From the 2022 event, Understanding The War in Ukraine, to the 2024 event Ukraine Today: Report of a Recent Visit, Brookdale has kept students and members in the Brookdale community informed about events in the war in Ukraine. The Current also a reported on a former student’s experience living in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2022.
As a student interested in politics, I find myself frequently discussing war, so I attended Dr. David Bassano’s talk on Oct. 24 about the three weeks he spent as a volunteer in Ukraine last summer. There I joined a group of older community members all interested in hearing about Bassano’s experiences.
Bassano shared that he volunteered with two different charities while he was in Ukraine. At one point, he was located in the capital, Kyiv, which he noted “had a different feeling than being close to the frontline.”
He made his way down to the frontline where he heard explosions a few times during each night, but most importantly, he saw the strength and resilience of the people, especially the women. Bassano documented his journey with nightly journaling to keep track of his daily activities and also took many pictures that added vision and insight in his presentation.
“No measurements, no recipes, and they make incredible food,” said Bassano as he discussed his experience volunteering besides “strong” Ukrainian women in a station where hot food was prepared for soldiers in combat. Bassano shared pictures of the meals he ate while cooking with the women in addition to recipes to make the meal.
Overall, the presentation showed a side of Ukraine we don’t see in news reports, how locals are working together, charity work in communities to aid soldiers, and people attending cafes and restaurants in Kyiv.
Over about two hours, Bassano shared his three-week experience. Questions at the end asked about NATO’s support to Ukraine and the referendum in 2022.