Interview
It’s a common knowledge, that the United States of America represents
a country with enormously diverse population. Being originally created as a
state for those who seek for freedom and human rights from various states throughout
the world, it’s naturally actively inhabited by representatives of different
nations. Through its history the USA experienced several waves of immigration,
beginning with first settlers from England, France, Germany, Holland, Spain
and Portugal and putting dots after refugees from the eastern countries, sinking
in wars.
Those who choose to stay in the States and to work for the wellness of this
country, go through a number of calamities and obstacles. Some of them stay
“alien” forever, having never found new home, others reach success
and never feel sorry for having left their motherland. Anyway, such people usually
have very serious reasons to do such a serious step, such uneasy choice. Theodore
Butejko, Ukrainian by origin, still sees his Motherland in the sweetest dreams,
but to the proposal of coming back his answer is categorically negative.
- Mister Butejko, what made you escape from the land of your ancestors and how
long ago did it happen?
- It’s very hard to recollect those times. Each time I try to imagine
this is not my own story, but something deep inside stubbornly hurts and moves
strangely. The pressure overwhelmed in early seventieth. At that time Ukraine
was the part of the Soviet Union. The communists severely persecuted those,
who didn’t want to obey their regime, and my family was among those “ideological
enemies”. We were called decedents and those, who happened to be caught
by the police, were sent to the rumor areas, left to suffer from unbearable
labor, starvation and tortures. You could be imprisoned even for having at home
some foreign or ideologically incorrect literature. And to be a politician criminal
was considered to be much more awful than to be a thief or even a murderer.
My family, on the one hand, had noble roots and on the other hand, my mother
was a Jew by origin. Both these facts did no good to us. I was a member of a
very intelligent family, famous and respected in certain circles. I received
an excellent education at home, and it goes without saying, we had a good deal
of forbidden books. My father was a talented poet, but the state didn’t
want to recognize him, still he went on spreading illegal papers and doing other
anticommunist work. In the 70th I managed to enter medical university, but during
all my study I faced resistance and severe oppression. I often couldn’t
even get books from the library. Later I couldn’t get permission for research
I needed to hold. I was refused work everywhere – I was “persona
non grata”. I had to feed my family, but could barely earn anything to
buy bread. Let alone other necessary things. Though they were hard to find even
with enough money…
- In this way you felt a steadfast need to do something with such injustice,
didn’t you? Was it difficult to leave for better living?
- Of course it was difficult; we had no right to go abroad at all! During several
years my father wrote to the American government in search of support. Fortunately,
he restored links with the Canadian Ukrainians and they helped him to publish
his works. They became rather popular among our Diaspora, and finally it helped
to get the invitation from the US President. In the late 70th the United States
began to welcome refugees from the Soviet Union…
- Was it hard to overcome doubts, fears, to look forward bravely to the unknown
future?
- The matter is, we had neither time nor force to hesitate. We were living at
the edge, every day, every step was full of risk. The degree of our despair
was so high, that we would agree to any conditions. Breaking these chains, going
from this endless fear and hopelessness was already great luck, we didn’t
know what was ahead, but it was the only way out.
- As we know, one of the most impressive movements of immigrants attacked the
States between 1860 and 1920. Almost 30 million people from Central and Southeastern
Europe in particular arrived here. How do you see it, did these people have
the same reasons to run away?
- Oh, if you ask me to compare… At the end of the nineteenth century a
great number of my former compatriots left their home in search of better living,
in search of work which was impossible to find there. In the middle of the 19th
century the serfdom was abolished, people became officially free, but had nothing
to eat. As for the beginning of the 20th century, you know, it was especially
hard time for the Europeans. Civil wars, the World War I… Common people
were so exhausted, and America was taken up as a symbol of peace, calmness and
certain guarantees. The revolutions made a lot of people alien in their own
homeland.
- At that time generally Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and Hungarian immigrants
managed to form their own culturally homogeneous neighborhoods. Meanwhile each
new wave of immigrants faced certain confrontation. In the middle of the 19th
century all the Irish immigrants were considered alcoholics. At the beginning
of the 20th century some Slavic nationalities, the Jewish and the Italians were
judged as being too different in comparison with the true Americans, their traditions
and customs being strange for them, so they were believed not to have much chance
to become a worthy part of the American society. Did this opinion change through
years? How were you accepted by the unknown country?
- I should admit, we were welcomed rather warmly. Certainly, to begin new life
was not an easy task, but with time we found place to work. In three years we
managed to buy a small cottage. Firstly I worked as a hospital attendant, but
at the same time I had access to all the documents and materials I needed. The
ministry gave me a patent for my invention. I received great possibilities for
research, so I had everything I could dream of. Soon I met Kate, my future wife,
she happened to be from Latvia. I have to say, it was rather hard to get used
to the local mentality, to the local customs, I didn’t have friends, but
supported links with my compatriots in other states. My father opened his own
publishing house. Naturally, we missed Ukraine enormously… Our native
language – though, it was anyway persecuted in the Union, our music, our
land… It was strong pain, but we had much in turn.
- Now Ukraine is a free democratic state. Do you think of coming back, of bringing
wellness to forgotten motherland?
- It will never be forgotten. But to return… Too much time has passed.
I’d love to answer with the words from one of my verses, which can be
translated in this way: “The red stripe on my throat will never grow week,
My pain is Ukraine, but my Heaven on earth are the States”.
References
Davidson, J. M., & Lytle, M. H. (1981). The United States. A History of
the Republic. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood Cliffs.
Salladay, R. (2007, May 21). The right immigrants. Los Angeles Times, 216, 41-43.
