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Music and Art at the Ukrainian Institute of America
Posted by anna on February 11, 2001 at 21:07:32:
My father passed away in 1990 and so were his hopes for reuniting with family in Ukraine. But in 1992 two of his grandsons (my son and my nephew) traveled with a tour group and finally connected with family for a brief few hours. Three generations of our family have been separated since WWII except for that brief encounter in 1993. Not an uncommon story for Americans of Ukrainian descent.
In 1993 an invitation for a 30 day visit was sent to my first cousin, the closest relative of my generation in Ukraine - but attempts for his individual visa were denied. Eventually the invitation expired and we just gave up. My cousin is a single parent now in his forties raising 3 children who are now 14, 15 and 18 yrs old. He lives with his elderly parents (my uncle and aunt) who are now in their 70's.
My sister and I are hoping to try again. Our own mother is very ill and I guess that has provided a spark to try again to reunite with at least one member of our family in Ukraine. What are our chances in 2001? Better or worse than in 1993? It seems that invitations are no longer needed, but I'm confused about the best way to approach this second attempt. I've spent hours visiting many of the embassy and consulate websites and then found this message list at Brama. I'd like to hear about some 1st hand experiences... I'm very appreciative of any advice that anyone can offer! Thanks!