My alma mater has an amazing Slavic Studies Department. While I studied a completely different major, I took a few electives with the department, one of my favorite classes was about the culture, history and literature of Slavic civilizations.
In the class, I learned about the dreams for Poland’s unity, the marriage and divorce of former Czechoslovakia, the destruction within former Yugoslavia after Tito’s demise, and most importantly, the struggle for Ukraine’s independence.
I really enjoyed studying for the class. Yet to be frank, I did not see myself using the acquired knowledge on Slavic civilizations in real life. But that all changed on one fateful day in February 2022.
When R***ia began the invasion on Ukraine, I noticed many of my friends reaching out to me with questions on the linguistic, cultural and historical differences between R***ans and Ukrainians. I also noticed that many news sources placed a heavy emphasis on comparing R***a and Ukraine. I figured instead of addressing the inquiries one by one, I can post mini essays to share what I learned in class to humanize the experiences and perspectives of Ukrainians, and how it shaped Ukraine to the country that we know today.
What started off as a mini Q&A project later turned into something long term. While I wrote the mini-essays, I realized that a lot of people’s perceptions on Eastern Europe were very Russo-centric. To help people unlearn some of these biases, I posted about the Cossack values, musical traditions and historical figures of Ukraine.
Later on, I met a couple of Ukrainian volunteers. To help non-Ukrainians understand the significance of every fundraiser and bake sale, I started sharing information on the history of Ukrainian social activism and communication tips when corresponding with Ukrainian volunteers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
While trying to keep my own biases and prejudices in check, I did my best to be as informative as I can in my mini essays. I was unsure how Ukrainian volunteers felt about me, a non-Ukrainian person, writing about Ukraine.
But I did not stop, I kept on posting.
The more I posted, more Ukrainian volunteers started paying attention to my work. Initially, I was asked to do revisions for event descriptions here and there. Later on, a few reputable Ukrainian volunteers asked if I was willing to do something more.
With hard work and a dash of pixie dust, I joined Navigator UA as a volunteer for content writing. Since I started volunteering as the pen for Navigator UA, continuous learning and constructive criticism help me improve and also remind me to stay grounded.
To the people who have been reading my mini essays since 2022, thank you for being here. To those who happen to come across my writings this year, welcome to Navigator UA.
To the people who have been reading my mini essays since 2022, thank you for being here. To those who happen to come across my writings this year, welcome to Navigator UA.
Connie Zhou
Navigator UA Author and
