Student Travel: My Time In Chernivtsi
Author Visits City in Ukraine With Historical Feel, Genuine Citizens
The city streets of Chernivtsi had the feel of place from a time lost to most modern cities.
January 10, 2022
I have been told that your first experience abroad is something you never forget. It is like being in a new world, surrounded by people who act, dress, and speak differently, and buildings which differ in size, shape, and impression from what you have always known. In October, when I prepared for my trip to Chernivtsi, Ukraine, the thing I could not have anticipated was how true this would be.
Chernitsvi is often thought of as the cultural center of Western Ukraine. This is, in part, because it has fallen behind in development compared to the pace of other cities. The poor infrastructure is a serious problem for residents and their standard of living, but the stunted modernization has preserved the architecture that gives the city its historical atmosphere.
To experience Chernitsvi’s history I did not go to any one area, but instead walked down its streets. Roads are tiled with old bricks, which rattle as vehicles pass over them. The buildings, erected in the late 1800’s, stand over you with a presence that brings you into their time.
Over the course of the two weeks my family and I were in Chernivtsi, we came to know the people as well. They were lively and generous, which all Ukrainians are known for, but they are still human; it takes time for people who have never previously met and come from very different walks of life to become friends.
In my first week there I felt disconnected and lonely. All was unfamiliar – the food I ate, the people I met, the buildings I saw. I sensed that everything was separate from me, that I did not and could not belong.
Eventually, I did make genuine connections to others, and made many great and meaningful memories. I started to understand more about the life of a Ukranian on a personal level. They talked about how family and kinship matter most in life. A young father told me about his broken family, and that he wanted more than anything to give his children a happy family. I also learned about the constant financial hardship that many Ukrainians face and that, even though they are proud of their country, many dream of coming to the US for a better life.
Towards the end of our trip my family and I looked at some street art. I’d glanced past them when my family had first arrived, but now I looked at them differently. One street sculpture was a black, metallic frame of a man in a dandy suit with a top hat. It was titled “The Heart of Chernivtsi” for if you open the chest pocket on the right side of his chest you will see a mirror, and if you look into it you will see yourself. Whether a visitor or a lifelong resident, it is those who look into the mirror, the people who pass by, that are the heart of Chernivtsi. Though I had doubts at first, I know that I, too, am a part of it.
