Sunday, January 15, 2012


The Polish/Russian./Ukrainian Thing






Ah, it seems I just needed to re-set my password. How many times do I have to do that, both here and on Facebook? Well, I'm just happy I can post:)


That said...on to other matters. This interview with Maks from Dancing With The Stars is beautiful. Not only his positive attitude as a new immigrant to the US, his "warm" reception he received in Brooklyn but also about why he wanted success--not to have things, but to achieve them.

OT posting this for another reason--A few years ago, my niece told me that one of her teachers insisted she was Polish because of her blonde hair and blue eyes. Not to split hairs but my niece and sister in law are Ukrainian Americans. My niece didn't like this, "I don't want to be Ukrainian." Yeah, well, you are. SOOOOOO, Maks and Karina are both Ukrainian and the best and most attractive dancers on the show:)

She has backtracked on the whole Polish/Ukrainian thing since then. Frankly, I don't get it. My sister in law's family uses Ukrainian and Russian to describe themselves, but not Polish.

In fact, I remember how at my brother's wedding in 1981, one of my sister in law's friend, who was Polish, suggested a Polish dance at the wedding. All of the male relatives would take turns dancing with the bride (my sister in law) and "pay" to dance, offer a gift to the new couple. Much discussion about that since it was Polish, not Ukrianian or Russian.

The bridesmaid who suggested the dance was Polish.

A while back, my sister said my brother and his wife were having a "traditional Russian dinner." But they're not Russian, I told her. So she says, "Eastern European or whatever they are."

"Ukrainian!"

They've got me doing that now. So I don't get it, this dividing line between Russia/Ukraine/Poland.

I don't know...just in my family (sister in law's family, which makes it my family) there seems to be something objectionable about being called Polish. Yeah, I know, two separate countries, but they don't seem to mind being called Ukrainian or Russian and use the terms as if they're both one country. Makes sense, I guess, since the Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Don't know about Poland, though.

Who knows? I guess I can relate in my community because there is a definite air of superiority among Poles that I haven't seen among Ukrainians at the Ukrainian American Civic Center next to my work. I feel welcome there, and but have been treated rudely at the Polish Cadets and would even turn down a paid writing assignment than set foot in there again. Too much coldness and rudeness there. If you're not Polish your nobody.


I went off topic once again lol into my family life. This post is really about Maks and the American dream that seems lost on the entire Occupy movement and their disdain for capitalism.
 
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