До свидания Киев

THE AUTHOR ON THE IMPORTANCE OF UKRAINE TO USA

Last month I wrote about my observations of the political situation presently in Ukraine. Today I want to give you my thoughts about why what is going on politically in Ukraine today should be important to America.

First I suppose not surprisingly is the strategic location of Ukraine. If you include Ukraine as part of Western Europe it is the largest country in Europe area wise. Its location is a gateway between Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is a major transport route for gas from Russia to many parts of Europe. Its fertile soils and favorable weather make it an important agricultural center in the region. Although much updating needs to be done to remain competitive in the world Ukraine contains some rich mining regions and is important in the manufacture of steel and related equipment. There is a major seaport in Odessa which link Ukraine to the Mediterranean and the rest of the world. However all of these things aside I believe the major importance to the future well being of Ukraine do not lay in its strategic location or its resources but rather in its democracy.

Most important of all is that Ukraine remain a democracy and able to determine its own future. All of the countries of the region of the former Soviet Union have struggled to various extent since the end of the Soviet Union. Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Moldova have all to various degrees stood on their own independent of Russia.

Likewise some of the former Iron Curtain Countries like Poland and Czech Republic have already integrated into Europe and NATO.

For other countries like Ukraine the answer to these questions will come sometime in the future.

What is important is that the people of Ukraine make these decisions. Fortunately with all of the problems of politics in Ukraine today holding free and fair elections has not been one of them since the Orange Revolution. Relations with Russia have been tense and we have already seen with Georgia, Russia’s willingness to use force to retain some control of these former Soviet Union territories. Statements have been made by high up Russian government officials of their desire and right to claim the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

Most important to America, Europe and the region is that Ukraine is able to determine their own future. Future decisions about joining NATO or closely aligning with Europe need to be made not by Moscow or Washington DC but rather by Ukrainians themselves.

The USA, the world and most of all Ukraine will benefit most by Ukraine remaining a free and democratic state.

- Thomas C Almond

THE AUTHOR ON POLITICS IN UKRAINE

Many people remember hearing about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 which lead ultimately to the election of current president Viktor Yushchenko but many may not know about or understand what has happened since then.

I was fortunate to take my first trip to Ukraine in the spring of 2006 at a time of another election. I found a populace encouraged and enthusiastic not only about the election but the future of Ukraine. I wish I could say this is the same today but things are much different today.

Relations between Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have gone from cordial and cooperative in 2004 to adversarial in 2009. There infighting has largely ground Ukraine government to a standstill. There is so much to be done to improve the life of Ukrainian citizens and yet today virtually nothing is accomplished and things seem only to get done in managing crisis after crisis and even that is accomplished only with great difficulty. On my last visit to Ukraine I found attitudes had turned sour and sarcastic towards government leaders. Many do not believe this government is capable of solving the nations problems. This is born out in recent public opinion polls.

There is the prospect of an upcoming presidential election if they can come to some kind of agreement of when to even have it. Polls show President Yushchenko has little chance to be reelected and Tymoshenko is fading in popularity. The leader seems to be Viktor Yanukovych the man Yushenko beat in the election to become president. One saving grace is that recent elections have lacked any irregularities or charges of corruption.

Lay all of this against the backdrop of severe economic crisis in Ukraine currently and the very strained relations with neighboring Russia and the future of Ukraine is at best uncertain.

Next month I will explain why what happens in Ukraine in the future is of great importance to USA.

As I mentioned before I used to go and meet my future wife at her work on Tutova Street in Dnepropetrovsk at the end of her work day. On several occasions she asked me to come on up to her office and wait with her until she got off work. At first I was kind of reluctant not wanting to interfere with her work or anything like that. But after awhile and with her reassurance that it was OK I accepted.

So the first day I go up to her office she goes to another room for something and I am sitting by myself at her desk. Her desk is near the wall and so I am sitting in a chair but leaning against the wall. Soon I begin to hear this music. At first I think it must be someones cell phone. But it keeps playing for a long time. I do not mind though as it is a pleasant tune. I am looking around trying to see if it is a cell phone laying on someones desk and they are not in the room to answer it. But by now the music has been playing for quite some time.

