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The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, October 14,1999 Page 11 Exchange students reflect on life in Clarington By Jacquie Mclnnes Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - Time flies when you're having fun. When the 18 World Youth Exchange participants left Bowmanville Bowmanville recently, it wasn't wasn't without tears and a sense of disbelief how fast time had passed. "I would like to thank my host family and the community because they did a lot for us," said Nataliya Nososeletska, a Ukrainian student who worked and lived with a family at Empire Orchards while in Clarington. "We had real families here. I learned a lot from my host family," she said. Vladyslav Basystyy found Canadians to be very different from the people he left behind in the Ukraine. "I found Canadians very open, very ; independent," lie said. "In the Ukraine they close into themselves but they are not so independent from each other. In most ways there, we are dependent dependent on the community." While in Clarington, Vladyslav lived with a family in Newcastle. He worked at the East Clarington Clarington Food Bank and assisted at the Community Care adult day program. The concept of social programs programs was very new to him. "In the Ukraine we don't have food banks but we really need them, more than they do here," he says. The adult day program program impressed him These Ukranian and Canadian students were part of a six-month exchange They spent three months in Bowmanville. Clockwise from top left are Lapierre, Brianne Beddome. Nataliya Nososeletska, Vladyslav Basystyy. program. Frederic because, he said, he feels the older people in the Ukraine could benefit from the stimulation the program provides. However, he said, there are some aspects of Çana- ■ dian life he won't take back with him. Unlike the Ukraine where communities communities are like family, here, the tradition of simply waving a polite hello to your next-door neighbour leaves him a little cold. Nataliya agreed. "Peo-. pie are very open but neighbours don't communicate communicate with each other. (In the Ukraine) on the street everybody knows each other." Half of the youths on the exchange were from the Ukraine and the other half were Canadian partic ipants originating from Newfoundland to B.C. The program involved a three-month stay in Bowmanville Bowmanville which ended Monday. The youths have left for a Ukrainian Ukrainian host community for three months. Frederic Lapierre is from Sept lies, Quebec. Like his Ukranian counterparts he found life in Bowmanville Bowmanville much busier than in the seaside village he grew up in. "Here it is so fast and everybody is so stressed," he said, suggesting it could be the proximity to Toronto that makes the pace of life more hectic. Brianne Beddome, who comes from the Okanogan Valley in British Columbia, also found the pace much quicker than life in her small community back home. "Everything moves a lot faster. It always seems people are trying to get somewhere so quickly," she said. For Brianne, working at Bethesda House, a women's shelter, was an important learning experience. experience. "It really opened my eyes to a lot of things. At first I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it but when I got there it was no problem. problem. I took part in the Take Back the Night (women's marches) in Oshawa and Pickering. I know when I go home I'll take part if there's one anywhere near my home." For Frederic, the political political differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada was sometimes an issue. "I've learned the information the rest of Canada receives about Quebec is wrong and the information Quebec receives about the rest of Canada is wrong," he said. "When I meet people, often the first thing they ask is am I a separatist, am I a nationalist. I'm human before I'm a separatist or a nationalist." Joining the program has helped him learn a lot more about the country, he added. "The mentality (here) is different just because of the education. In Quebec we just learned about the history of Quebec Quebec not of Canada. Now I've learned something about the history of my country." As the group leaves Bowmanville, they take with them a sense of a new culture as well as a greater appreciation of their own. "While I was here in Canada I understood more about my own country," said Natalyia. "I will be closer with my family, after being gone for seven months, than before I left," said Frederic, who noted the experience gave him a new appreciation for the family he left behind in his home country. Still, they say, parting won't be easy and their new friends and family will be remembered always. Thanks for the memories CANADA WORLD YOUTH By Natasha Pytlak and Serhiy Haletskiy It seems it was made with purpose to hold our midproject on Canadian - Ukrainian (neutral) land near lake Ontario in the beautiful forest. It's a great example to show the possibility of existence of more than one culture in one country. Our program program provides relations among different different cultures. And we can say for sure that such a program just had to be founded in Canada, where there is a possibility to develop different cultures, cultures, of course we are not sure about native people. Recently we marked centenary of the first Ukrainian settlements in Canada. One hundred years ago the first Ukrainians in search of better-life found themselves on the American continent. Their first steps were rather difficult. They had to begin everything everything from the very beginning. But our people are industrious so very soon there came first successes to them. Living abroad our countrymen have not forgotten their heritage. They constantly support relations with their homeland. Especially their love to Ukraine displayed in the time when we tried to proclaim our independence. independence. Orest Subtelny is no exception. According to his citizenship he isn't Ukrainian, but his parents were Ukrainians, so while staying here lie didn't forget about Ukraine. As Orest is a famous historian, people know about him not only in Canada but in Ukraine also. Books about Ukrainian history has played an important role in recreation of Ukrainian history. It helps to realize historical inventions. And it was so pleasant to meet this person and speak with him. Why arc our. people moving abroad? We can explain (our point of view). There were three waves of immigration: immigration: 1930's, I96()'s and during the early 1990's. As many of you already know during the 1920's the Soviet Union was formed completely and it meant people had to start moving towards communism. You probably know the reality of Soviet rule and in what way that authority tired our communism. communism. Of course a lot of people (professors, artists, writers, musicians, etc.) were against this policy to make everyone similar and equal. In order to set soviet culture, history, and science, soviet authority decided to pursue people in a very simple way. They just killed those who didn't agree or continued continued to develop un-soviet thoughts, So as you can see the only solution and salvation was to move abroad in order to keep everything that was our own, Ukrainian, not Soviet. A lot of our immigrants moved to Canada, a multi cultural country where there was a good and healthy environment for recreation and creation of Ukrainian culture, After the Second World War, we again had a great disappointment. We didn't manage to create our inde pendent country. Mutineers were pursued. pursued. They had to move abroad. During the 1960's we again tried, again disappointment, again movement movement abroad. During the 1990's Canada "opened doors" for immigrants. immigrants. Among them were Ukrainians. Why again? People were scared and were not sure about their futures. Now we have beautiful aims and possibilities to continue the work of our Canadian Ukrainians, thanks to exchange programs such as "Canada World Youth". Through these programs programs we are able to understand the environment of the society in which our history and culture are able to flourish and develop. We are able to use-the experience to rebuild and to build our beautiful loving country, Ukraine. NNJVENINg Thursday October 14, 1999 7:00 PM AT THE CLARINGTON OLDER ADULTS CENTRE 26 Beech Ave„ Bowmanville learn more about our two great Winter Getaways: rm HAWAIIAN ISLANDS TOUR (7:00 PM TO 7:45 PM) FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 9 CARIBBEAN DREAM CRUISE (a:oo pm to a:4s PM) FEBRUARY 12 - 20 PLEASE JOIN USÏ FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT PLEASE CALL: GOLIGER'S TRAVEL PLÜS 623-1511 jVisit Norm's Deli during Applefest ©ktoberfest _ H Sausage on Bun and Beverage only $^>50 Many in store Specials Hot Homemade Items Prepared Fresh Daily Norms Deli 29 King St. E 623-1533 Bowmanville Don't Miss the Action! 'i Professional Lumberjacks Perform Live "TIMBERSPORTS" Bowmanville's Applefest 4 corners -11 a.m. DARLINGTON SOCCER Annual General Meeting October 17 at 7 p.m. fit the Darlington Hydro Info Centre Park Rd. (off Service Road South of 401 in Bowmanuille) Euergone welcome HOT SAWS • AXE THROW ■CROSS CUT & BOW SAW The actual carving will be raffled off for a $5.00 donation to Durham Regional Canine Unit. The STIHL frailer will be on site and the full product line will be on sale. Temperance St. and King Si. E. (Hwy. #2) Bowmanville Sponsored by Tim's Rent-All Ltd, ^ and STIHL Canada Ltd. THE GM GOODWRENCH ONE-TWO TIRE SAiE UNIROYAL TIGER PAW ASC W One Tire For $4 A 95 Two Tires For P185/75R14WW P185/75R14WW Price includes installation, balancing, stems, lifetime rotation every 10,000 km and an 80,000 km mileage warranty plus a 4 year road hazard warranty. Limited time only.