Ukraine Image Abroad?

[interpreter]

Hi. I wonder what's the image of Ukraine abroad? If you are not a ukrainian, tell us please: When you hear the word "Ukraine" what it means first of all for you? What are the famoust things ukrainian you knew first?

Thanks and best regards from Kyiv.

[Serb]

Milla Jovovic, famous actress/model, half Serbian, half Ukrainian.
Chernobyl.
Cossaks.

I know westerners view Ukraine as an ex-communist country with nuclear bombs. They consider most slavs as russians. If you where to ask an average Joe what the difference was between Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Serbia, I doubt he'd be able to answer the question.

[JamesL]

I'm an American. To me Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe which recently had controversial elections.

The most famous thing about Ukraine is Chernobyl.

I first learned about Ukraine in grammar school when the class studied the United Nations. Our teacher was hard pressed to explain to young students why a state of the Soviet Union had its own seat in the UN. We too wanted our state to have its own seat.

Later in high school we learned more while studying the Soviet Union.

As an adult I have met and worked with several Ukrainian immigrants. They had technical, engineering or computer backgrounds. Very well educated people.

I don't think that the average American routinely thinks about Ukraine. Today, The New York Times mentioned "Ukraine" once as a land and people who were trying to decide the definition of "free" and "liberty."

I seem to remember that the USA and Ukraine worked together to rid Ukraine of nuclear weapons.

[vree]

To Serb:

If you where to ask an average Joe what the difference was between Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Serbia, I doubt he'd be able to answer the question.

What do you think the acceptable answer is? I am an American Grandmother. My Great Grandparents were from Ukraine, my Grandmother and her brothers and sisters spoke Ukrainian at home at family gatherings. Sadly, they did not teach it too their children.

We are still trying to locate the actual city he was from. If interested see my post in the guest book area. I would love to travel there, perhaps foolishly, or nostalgically I would love to just stand were my GrGrandfather lived.

I feel a sort of sad, connection actually. I wish I knew more, and hope to be able to visit someday.

[mishaaverko]

The image of Ukraine in North America has over the years been dominated by west Ukrainian emigres who have been well represented in that part of the world.

This has started to change somewhat, with more peole arriving to North America from central, southern and eastern Ukraine.

Many of my upper middle class politically interested American friends have been duped into believing that most Ukes share the anti-Russian disdain of the west Ukrainain descended people they have come in contact with.

[Svizzera_EU]

Originally Posted by interpreter

Hi. I wonder what's the image of Ukraine abroad? If you are not a ukrainian, tell us please: When you hear the word "Ukraine" what it means first of all for you? What are the famoust things ukrainian you knew first?

Thanks and best regards from Kyiv.

Well where do I start..... I am not Ukrainian myself I am Swiss/Italian. When I hear the word Ukraine from some of my friends or colleagues here in the EU and Switzerland I immediately think of the Ukraine of encompossing several negative thoughts such as

1) Deep deep poverty
2) Very high instability in all facts of Ukrainian life whether its the government or society in generall
3) Very low wages
4) Extremely high corruption
5) A country that is highly uncapable to make proper decisions that will benefit the society in the future
6) A non citizen orientated government - the government in the Ukraine fail to really listen to the needs of the Ukrainian people and heed this advice.
7) Counteless years of Russia/Ukrainian disputes
8) Illegal immigration into the EU and Switzerland/Norway

[Lvivske]

We smash board games on subways.