On the other side of the wall behind the desk I sit at is a room where merchandise for this firm is kept. Finally a tall fellow comes out of this room and approaches me. He asks me nicely to stop leaning against the button on the wall. As I straighten up in my chair I see for the first time that there is a button on the wall where I was leaning. I notice something else too. I do not hear the music anymore. Well I may not be the sharpest pencil in the drawer but I put two and two together and realized the connection between this button and the music. Apparently this button is used to comunicate something to the people who work in this merchandise room.

I sat there embarrased waiting for Olga to return to the room and imagining these three guys in that room debating which one of them was going to go out and tell the American to STOP LEANING ON THE BUTTON!

There was a translator I used quite often on my first trip to Kiev that I owe a debt of thanks to. Strangely enough it is not her translation services, which were wonderful and I am thankful for, that I write about today.

It is her love, knowledge, and ability to articulate to me the history of Kiev and Ukraine. I must admit I knew embarrassingly little about Ukraine before I first set foot on Ukraine soil. I arrived with little knowledge and lots of wonder. I left Kiev with a profound desire to learn more about Ukraine. This I owe to this particular translator. Not only did I learn much from her but I learned I wished to learn more.

When I returned home I purchased and read two excellent books. Borderland, A journey through the History of Ukraine by Anna Reid, Westview Press Publishing and Ukrainians, Unexpected Nation by Andrew Wilson, Yale University Press. Both of these books were interesting and enlightening.

There are two books I have read in my life that my squeamishness required me to take a break from reading. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and the accounts of the Holodomor in Ukrainians, Unexpected Nation.

If I had one word to use to describe my findings about Ukraine history it would be unexpected. I though I had a rough idea of what the history of Ukraine might be like before I began to study it. As it turned out I had no idea at all.

Through the inspiration of this translator I not only began to read at home but I came back on subsequent trips to Ukraine armed with a strong desire to learn the answers to more questions and also an idea and plan of how and where to look for these answers.

It happened that my first time to Kiev was the same time elections were being held. This translator and I talked much about politics and so this as well as history excited me. As I was to come to know these two subjects are inseperable. I believe it is my knowledge of Ukraine history that helps me to make some sense of what is happening in Ukraine politically today. I remember so much her unabashed feeling of hope and confidence in this fledgling democracy. I am sorry to say that years later I find many in Ukraine have lost this enthusiasm and confidence. I remember telling her what a wonderful gift they had in democracy and to never let it wane or be taken away. I have not seen her since that first trip and I have no idea how she fells about her country and government today but it is my ferverent hope that she has not let the ensuing turmoil in Ukraine politics dim my words for her.

So even though I doubt she will ever read what I have written here today I owe her a heartfelt thanks. I do not mention her by name here today as it is my desire to keep anonimity for all those in Goodbye Kiev who played a part in that story. But you are there and not forgotten.

Thomas C. Almond

Official Apex Reviews Interview: Thomas Almond (Goodbye, Kiev)

Thomas, thanks so much for joining us for this interview. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.

What is it that leads Tom to search for love specifically in the countries of the former Soviet Union?

A number of things from Tom’s life bring him to search for love in the former Soviet Union. First is that from the time of his youth he has had a keen interest in International ice hockey. A hockey player himself he grew up in an era of the Cold War and an era of domination of the great Soviet Union hockey teams. As a youth he has a great interest in learning more about this vast country that produced these hockey players and teams. But in this time there was very little information available about the Soviet Union and his curiosity remained unfulfilled through the years. Years later he finds himself working at a fire station in a neighborhood with many Russian speaking immigrants. He decides to take the personal challenge to learn the Russian Language to not only help with his work but to also begin to satisfy his childhood curiosity about the now former Soviet Union. It is during his learning the language and about the former Soviet Union that he will encounter a life changing event. While reading about Russia on the Internet he encounters a link to a Marriage Agency in Russia. He finds something that resonates with him after looking at several such websites. Yes the photos of these women are beautiful but something even deeper occurs to him. Tom is divorced and has not really given getting remarried again much thought. But as he reads their profiles they speak to him of something different, of something from a time past in America, of something he always felt was right for him and yet until now thought lost. He spent some length of time educating himself about the world of International dating and of the women of the former Soviet Union. Finally came the question, With all he knows does he in his heart believe this is for him? Does he believe this is where he will find that lasting love and happiness?

