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	Create New Topic   My Posts   My forum buddies   Invite friends   Private messages Russian brides > Main Forum > Ukrainian Women: A Different Perspective Author Post durak Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 10:16:29 AM   I just got the news, of the death of a magnificent woman who was the mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to some Ukrainians who have been very dear to me. I don't remember her precise age, but I suppose she was not far from 80. Those who pay attention to history will note that her birth coincided with the second great famine in Ukraine, that probably killed as many people as now live in the capital city of Kyiv -- and that while she was still a girl, World War II swept across her land twice, first eastbound and then westward, followed by a third famine that killed perhaps a million more Ukrainians. She lived and died in a village -- I guess the present population to be on the order of one or two thousand -- in the rural heartland of Ukraine. Taken altogether, she traveled out from her village not more than a month or so during her eight decades. It is in flat country, about 4 hours bus trip from Kyiv, and surrounded by seemingly endless wheat fields, still cultivated by a collective farm (kolkhoz, a holdover from the Soviet era). Her village was luckier than most: it was not much molested by the Nazis, and perhaps better able to fend off starvation in the famines. When I had the honor of meeting her, she was already in her late 70s, and labored almost continuously throughout her day. A few years ago, the well of her little house was fitted with an electric pump, so it was no longer necessary to crank the bucket up and down (though the bucket was still there, just in case), but still she would fill other buckets dozens of times per day for cooking, cleaning, and caring for her animals. Of course, her house never had plumbing, but there was a little sink with a sheet metal cistern above it that could hold a liter or two, releasing a trickle on the push of a button. She kept a garden that I would guess to be at least 2 or 3 acres in extent (about 1.5 hectares), and spent hours there every day, tending, weeding, planting or harvesting. The kitchen is in a building 10 or 12 meters from the house (adjoining the chicken coop), and the outhouse a very rude structure well beyond that. If you haven't experienced it, take a moment to imagine cooking and using the toilet when the temperature is -20C and the wind is blowing snow. I remember her rubbing her painful legs in the evening -- she attributed the soreness to her decades of stoop labor on the kolkhoz. I had the privilege to spend only a few days at her home, but I remember vividly watching TV news with her, and her reaction to a story about the huge increases in the price of bread ... my Russian wasn't adequate to her indignant speech, but I clearly picked out the words "oligarch" and "revolution." Try to visualize, that in the circumstances of her rural life, she bore and raised seven children, some of whom she outlived. For this herculean feat, she earned a Hero Mother decoration from the Soviet Union. The one of her children that I know, a daughter, is one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever encountered. In this forum, we tend to write about Ukraine as though it were some sort of dysfunctional shopping center, full of glittering merchandise, but much of it defective or overpriced. Whatever we may think of "present generations" of Ukrainian women -- I tend to see those less than about early 30s years as markedly different from those above this mark -- most of them are descended from people of unfathomable strength, who rose above ordeals quite beyond the reach of my imagination. If you will, take a moment with me to salute Aleksandra (Sasha, to her family). She well earned her rest. durak Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 10:21:29 AM   In speaking of the comparative luck of her village, I forgot to mention that it has a somber stone memorial listing the names of hundreds of its men (and perhaps, some women) who died in the battlefields of the War, including a dozen or so sharing her family name. The village was spared from violence, but not its sons. ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 12:07:44 PM   Thanks for the post, Mr. Durak and the elders who paved the way for us. ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 12:09:35 PM   Sorry... I did not review my post. Thanks for the post, Mr. Durak. I salute Alexsandra and the elders who paved the way for us. RodanTsunami Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 4:51:28 PM   I give my admiration to this woman. Thank you Durak for sharing this piece of history. There are many such stories that have gone unspoken or unheard. Politics be damned, many's the time our people stood together in true crisis. Even in 1971 during the Cold War, another possible famine was averted with a grain and natural gas deal with the U.S. because of a crop failure. bowhunter Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/9/2011 7:20:33 PM   bravo and thank you. Harvey Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/22/2011 9:18:40 AM   thanks Durak. To understand this is to realize the differences in the people in general. It is an amazing tale. And it may be why -- for the most part -- that there are still a couple generations of women who are serious 'catches'. Much as in America, the younger generations can not relate to or even fathom the harsh realities of poverty and true survival living. It still exists but it is not quite the same as it was thirty/forty/fifty years ago. Not meaning to stray too far I'll offer up a question. If you remember 'Gilligan's Island' who would you rather have? Ginger or Mary Ann? There are a lot of Gingers and they are easily found. I'll search harder for a Mary Ann any time. My own mother did not have an indoor room until well into her twenties. I recall as a youth my uncle's in laws still had to pump their water and walk the thirty yards to the outhouse. These were women in their 70's at the time. That was only 35 years back! I can relate to walking through the snow to the outhouse. If you can find a woman from there who still values true family living and can relate to the hardships of old, then you should hold on to her. You life and outlook will change forever - in a good way. myheart2ukraine Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/22/2011 2:19:15 PM   yes nice post durak we here live in a dacha in western ukraine & know all about how life is very tough for normal villagers here 2day but in past with the SS running amok it must have been deadly not knowing if you was still going 2 be alive come the end off the day our dacha is just away from the local church & i take my hat off 2 ukrainians for they sure know how 2 send some one off in2 the next world. im sure sasha will now RIP like all her generation they where all hero`s MH2U ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/22/2011 6:16:35 PM   There are those who love Ginger and even Mrs. Howell. While it would be a waste of time for you, it would not be for others. Those who has a different perspective than you do not deserve to have stories made up about them and be abused by you. ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/22/2011 7:01:15 PM   I don't know if you guys noticed, some Mary Ann's long to be Ginger or are Gingers in disguise. Some Gingers are Mary Ann's deep inside. ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/23/2011 11:53:27 AM   When forum members describe their date, gf, fiance or even wife, they are described with a personality of Ginger or Mary Ann. Any signs of the lady being anything but a pure Mary Ann will be in danger of abuse by Danny. The proof are his posts above. He will make up things, as he did above for his abusive comments. danny3777 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/23/2011 2:52:31 PM   danny throos all gurls liek ginger overbroad. A girl named ginger bite his weiny off, and it never grue bac. ragingbull Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/23/2011 3:15:37 PM   What is hard to grasp is your existence. Harvey Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 8/24/2011 6:12:34 AM   sorry I opened the door... Your Reply: Your name:   New Registration Password:   Forgot password?   refresh Code:   Russian brides > Main Forum > Ukrainian Women: A Different Perspective
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