LVIV – Eugene Walden and his daughter traveled to Lviv from the U.S.A. He has taken part twice – during the summers of 2018 and 2019 – in the School of Ukrainian Language and Culture of the Ukrainian Catholic University and does not plan on stopping his studies. In a conversation last fall with this writer, he shared details about what inspires him in this endeavor and what impressions remain after his time spent at UCU.
What motivated you to study the Ukrainian language?
My mother was born in Ukraine and I in a town near Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. When I was little, I knew some Ukrainian. I learned it from Mama, who spoke it with her parents. Later I entered the University of Michigan, which has a special Ukrainian language program, and met noted professor Assya Humesky, and there also I returned to the language. I finished university very long ago, 30 years, and had no opportunities to practice my skills further.