Interview with a person - Research Paper Example

Likewise, this particular research study has performed a level of library and internet research as well as relied upon the expert testimony from an individual who has resided within the country of question for nearly 18 years. The nation in question for such a research is that of the Eastern European nation of Ukraine. For purposes of the research and interview, the main determinants that have been discussed and analyzed relate to the following: geographic location, culture, customs, basic human needs (types of employment), types of buildings, religions, types of food, television, newspapers, and other forms of media, cultural and gender distinctions, technological development, education system, and clothing.

The geographic location that Ukraine represents is on the very periphery between Eastern Europe and Eurasia. As such, it occupies a very fertile region that spans between the Carpathian Mountains in the West to the border with Russia in the far east. The nation is likewise bordered by Russia, Belarus, and Poland to the north and the west, Slovenia, Romania, and Moldova to the south west and the Black Sea to the immediate south. The geographic location that Ukraine comprises with few natural demarcations has made it a tempting and much coveted possession of many kingdoms and empires through past history.

A brief review of the history of the region denotes that Turks, Tatars, the Golden Horde, the Russian Empire, Poland, and Lithuania have all occupied various portions of Ukrainian land within the past several hundred years. However, when delving into the issues of culture and customs as well as some of the more nuanced methods of analysis that this particular paper will engender it was necessary to interview an individual that has lived within Ukraine for nearly 18 years prior to coming to the United States.

Natasha Kholostova, a neighbor of this author, agreed to be interviewed with regards to some of the unique aspects that help to set Ukraine apart from the remainder of Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world. The main differentials regarding culture and customs that Natasha noted were with relation to the Orthodox history and culture that Ukraine has so firmly established. She was able to relate this back to the point in time when Prince Vladimir the Great was responsible for converting the nation to Eastern Orthodoxy.

This action in and of itself integrated many of the former pagan beliefs that had predated Christianity with the Christian doctrines that came from Constantinople. This unnatural marriage between two belief systems spawned holidays such as Maslinitsja and Ivana Kupala where Christian attributes were given to pagan celebrations commemorating the changing of the seasons or the celebration of the life giving energy of water. Natasha also demonstrated that one cannot hope to understand the customs or culture of Ukraine without gaining a firm and complete grasp on the means by which the existence of the Soviet Union had a profound and lasting effect on the way in which the culture and society grew over the past century.

Moreover, the Second World War was fought over Ukrainian territory with the Nazi forces advancing across the entirety of the country in the beginning stages of the war and eventually being pushed back towards the later part of the war. This also left a profound and lasting impact on the population due to the fact that the full horror of war had been experienced on its territory and