Lena

-Where do you live and what is it like?
I live in Cherkassy, 3 hours from Kiev. My city is not a big one, about 280 000 inhabitants. We have 4 universities, different colleges, and department of different Ukrainian Universities. Most of people over 20 try to find job in Kiev or just move to bigger cities, but we still have young people in the city. I can’t say it is a kind of cool city. We have some night clubs, pubs, café and so on. I have few favorite. We have local bands, that hold their concerts in pubs, or on a stage. My city is really beautiful in summer, as we have river Dnieper? We actually call it Cherkassy sea, as it is wide and big because it is a water reservoir. We have beautiful parks and forests. I like it.

-What are your favorite things to do?
I am travelling a lot, so I like to walk the city when I am come back home. In summer we often go fishing with friends, we take tents and spend weekends on small islands on the river. We have fun there. I like shopping as I am a girl, but in my city it’s not that fun. In winter sometimes we go to the forest to play snowballs, to skate or do some fun. In summer everyone is on a beach. We have different kinds of them. We have wild beaches with not a lot of people, we have beach together with a bar or café where you can borrow a boat, or near the forest where you can enjoy shadow and fragrance of trees. I have friends and like to chill out in some pubs, some of my friends play in rock bands and we go to listen to them. I am working in non profit Jewish organizations so it take most of my time, but I like to have fun there too, teaching and helping people.

-How old are you?
I am 26, and going to be 27 in May.

-What do you do either for schooling or as a job?
According to my education I am an Artist, Designer, but last 6 years or more I am working in Jewish organizations. Now I am working as youth coordinator in Jewish Women Organization “Project Kesher”. And volunteering in Jewish community in the city
-How do you and your friends get most of your information about the world? (Internet, TV, Radio, etc.)
I pretty sure youth and young adults prefer Internet for news and information, TV news takes 2nd place, and then news-paper and magazines. Taxi drivers or those who spend a lot of time in a car probably get it from the radio.

-How do your parents get most of their information?
My parents use internet a lot , my father is interested in sport so he goes through sport news mostly only in the internet, but still they watch TV news. They watch Political news on TV. If they need more information on different issues, or to find other sources on specific topic the go to Mr.Google
-I know both Russian and Ukrainian are popular languages in Ukraine. Which language(s) do you speak? Are there differences between the people that use Ukrainian and the people that speak Russian?
I speak Russian and most of my friends do. It is also common for the region. Most of wester Ukrainian speak Ukrainian and East, South and Central part speak Russian. Education and documentation are in Ukrainian. There are some contradictions between people, but usually between radical Russian speaking, who don’t want to speak Ukrainian and Ukrainian Nationalist who against everything that connected to Russia. I think every Ukrainian must know the language, and speak it free. But it is my right and choice what language to speak with my family and friends.

-What is your favorite TV show, website, newspaper, magazine, book?
I like stand up comedy shows, and also a kind of smart funny show on TV, I like some series, like Friends, or Misfits, Of course I am into social networking – like facebook and others, I like a lot google and vikipedia , Besides I go to Jewish websites, and world news,
I read local newspaper and usually buy magazines that connected to different kind of art, or social, political cultural life in Ukraine and in the World

-You said you're currently working with a Jewish women's organization. Is that one of the most popular religions in Ukraine?
The majority of Ukrainians are Christians – Russian orthodox, but we have synagogues in big cities that survived after The WWII, in smaller city like Cherkassy we have Habbad synagogues,

-In Ukrainian schools, are students taught how to use the media effectively? Is there any kind of a "media education" in Ukraine that explains the motives and bias of different TV programs, websites, etc.?
In school children are taught to use internet, Google and so on. I don’t think we really put a lot of attention on media and its influence. I believe they have an hour or two to discuss some issues but not deeply.

-Right now, what do you think are some of the most controversial topics politically and socially? It sounds like language use is one, are there any others that you have noticed?
Language is really one of the main topics. In politics we also have contradiction between Nationalistic parties and social and communist parties on different issues starting with who were heroes during the War and when it was better to live during USSR or in independent country. In social life we have also issues with domestic violence that is not discussed openly, and young people move to other country to work as we don’t have many places and corruption on different levels.

-What makes you most proud to be a Ukraine citizen?
I think I [am] proud to live in Ukraine, well as for me I think it is something natural, if I don’t love my country it is not really honest to live here. Even though social and political situation is not what I would ever be prod for. I like its nature. I like me family history, I like that Ukraine is so different in every part but we still have something in common, I like it’s nature. I am proud for people that gave a lot to this World in different fields – science, culture, art. Something like this

-Who are some of the celebrities right now in Ukraine?
Haha, actually many of them work in Russia, of course in sport Klichko brothers,Andrey Shevchenko in football, Max Chmerkovsky dancer from USA, originally Ukrainian, models like Natalia Vodianova and others

-How trustworthy do you think the media is? Do you think they are free to say what they want?
I Ukraine I think we don’t have independent channel, so each of them belongs to someone with his own political view. So they say news with his or her own prospective. But if you watch different news and read different magazines you can somehow find the truth in the middle.

-You said the younger generation tends to use the internet more for news. Do most of them own computers? Is it common to own a computer in Ukraine?
Computers, iPads, laptops [are in] mostly in every house, except probably [a] really poor family. Internet is also very popular. We have also computer classes in schools and libraries and different computer/internet clubs in the city.