Close to midnight all of us cadets shared a feast of watermelon in the Carpathian Mountains.

Friendship. In essence this all that needs to be said about this blog. Not only were friendships and bonds made stronger on our trip to the Carpathian Mountains, but lasting one were created. If an outsider were to view our interaction with one another they would assume we were friends for many years. Sure, some of the Ukrainian cadets did not grasp the entirety of the conversations we had with them, but nonetheless this did not stop us from having deep and meaningful conversations. For instance, we enjoyed discussing how we, as young cadets, are the future of our militaries and how it is our duty to make our militaries better than when we first joined. We also daydreamed about running into one another as officers and having our two militaries interacting with one another. Our mission was simple; teach the Ukrainian cadets English so the United States can develop good relations with the Ukraine. It is one thing to make a good impression with one another but making lasting friendships in three weeks is not always a guarantee. A good impression can be easily formed with just a simple handshake, but it takes more to develop meaningful and lasting friendships. This team of American cadets accomplished that.

Our team was energetic and eager to get to know these cadets. We viewed them as our peers and were eager to learn from them just as they were eager to learn from us. This mixture of enthusiasm and respect helped earned us their trust. They opened up to us about their home life and what concerned them about the upcoming future. Our trip to the Carpathian Mountains was a great getaway and enabled us to focus on topics that did not just concern the military. For instance, on the bus ride back home, cadets from the US and Ukraine shared iPods and talked about their favorite songs and artists. One Ukrainian cadet brought his guitar and we listened to the cadets sing. The Americans on the other hand, decided to loudly shout out our songs. We might have not been in tune, and the lyrics might have not been spot on, but nonetheless the Ukrainian cadets got a good laugh out of it.

The best way to wrap up this trip is to say how thankful we are for the opportunity cadet command has given us. It has been a blessing to help build relations with Ukraine and more importantly represent the United States. The cherry on top of this whole mission has been the friendships. Speaking on behalf of this group, I know the US cadets will continue to develop the friendships we started over here. The common thing the Ukrainian cadets told us was to stay in touch. We plan to do so not because we are ordered to but because we truly want to.

The natural beauty of Ukraine near the Carpathian Mountains.

Our day started early with our final destination being in the Carpathian Mountains. After a light breakfast, we met with the Ukrainian cadets, piled onto the bus and rode off. A short time later we pulled into a campsite lined with small souvenir shops and food shops with a stream running through the site feeding into a waterfall. After enjoying the scenery around the site and buying a few goods, everyone piled back onto the bus and headed towards our hiking path. The hike was a five kilometer walk up a mountain, once we got to the top our group encountered a high rocky climbing area that many of us rushed to climb. The view from the top was amazing, providing a view that stretched for miles. The monastery we slept at was a large solemn complex surrounded by nature.

On top of a rock formation we bonded with the Ukrainian Cadets for one of the last times.

 

 

 

Above, MAJ Repp presents a plaque to the Academy during the closing ceremony.

 



Today was an important day for our mission; it was the day of our closing ceremony. We began the day in class by having both American and Ukrainian cadets talk about what they expected from the class before we met, and how they feel about American/Ukrainian culture now after being exposed to it. Hearing the positive ways that we had affected their perspective on Americans and improved their conversational English filled me with pride, as I was able to see almost a manifestation of the work all the cadets had been doing over the course of our stay. After a few cadets shared their thoughts, we moved into a friendly but competitive game of Jeopardy. The different categories consisted of the topics and subjects we had gone over in class with the target being a review for the Ukrainian cadets. The competition really picked up when the grand prize of chocolate bars was revealed, causing teams to scramble with a heightened sense of urgency to present the correct answer to the question. Though only one team won the candy bars, there was enough candy to go around to that the teams that lost didn’t even seem to mind. Following the Jeopardy game, the actual ceremony took place, which featured the commanding staff of the academy, our mission commander Major Repp, and our team leader Captain Cox. Though brief, the ceremony consisted of a few Ukrainian and US cadets giving a speech on what they learned over the course of the trip, their changed perspectives, and their opinion on the intercultural experience we all shared. With the conclusion of the ceremony, Ukrainian and US cadets took pictures and exchanged gifts, chatting for awhile about the good times we’d shared since our arrival. However the day was not over yet, as the mess hall had a feast laid out for all the cadets and officers involved with our team featuring a lot of the delicious dishes that us cadets had come to know very well over the course of our stay. After everything that happened today, meeting the Ukrainian cadets, and having such a great time exploring the culture and history of the Ukraine, I truly believe it will be very hard to leave here.

CDT Marina above shares her insight into the life of a female cadet. Interestingly, female cadets are not allowed to live on the academy grounds.



Another great day in Ukraine if I may so myself! We learned about women in the military and heroes today in class. It was interesting to learn that having women in the military is also a delicate topic here in Ukraine. I learned that many of the female cadets here are quite strong and are not afraid to speak their minds when defending their right to serve their nation. I also learn that many of the Ukrainian cadets still remember the heroic acts of many Soviet soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). It is nice to see the cadet's dedication to uphold the spirit and legacy of these heroic men and women.

After sharing personal stories we broke up into groups and presented our ideal super heroes. The group above named their hero Super Mom.

 

The second half of class was devoted to talking about super heroes.  The discussion started off with people coming forward and sharing who they identified as their super hero and why.  Through the course of both Ukrainian and American presentations we learned that many held their mothers, fathers, close friends or historical figures as positive influences in their lives.



CPT Cox, towards the end of class shared her perspective about being a leader and achieving goals.

 After class was over, we took photos and enjoyed a some time with those cadets who would be leaving for vacation. We were able to catch up on some rest back at our hostel before heading back into the city for some good 'ole Tex-Mex cuisine! The remainder of the evening was spent exploring the city and enjoying the early evening of western Ukraine!

Today the Ukrainian cadets taught us about their military leaders.

 

Today was a great day to be in L'viv! In class we the American cadets and the Ukrainian cadets both shared national war heroes with each other. I learned that many of their war heroes here at the academy are soldiers who were decorated with the 'Hero of the Soviet Union', the most prestigious medal the Soviet Union awarded military personnel. After class all the cadets went to driver simulation training. There we were able to use the Ukrainian made driving and firing simulators for the Zil truck, T-80, and BTR. These simulators are giant metal structures that modeled the interior of their respective vehicles. Basically they are giant video games that were awesome! We are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to test them. After the simulators we met a few of the Ukrainian cadets on the training field for a game of soccer. Unfortunately many of the cadets had work and were unable to meet up with us, so instead we were able to relax and talk with the few cadets who did come. The remainder of the day we took a stroll downtown in L'viv, and had ice cream with CPT Cox while we enjoyed the cool breezes that soothed the city after a another toasty day in Ukraine.

Tonight we enjoyed some Ukrainian music while sharing some American songs at a karaoke place.

 

Today was a very long day! It started with a healthy dose of cultural immersion with the fellow Ukrainian cadets.  Today's class was a fun and friendly time.  Class was  focused on learning about different cultures and the values that make nations different.  American values were compared to those of Ukraine and vice versa.  I learned about how certain things that may be appropriate in one nation, may not be appropriate in another.  For instance in Ukraine if one sticks their thumb between their middle and index finger in a fist, (the simple "I got your nose" trick in the US) is seen as extremely offensive (the equivalent of the middle finger).   The day finished with karaoke at a local restaurant where we sang songs from home.  It was a fantastic day halfway across the world. 

During class we talked about the American and Ukrainian flags and their significance.  Then cadets designed their own flags and shared with the class how they represented their values.

After lunch we, with the Ukrainian cadets, were able to do some more simulated shooting.