The past few days have been quick paced and interesting beyond all my expectations. I met with three different groups of students at the Taras Shevchenko University in Kiev and another large group at the University of Kharkov. All the meetings were interesting, lively and full of interesting questions. I was impressed with the politeness and intelligence emanating from the students and the faculty I met. The hospitality I received from Oksana Bezuschak and other faculty in the department was also very impressive.
The differences between the American and Ukrainian educational systems came up repeatedly. The conclusion seems to be that while both systems are deteriorating, the Ukrainian system started falling from a higher cliff, so they are still better off than we are. It was quite apparent that many students had to work extensively while taking classes and this gives me hope that the prospect of receiving good financial support and limited teaching duties at the graduate program at the University of Rochester would be appealing to them.
I have already received several emails from the students I spoke with, which gives me hope that several strong applications will result from this visit. But work aside, it struck me throughout the visit how comfortably I felt dealing with people at the hotel, the university and on the street. All the small fears I experienced on the way to visiting the country of my birth vanished into this air a few hours after I arrived. There are issues here in Ukraine, to be sure, but I definitely look forward to returning here in the near future and exploring the country more thoroughly. In particular, I now feel ready to visit Lvov, my hometown.