How is it that Tom and Lyubov are able to connect so quickly and naturally with each other?

 First of all Tom and Lyubov communicated for a long time before they actually met. It is rather unusual for a man and woman to communicate for so long before meeting. Tom wanted to be sure before taking the step of traveling to Ukraine that he had found the right girl. At least be as sure as it is possible without actually meeting in person. It gave them an opportunity to learn much about each other, to move past the I am this old, and I like these things, and I am this tall etc. to learn more about each other in a deeper personal way. To share each others dreams of the future and past experiences. Later through videos they became alive to each other and they could see each other move while they talked. Tom took much from the very fact that Lyubov agreed to communicate so long before meeting. By the time Tom stepped on the plane in Portland to begin his journey to Kiev he felt he knew Lyubov quite well and when he landed in Kiev he already held her in his heart. It was apparent early on in their meeting that Lyubov had similar feelings about Tom. Neither of them felt as strangers when they met.

Given how deeply he's in love with Lyubov, what compels Tom to begin an affair with Marina?

 There were several factors that lead to this situation. Tom had returned to try to meet with Lyubov and find out why she seemingly wanted to end their relationship. Tom had finally been successful in meeting with Lyubov once but had gained no insight into the situation during that meeting. On top of that he was meeting nothing but frustration in setting up a second meeting with her. He had been in Dnepropetrovsk for some time now and had managed only one meeting with Lyubov, the rest of the time he is alone. Being alone in a foreign country and playing the role of solitary tourist was wearing on him. He battled back and forth within himself between his uncertain relationship with Lyubov and his intense loneliness. He had a possible solution. The agency had offered for him to meet some other ladies. What at first offer was unthinkable to him became thinkable under the weight of loneliness and frustration. Finally he thinks, perhaps naively, what can it hurt to meet a lady, go out to dinner and most of all have some conversation with someone other than himself? Of course as things go he winds up being confronted with many problems to deal with including foremost his own feelings about Lyubov and the realities of their present relationship and his feelings for her.

What convinces Lyubov to finally reveal to Tom the truth about her condition?

 I think we can surmise two possible reasons for her revealing the truth of her condition. First is her stated reason in that she finally herself has become fully aware of the seriousness of her situation. Secondly, I like the readers, can only guess that maybe, by the fact that Tom has come back to meet her with no assurances they would meet, he has continually tried while in Dnepropetrovsk to meet her, maybe his sincerity and the strength of his love has come through to her. Maybe any inhibitions she had about revealing the truth to him have subsided enough to take the chance. Maybe the Ukrainian trait of not wanting to burden others with their problems have given way somewhat to the desire to have a man who truly seems to loves her to go through the upcoming ordeal with.

What becomes of Sasha, Lyubov's young son?

Let me just answer this question by saying this little tidbit, this story may not be over yet.

Even though they're grown, there's little mention in the story of Tom's two children. Does he not have regular contact with them because of his divorce?

