I am 100% Ukrainian; 2nd generation Ukrainian-American. Able to read, write, and speak fluently.
Was raised Ukrainian Orthodox with strong ties to my faith. My grandparents would strongly push their religious beliefs onto us growing up, so for the longest time I followed along. It was only until very recently that I began to question my own personal religious beliefs, and am currently in the process of figuring things out, but I guess I would consider myself agnostic...
Easter, Good Friday, Christmas Eve (more than Christmas itself) are holidays I associate directly to being Ukrainian because of our strong cultural traditions pertaining to each holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so it is important to me.
I've sometimes encountered Eastern European stereotypes but for the most part I've never been harassed for being Ukrainian. I'm sure my grandparents encountered difficulties upon immigrating to America, largely to do with the language barrier.
Growing up I was largely involved in different aspects of the Ukrainian community. I went to Ukrainian school every Saturday and was also part of an international Ukrainian scouting organization. From this involvement I got to know a group of friends who I virtually grew up with and was very close with for the longest time. As I got older, I was introduced to Ukrianian Americans from all over the country, and have established a network of Ukranian friends. Since moving to Chicago for school though, I have virtually cut ties with the organization as well as a lot of my old friends. There is no animosity, its just being far away from them has made us grow apart. I currently do not judge anyone on their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc and have a variety of friends from different backgrounds and upbringings.
Point of Tension: I guess I wonder as I get older how much of my culture and traditions I will keep and pass onto my own kids/family. Since moving far from home, I already feel my cultural values slipping away...which saddens me and doesn't really phase me at the same time. I wonder why my culture now seems less important to me than it does to my older sister for example, and would like to internally explore this idea more.
Other Identities:
-Middle Children, the black sheep of the family
-Horoscope//Zodiac followers
-Migraine Sufferers
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