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Ukraine’s Heroic Journey: From Viking Roots to Modern Resilience
“Imagine a bully walking into your house, sitting on your bed, and declaring, ‘This bedroom is mine now.’ Sounds weird, right? Well, that’s kind of what’s happening…” That was the analogy I used last weekend when I had the privilege of being a guest lecturer at a children’s language school comprised of mostly 1st and 2nd generation of Eastern European immigrants. The students know about Ukraine in passing but were curious to learn what’s going on today and why its important.
Because war is a heavy subject, and the audience as mostly elementary and middle school children, I used analogies that they would be familiar with; comparing the aggressor to that of a school bully that continues to harass their victim until enough student’s standup against the bully or an adult intervenes and puts a stop to it.
The following day, I saw some of the students at the peaceful Stand with Ukraine march and rally in Seattle. And a few of the parents commented on how the lesson on Ukrainian history, along with my anecdotal commentary from my own lived experience helped the kids feel connected to the struggles experienced by their Ukrainian peers and better grasp the concepts that were a bit abstract. I guess they get it. And for that, I say ‘дякую’ (means ‘thank you’ in Ukrainian).
