths and allay fears, and to point folks in the right direction for reliable news and away from Russian propaganda.
Yesterday, Igor departed Kyiv for Frankfurt and then a 15-hour flight direct to San Francisco, where we met at the airport and spent the night in a nearby hotel. Now we sit in the airport lounge awaiting our next flight to……. MAUI!!!!! We’ve been planning this vacation for over a year, and can hardly believe it is finally here. And can hardly believe, after all that has happened in the past six months, that we can finally relax, can finally enjoy some quiet time together in a little slice of heaven.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all fine and dandy in Ukraine. The Russian terrorists are still in eastern Ukraine, marauding and looting and terrorizing innocent civilians and battling with Ukrainian soldiers. And it’s become known in the past few days that Chechen thugs have been recruited to wreak havoc in Ukraine now, too, on the Kremlin’s payroll. But there are a few points that are important to understand.
First, when you hear “eastern Ukraine” in the news, it’s not like the eastern 50% of the country is under attack or even threat. We’re talking literally on the easternmost edge of the country, right along the border with Russia, around Luhansk and Donetsk. Sad to say, it’s apparently not a sexy enough story for the media to report about 98% of the country being calm and peaceful, happy with the changes brought by the Maidan Revolution, ready to move forward with reforming the country and getting on with our lives.
Second, the Ukrainian military will have an elected Commander-in-Chief once Poroshenko is inaugurated on June 7. Obviously, the really tough decisions that have to be made to deal with this situation could not be made by an acting president the past 3 months.
Third, I have come to understand that Putin lives in Opposite World. Once you realize that he means the exact opposite of everything he says, you will find him much less confusing. “I’ve ordered the troops to move away from the Ukrainian border” means they are moving closer. “I will recognize the results of the Ukrainian elections” means he will not. Etc etc etc. Now you don’t have to be surprised when he does the exact opposite of what he said he would do, because you already know he always meant the opposite!
Time to board. We are off to Maui! Photos will be on Flickr. Enjoy!
Anka in Kyiv 