Burtyn Village (Part 1)
Ukraine – Burtyn Village
My second assignment to the Ukraine came in February of 2000. Ten
years had passed since the fall of Communism, leaving the Farm
Collectives in disarray.
Arriving in Kiev:
The sun was setting in a clear sky, on the cold winter day that I
stepped off the plane. I hurried into the lobby of the International
Airport at Kiev, Ukraine, relieved to be out of the cold.
After scanning the crowd in the lobby for a moment, I spotted
the “Quist Everil” sign, and waved to the couple holding it.
The woman, smiling, introduced herself as Tanya.
She would be my interpreter during my stay in the Ukraine.
She was a short woman in her twenties, with closely cropped
brown hair and friendly eyes. She was dressed for the cold, wearing
a black winter jacket with a small fur collar. She took me to the
money exchange booth, saying, “You should change your money at the
airport; you will get a better rate of exchange than you will in
Kiev.”
Her companion, a tall slender man with a stern face, would be our
driver. He shook my hand
and then, grunting something in Ukrainian, picked up my luggage and
lead us to his faded blue Russian Lada.
By now I was so exhausted from traveling and jetlag, that the bumpy
car ride to Kiev might have been the only thing keeping me from
falling asleep. The chain-smoking driver swerved several times to
avoid pedestrians walking on the road.
At one point he screeched to a stop, as some farmers on
horseback herded their cattle across the road.
I was relieved when we
finally reached the old five-story apartment building where I’d be
staying. As soon as I
was settled in my room, I fell asleep.
Day One: The Briefing
Loud knocking on the door woke me around 8:00 a.m.
It felt like I’d just collapsed into bed; the eight-hour time
difference between the Ukraine and Wisconsin would take some getting
used to.
The sidewalks were busy with people walking to work, and the vendors
at the kiosks were already welcoming customers.
We drove to the large government office building where my
briefing would take place.
I noticed quite a few cars parked along the streets, which I
hadn’t expected. Knowing
that most Ukrainians walk to work, I was a bit surprised to see so
many privately owned cars parked here. But this was no ordinary work
building. Tanya said it
was part of the Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture.
She’d been here several times before, while serving as an
interpreter with the Peace Corps and once with a United Nations
delegation. Three
different countries had been represented at that U.N. delegation.
Tanya said she had the ability to speak the language of all three of
them—English, she joked.
Tanya led the way to the conference room.
Here I was introduced to the USAID personnel, a member of the
Ukraine Ministry of Agriculture, and a Bank representative, all of
whom except the last were fluent in English. I was told that when I
arrived at the Cooperative the following day, I would meet Professor
Stranberg, the program coordinator from Ohio State University.
The current issue that everyone was concerned with involved the Ohio
Farm Cooperative.
Specifically, it had to do with Voladimir, the Director of the
former Burtyn Village Collective. After the fall of communism, the
now bankrupt Collective was reorganized as a Western-styled,
member-owned Cooperative.
Voladimir however, in true communist style, had side-stepped
or eliminated any democratic elements to the membership, by becoming
the ‘self-appointed’ president of the new Ohio Farm Cooperative.
He then appointed his wife, daughter and son to the positions
of Treasurer, Secretary and Farm Manager.
This way, Voladimir now
controlled the finances of the Cooperative.
This was a major concern for the USAID project, because it affected
the funding for the farmers.
Normally, the Ukrainian government helped former collective
members through the Land Distribution Program.
This program gave funds to these cooperative members, so they
could acquire the needed land to start their own family farms. But
Voladimir had convinced the members of his cooperative that he, as
president, was responsible for the total operation of their
cooperative, and much of the fund money never reached the other
members.
This cooperative was operating one of the largest farms in the
Ukraine, with 7,500 hectares (about 18,000 acres) of corn, wheat,
buck wheat, barley and sugar beets.
The acreage was about 75% tillable.
Those members who had not yet acquired a section of this land
for their family farms continued to live in Burtyn village.
When the briefing ended, the old clock on the wall said it was two
in the afternoon. Tanya
was busy finishing up the translations from English to Ukrainian,
for the handout materials I’d prepared.
After she was done, she suggested that we stop by
Independence Square, on our way to dinner at the Arizona Steak House
(a restaurant everyone at the briefing had recommended).
Down on Khreschat Street, Independence Square is a must-see for
tourists. Tanya pointed to a statue of the Archangel Mikhail, the
Patron Saint of Kiev.
The statue was a marvel. Mounted
atop the forty-foot white column topped with gold leaves, the
iron-cast archangel stood in swirling robes trimmed with gold,
holding a curved wreath of gold leaves above his head.
“I will have a tall column like that, with my statue that
high in the sky,” Tanya laughed, “When I become the queen!”
From the square, one could see the golden, cross-spiked domes of the
famous Saint Sophia Cathedral. With
its tall white walls, forest green roves, and golden domes, Saint
Sophia was another beautiful landmark in Kiev—one of several large
cathedrals in the city.
We also got a look at the Friendship of Nations fountain.
Carved elegantly out of gold, and circled by tall gold
statues, the Friendship of Nations fountain is a popular photo-spot
for visitors. Large fountains like this was another must-see site
Kiev had to offer.
As one can imagine, this part of town was pretty crowded, with over
a hundred people strolling in and out of cafes and shops. We walked
past several tour busses and taxi stands as we exited the square.
We soon came into another open market, on a hillside.
While looking at the gifts and souvenirs being sold, I was
particularly intrigued by some elegantly colored Matryoshka dolls
(Russian stack dolls). Several stalls displayed sets of Matryoshka
dolls, with a range of sizes.
They were hand painted, with serene faces and detailed
designs. But Tanya
suggested that I wait until my last day in Kiev to purchase any
souvenirs or gifts. The
reason for this was something I would learn later during my trip.
As we strolled past the kiosks, Tanya pointed to a McDonalds. “We
never go there, it’s too expensive.
Only aristocrats eat at McDonalds.”
The Arizona Steak House didn’t appear impressive at first glance.
The restaurant was inside a large abandoned warehouse, on a
street that ran along the Dnieper River. But when we stepped through
the door, we found ourselves in an up-scale restaurant.
The maître d', the waiters, bartenders, and busboys walked
around the restaurant in black uniforms, speaking fluent English.
They all treated us as though we were dignitaries.
Most of the tables and booths were filled.
“These men are making business deals,” Tanya pointed to a booth
where four men were in the middle of a conversation, “They’re
Italian car manufacturers.” Pointing to another table she said,
“Those men near the fireplace are bankers from Germany, all here to
make deals.”
We wound up sitting on the second floor balcony, next to a window
overlooking the Dnieper River. The
view was spectacular, the water reflecting the lights of the city
from the other shore. Small boats and cargo ships moved slowly under
the clear moonlit sky. But I was so tired by now that even that
magnificent sight out the window couldn’t raise my energy.
Jetlag had gotten to me
again, and as I cut into my T-bone steak, I could feel my body
telling me, this busy day is over!
Return to Articles from Burtyn
Village
Return to QuistSpeaks Home from Burtyn
Village
Everil Quist - President & CEO of QuistSpeaks, LLC
"Enjoy this story about the noble peoples of third world countries. I've truly enjoyed working with them and have many heartwarming and entertaining stories to tell.
I enjoy sharing my adventures with my audiences, where I feel I am truly 'Creating Positive Change'."
“Everil Quist delivers with knowledge, humor and compassion. His trials and tribulations during his stints in Former Soviet Union countries impart the difficulties and perseverance these dynamic people have to overcome—difficulties we seldom experience here in
-Virginia Dessart, N2 Area Governor, District 35, Toastmasters International