Mamadu and Me

This is my new friend, Mamadu, who works in the Hotel Kharkiv as a bellhop. He is from Senegal originally and is has been in Ukraine for the past four years studying economics. I have had several long discussions with him. He is from a large family of seven children in Senegal and has not seen his family in four years. He speaks Soninke, French, Arabic, English and Russian. He lived for four years in Cairo and is a devout Muslim. We discussed families, living abroad and education. He plans to return to live and work in Senegal.

Final Lecture with National Law Academy Students

Today I completed my final lecture and work session with the excellent students from the National Law Academy in Kharkiv. These students are attending the jury trial advocacy course on their own time, and not as part of the regular curriculum of their school, which requires an amazing level of dedication and work. They are all extraordinarily bright and have great promise as future advocates.

Back from Kharkiv to Kyiv

Today I taught a lecture on direct examination to the two Kharkiv classes. The last class ended at about 4:00, and Tetiana and I then dashed to the train station and boarded for the return trip to Kyiv. Below see an outside shot of the amazing palace-like train station in Kharkiv. For the benefit of my grandson, who loves trains, I also include a picture of the train we rode back to Kyiv tonight.

Unlike Monday, today's ride was mostly in the dark. I met another memorable personality on the train--a big, voluble and gregarious man named Slava, We chatted about Ukraine, Russia, America, Salt Lake City, Utah, etc. while he proceeded to lay out his dinner on the little drop down table before him. Oh my--a loaf of bread, a liter or two of apple juice, another liter or two of some alcoholic beverage, an entire can of olives, and two huge containers of ham--these were topped off by sunflower seeds, more drinks, and a couple of rounds of tea delivered by the uniformed functionaries in clear glass cups held by intricately wrought silver drink holders. I think it took him two and a half hours to finish eating.

I later fell asleep during the return trip, and awoke just before we reached Kyiv at about 10:15 p.m. Tomorrow we teach at the Taras Shevchenko University and the National Aviation University.

Vladimir Counted Laps

This misty and cold morning I ran about five miles through the cobblestone streets of Kharkiv, sticking mainly to the sprawling Ploshchad Svobody (Freedom Square). I also ran through several other main thoroughfares, where there are many statues, including a monumental image of Vladimir Lenin which dominates the center of Freedom Square.

I figure it was about a half mile lap around the huge square, and so my friend Vladimir helped me to count laps.

As far as I can tell, the other statues are of soldiers defending the city from the Nazis in World War II, and an equestrian statue of, I'm guessing, a Cossack founding father.

Kharkiv's Plóshchad' Svobódy

I slept like Lenin in Lenin's tomb last night (there is a monumental statue of Lenin in Площадь Свободы--Ploshchad Svobody--hence the historical reference) and I am up early and ready to go! I was exhausted last night, but am slowly adapting to the jet lag.

I forgot to mention my new best friend--Mamadu--a six foot three African from Senegal who works as a doorman at my hotel, the Hotel Kharkiv. Mamadu is a student at Kharkiv University and has been a delight to visit with. He tells me that early in the morning there are many runners who circle the vast Ploshchad Svobody or Freedom Square. I'll give it a try in a couple of hours (with my orange running vest on, of course--the drivers are crazy--Tetiana told me yesterday that the previous Judge was almost run down by a car last week as they were trying to cross the cobblestoned square). Tetiana also told me that this is reportedly the largest square in Europe.

Not only is the hotel on this square, but also Kharkiv University. Some pictures taken on the square are attached (including this awesome aerial shot, which I obviously didn't take because it is a-from an airplane and b-during the summer). Also shown is my sweet writing desk in my room in the Hotel Kharkiv, a picture of me on the square and one of Tetiana, and finally me on the steps of one of the monumental Soviet-era University campus buildings facing the square, and my friend, the stray dog getting into the pic.

Teaching in Kharkiv

I taught two sessions today in Kharkiv with the able assistance of Tetiana Rogozianska. We were first at Kharkiv University, which has a grand old campus on the main Freedom Square, then later in the evening with students from the National Law Academy of Ukraine (named for Yaroslav the Wise). The students were extraordinarily bright and courageous, and both groups freely volunteered to try their hands at a little direct examination as part of a lecture on witness preparation.

Tetiana is a very fine teacher and has a winning rapport with the students and faculty. She is a great asset to the Leavitt Institute.

It is now early evening on Monday, and I have had only about three hours sleep in the past 36 hours, at the same time traveling probably 10,000 miles by plane and train. I am ready for a long sleep.

The Birches Seemed Dream-like

After about three hours of sleep I met Tetiana Rogozianska at 6:00 a.m. for a wild taxi ride to the main Cathedral-like Kyiv train station, and then a six hour train ride to the eastern city of Kharkiv. We found seats in one of the cars, which soon filled up with a variety of travelers--old and young. We spent the first hour or so of the journey talking about the teaching assignment. I then had much opportunity to watch the fascinating countryside slipping by outside the window. Only an hour out of Kyiv the landscape was amazingly open and sweeping, with snow covered fields surrounded by thick stands of trees. There were many small villages, most with very old brick railway stations, a few fence lined streets and old houses with freshly painted yellow, green or blue doors and woodwork. I saw an old couple pulling a small sled on a rope through the trees lining the railroad tracks, a couple of old horse carts and many uniformed militia guards at sleepy railroad crossings.

I gazed for hours at the endlessly fascinating landscape passing through the window, every coop, shed and dacha has fine paintwork and trim. Most beautiful were the trees, thick stands of maple and beech, their branches filled with migrating birds. It was a misty, cold and icy day, and truly "the birches seemed dream-like on account of that frosting."

Kharkiv--Initial Thoughts

Two days a week I will be lecturing at the Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv (Харківський національний університет) located in northeast Ukraine. Kharhiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with a population of about 1.5 million people. It has a metro system, has been a major center of industry and manufacturing dating back to the early Soviet era and was actually the first Soviet capitol of Ukraine. Below is an aerial picture of the Maidan Svobody, or Freedom Square, where I will be staying one night a week in the Kharkiv Hotel, directly across the street from the University.

Historically, Kharkiv was founded in the 17th century by a cossack named Kharko, and it was the site of four major battles during World War II. Occupied by the German army for much of the war, Kharkiv was the site of a mass genocide of some 30,000 Jewish residents, who were murdered and buried in a mass grave in a ravine outside of the city called the Dobytsky Yar.

In addition to Freedom Square, I hope to see the Dormition Cathedral, the Intercession Cathedral and the Annunciation Cathedral.

I will be traveling to and from Kharkiv by train from Kyiv each week during my visit, accompanied by my teaching assistant, Tetiana Rogozianska. More about her later.

Detour from Kyiv to Jerusalem

My November teaching trip to Ukraine has taken an unexpected detour--it now appears that I will be returning to the United States by way of Israel! My nephew, who is a graduate student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has invited me to visit before or after my visit to Ukraine, and I have decided to spend a few days in the Holy City during the week of the American Thanksgiving holiday.

This detour will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream! I have for years studied and thought about Jerusalem and its many holy sites--in particular the Temple Mount and its environs. It will be a fascinating comparison to see this special place with the sights, sounds and impressions of Ukraine fresh on my mind.

My tentative plan is to complete my teaching in Kyiv and Kharkiv on The 19th of November, to visit special sites in Kyiv on the 20th and 21st, and then that evening (Saturday) fly to Tel Aviv by way of Riga, Lithuania. I will arrive in Jerusalem early on Sunday morning the 22nd, and stay until early Friday morning, the 27th of November, at which time I will fly back to Salt Lake City by way of San Francsico, California.