Tetyana Bovkun – Athens, Ohio, USA
Kyiv Post:: Where are you from in Ukraine?
Tetyana Bovkun. I am from Zhytomyr.
KP: When did you leave; why did you leave?
TB: I left Ukraine in late August 2009 to study for my master’s degree in linguistics at Ohio University in the U.S.A.
KP: How did you end up in Athens, Ohio?
TB: Currently I am working as an English instructor at Ohio University in Athens.
KP: Do you ever regret that you are not in Ukraine – why or why not?
TB: I certainly do not regret that I am away from Ukraine right now because just being here makes me a happier person. I am tired of constant political and economic chaos in my homeland, and lack of opportunities for employment and self-realization.
KP: What do you miss most about Ukraine?
TB: My family and friends.
KP: What do you miss least about Ukraine?
TB: Absence of decent service everywhere, people’s constant gloominess, bad roads, dirty streets.
KP: Does Ohio have more opportunities for you than in Ukraine?
TB: Absolutely! As a teaching assistant I had an excellent opportunity to teach undergraduate level course. Now I got involved into an intensive English program right after my graduation. In addition, the university offers excellent recreational opportunities and community-oriented activities.
KP: What relatives/friends are left back in Ukraine?
TB: My father, brother with his family, my grandma, aunts, cousins. I’d say everyone is back home but me.
KP: Do they visit you or do you visit them? Often?
TB: My family and friends do not have an opportunity to come and visit me due to the financial and visa issues, so I went home to see them all last summer. The next trip will probably happen in a year from now.
KP: With Ukraine coming up to its 20th anniversary of national independence, how do you feel about your homeland? Is it making progress as a nation? Or not so much?
TB: Sadly, I think Ukraine is currently stepping aside from the democratic path of development.
Recent events related to the arrests of ex-Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko and ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko eloquently demonstrated the lack of justice in Ukraine’s court system and its total control by the Ukrainian power authorities.
Currently, many world leaders are questioning the status of Ukraine as a democratic country. Besides, I believe President Viktor Yanukovych’s politics is aimed at moving away from European Union perspectives and the Western world in general.
KP: What would it take for you to return?
TB: Well, first, there is no guarantee I will be able to stay in the U.S.A. for longer than a year. But if I knew I could stay here for good, I wouldn’t plan on going back to Ukraine to live, only with the purpose to visit my relatives and friends.
KP: What do you wish for your country?
TB: For the Ukrainian politicians, I would wish for them to think less of the ways to enrich themselves and look better for the ways to help rank-and-file Ukrainians to improve their financial situation and living conditions.
I would wish for my Ukrainian compatriots to become more open-minded and expose themselves to the news from various free-from-bias online media sources, rather than forming their opinion based on the information absorbed from Ukrainian TV channels controlled by the authorities.
Finally, for the whole Ukrainian nation, I would wish for the rule of law and democratic principles in every domain of life.
KP: Do you think that wish will come true?
TB Maybe someday when none of the current politicians is in power, maybe not earlier than in a century.