 I think we can assume he did. This question however brings up the possibility of looking into some of my thinking process about this book that readers may find interesting. I thought about adding more about Tom’s personal life but eventually I felt that I did not want to take away from the main story line by including a lot of dialogue about interactions with Tom’s family, friends, coworkers etc. unless it added to or supported the main story. I also had some other decisions to make along the way. First how technical do I want to get about Lyubov’s condition. I did not want this to become a medical journal so again I erred on the side of not including things that did not directly deal with the story. The next decision was how do I handle the state of present day medical care in Ukraine. This was a very difficult decision because I could have easily made it part of the story line. But ultimately I felt that too much emphasis on this might take away from focus on the relationship between Tom and Lyubov. I still think that was the right decision but that was a tough call. I did however in places in the book give the reader some idea of the medical system there today. Lastly I had to make a decision on how much do I tell about Ukraine that is not central to the story. In the end I decided that this was an important aspect of the book. I felt that providing information about Ukraine, a country my experience tells me most Americans do not know much about, would enhance the story and be interesting to the reader. So without turning the book into a travel brochure I decided to include as much as I could without distracting from the main story. In the end my living in Dnepropetrovsk and my growing affection for the city and its people played a major role in the final story. Anyway I hope maybe the readers find this information interesting.

Please share more with our readers about the wonder and splendor of the Ukraine.

I could write a whole book here to answer this question but I won’t. I will just mention some of the highlights. If I had to pick one word to describe Ukraine it would be “contrasts”. Not only visually but also in life there. I was often amazed as I took pictures there of how often I would be looking at something very old right next to something very modern. Life, at least by most American’s standards, is very difficult yet the people I think are far less stressed than most Americans are. They have this uncanny ability to accept life as it is and make the best of it and find a way to be happy. It is a country of contrasts between urban and rural areas. Most of the larger cities are not all that different from American cities. I mean architecture and language are different but they have many stores, shopping centers, and restaurants like here. There are even Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger to name a few stores in Ukraine. But rural areas are like a trip back in time. Farmers cut and stack hay largely by hand. Horse and wagon is a common way of transporting goods. Most homes do not have indoor bathrooms. The only noticeable sign of modern life is cell phones and TV dishes. It is a country of great beauty and yet there is much pollution and in many places great amounts of garbage especially near larger population centers. If readers are interested in learning more I would invite them to visit my website and my blog on the website. I have posted and will continue in the future to post some of my experiences and thoughts about my time in Ukraine.

Precisely how much of the story is based on your own real-life experiences?

This is an interesting question and kind of goes to the heart of the book. As I wrote in my “to the readers” section at the beginning of the book this is a fictional story which has its origin in a true experience for me. There is a lot of gray area in the real story so it is difficult for me to know where the truth ends and fiction begins. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of writing this book. Having the fiction writers freedom to stay close to a true incident, at other times just toy with the truth and in other occasions just leave all to my imagination. My wife Olga is an avid knitter. She takes different colors of yarn and weaves out of it a beautiful sweater. When I wrote my book I weaved in and out of truth and fiction and made a beautiful story. Best of all I think I left this wonderful gift for the reader. That gift is to use their own minds their own imagination as to what is maybe true and what is maybe not. And it does not matter if they are right or wrong. It only matters that they take the journey and enjoy it.

How has your publishing experience been with Publish America?

What can I say? I researched different publishers and decided to submit it to them and they agreed to publish it. I will be for ever grateful to them for giving me the chance to share my story with others. What are your future writing/publishing plans? I very much want to write again and am working on a couple of projects. Of course how well Goodbye Kiev does will go a long way toward determining my future as a writer. I enjoy it and I think I am good at it. Time will tell if others feel the same way.

Do you have a website where our readers can learn more about you?

Yes I do have a website. It is http:/thomascalmond.webs.com/ I want to invite everyone to visit. I think they will enjoy the constantly updated information there, A pictorial view of my story, the aforementioned Blog and an opportunity to let me know what you think of my website or book or converse about Ukraine. I also have special offers running on purchasing the book directly from my website. I very much welcome visitors to leave me a note. I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Also, how can they contact you directly?

 The best way to contact me is through my website or they ,may contact me directly at forest55trees@yahoo.com

Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?

My final thought is that I hope you will read the book and most of all find enjoyment in it. I am of course very proud of how the story turned out and it is most important to me to share it with as many people as possible. Thank you Apex Review for giving me the opportunity to discuss my book with you And your readers.

Thanks again, Thomas, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!