The story of John Demjanjuk, the Ukrainian-American convicted in Germany on May 11, dominated international newswires on the heels of 25th anniversary coverage of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s domestic conflicts over World War II played out violently on May 9.
Again, the world is peppered with grim Ukrainian history amid the fluff about the latest saucy, semi-nude protests of the homegrown Femen women’s group.
For anyone abroad whose only image of Ukraine is drawn from its corrupt politics and gritty past, spring in Kyiv – and in much of the rest of the nation – would come as a welcome jolt. We have chestnut trees blossoming. We have lilacs in bloom. We have people picknicking by day and then to the opera at night.
After the first May showers, street cafes pulled their tables outside, so now the sidewalks buzz with spring chat over cool beverages and anticipation of summer. Look around. There is beauty everywhere in Ukraine – in people and in nature.
We have chestnut trees blossoming. We have lilacs in bloom. We have people picknicking by day and then to the opera at night.
Pity the millionaires who fence off their mansions in luxurious Koncha Zaspa. The rest of us enjoy free picnics in the woods and fields, some of which open up to the banks of the grand Dnipro and other rivers.
Ukrainians have long mastered the art of enjoying life without an overabundance of money or material goods.
Cultural life is vibrant in Kyiv like never before. Renowned Russian theaters on tours in the capital tend to charge Moscow prices, but local troupes play equally-good Shakespeare and Lesya Ukrainka classics for $20 in a parterre box.
Tickets for world-famous opera performances can be purchased minutes before the show.
In Paris or Venice, you have to book much in advance and will pay 100 euro on average to watch “Madam Butterfly.” Diplomats take full advantage of the same stunning shows in Kyiv, Odesa or Lviv on the cheap – as little as Hr 20 for students.
International celebrities drop by from time to time, such as Ringo Starr in June, to bring a little glitz.
But even without them, May in Kyiv reminds us of what makes this nation such a spectacular home. It’s time to turn off the TV and explore. Maybe we’ll see you around the next street corner or we’ll bump into each other at the railway station, en route to one of the nation’s many enchanting destinations.
