It all started a “long” time ago. Notice that I put a word “long” in the quotation marks, but I don’t think that a 60 year old person would agree with it, because, it all started some 30 years ago in a little town Chernivtsi. Well, as you may have figured it out by my town name, Chernivtsi is not originated from any of English names, but it comes from a foreign word, rather Ukrainian word “Chern”. Chernivtsi was founded in the XII century, however the first time the name was mentioned in the old documents in 1408. At that time Chernivtsi was a little town in the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom and also it served as a main center of Bukovina. In the middle of the XIV century it was occupied by the Moldavian kingdom. In 1775 it was taken by Austria-Hungry. In XV-XVI centuries, Chernivtsi was continually oppressed by Turkish dictators, and Polish invaders. Later, in 1918 it was occupied by Romanians. Since then, until WWI (1940) it belonged to Romania. In 1940 it was returned to Russia. From 1991 Chernivtsi continued to develop as an independent city in an independent country.
There were many times when Ukraine as a whole country fought for the freedom. But, it wasn’t given to Ukraine until 1991 during a great period in history called “Perestroika”. Somehow, during that period I couldn’t understand what was going on. But, my little, innocent and naïve heart told me, that something was good happening. I believed and hoped that the bright future with freedom engraved in the heart of everyone and this country lies ahead. The hopes of my hopeful heart had come to pass, and they became a reality. I am a free citizen of a free and well developing country. But my heart continues to live with hopes for a better future, for even more freedom, my personal freedom from hateful people, hateful and corrupt government, and hateful nation, because of what I stand for, because of what I am today.
There is no need to write much about the Communist times, because the history is filled with the detailed script about what has happened in the past century. However, this much I can write about my little town Chernivtsi, that today, it is called by some “a little Paris”, because the images from the past are seen on every little street, on every building, and on every corner.
This is the beginning. The year 1979, month November, day the 8th, I would guess that this day looked bloomy, regardless of the nice weather hanging over the city. As clouds approached from west, the day approached to the end. The night was ready to cover with the blanket of darkness this little town Chernivtsi. Some beams from the sun would penetrate the clouds in different areas, leaving scars of the sun in them. Sun was rushing to leave this day, hiding behind the horizon that was seen from the top floor of the hospital, where my mom was laying and expecting my birth.
