Trying to preserve my heritage
Culture is such a unique concept that has existed throughout our history. Though, I feel like it is being frequently overlooked nowadays. Many people just want to live in a better place with more opportunities. Well, maybe that's human nature — seek the best options out there. But I think people choosing to move to another country should be respectful and interested in understanding its culture to a degree. In my book, that's the type of trade one needs to accept if they want to settle in in a new environment.
A few years ago, I admit I didn't understand it myself considering immigration. But I was and am still forming as an individual. I often face new situations that I am yet to make my opinion about. Moreover, I have been learning how important it is to stay genuinely curious about the unfamiliar. I hope I will gradually stop attaching labels to new people and things in my life. That's fair, after all. Having lived in another country for more than 3 years, I have come to appreciate the diversity of cultures more.
I honestly struggle to relate to certain cultures despite doing my best but I still try to respect them. Furthermore, I don't have to love something/someone to be able to accept it/them. It is important to remind myself that none of us chooses where they are born and what their native language is. These are truly accidents, which then we try to make work in our favor during our lives. Maybe there are very few things that we can influence in this world, yet they do exist. So instead of spreading hatred and deepening gaps, I would like to empathize with others and trying to connect with them. I guess it is very difficult to do it when your life is in danger daily. But I am lucky to be safe at the moment. Therefore, I want to cherish this chance and make something better out of it.
There are also situations when one loves their country for its heritage and kind people but is not willing to stay there. I guess that could be my situation. I know my country — Ukraine — has been going through tough times. But it seems that some nasty internal "traditions" never die. And it upsets me because my family is there. I viewed moving abroad as an interesting life experience, which it has been for the past 3.5 years. However, in the meantime, I wanted Ukraine (and my relatives there) to be doing well. It is like a relationship that does not work anymore yet you both accept it and wish the best to each other moving forward. I am not sure if Ukraine did it when I chose to explore the world instead of staying there. But from my side, I think I did.
Even though I did not like the environment and the course of the politics, I now realize there is more to my connection with the place. Some could say that it is strange to claim that you love something while keeping distance between each other. But it is actually not as black and white. Perhaps, I may even start relating to some Russian people I have known. Every time I hear them saying that they are against the war but they still love their country. It is something I could not understand fully. But maybe I am arriving at that similar mental place in a sense that I was and am against certain things in Ukraine but I love my country nonetheless. More importantly, I do understand the importance of preserving my heritage at all cost.
When I was a child, I never knew my native language would mean so much to me one day. I thought it was just a tool that I used to connect with my classmates and family. But never did I appreciate the centuries of its development enough. Well, I enjoyed history and literature classes. And I remember studying how there were many difficult periods for my ancestors. I would even say it is truly incredible that against all odds, my language has survived. Unfortunately, it has been damaged enough for some people (both inside and outside Ukraine) to question if Ukrainian is even a thing. That's what happens when one culture has been constantly suppressing another. Often against its will. But it's already history, which I cannot change.
That being said, I think there are things I can do for my heritage. Even if I never go back to Ukraine, I can keep using the language. I can bring it up in conversations with others so that they can learn about it more. It is an inherent part of my identity. I should not forget about my roots. That's what becomes more and more clear to me. There are actually many ways of preserving and building upon one's heritage: musicians do it through music, sportsmen do it through a logo and hymn, immigrants do it through teaching their kids. Well, I am yet to figure out what my strategy for preserving the Ukrainian culture could look like. But I know that's what matters to me.
Учітесь, читайте, І чужому научайтесь, Й свого не цурайтесь.
© Тарас Шевченко, 1845
Study, read and learn thoroughly the foreign things — but do not shun your own.
© Taras Shevchenko, 1845