Ukrainians (house, neighborhood, live)

[DaGoose]

We just learned that a Ukrainian family bought a house in our neighborhood. They won't be moving in until next month. Talking with some of the neighbors (we have a good, close knit neighborhood) that have had experience with Ukrainians they said not to expect them to be sociable, that they generally tend to keep to themselves and will not socialize outside of their fellow Ukrainians. Of course, since the house they bought is right next door to me I will definitely go over and welcome them to the neighborhood and hopefully develop a friendship with them.


My question is....what experience have you had with Ukrainians?

[Harbor Hopper]

We have friends in NP that have Ukrainians behind them (there are thousands of them in NP), and they have lanai "parties" with them 1-2x per week. Maybe they're the exception to the rule? Not sure.

[EcoLiberal]

Originally Posted by DaGoose

We just learned that a Ukrainian family bought a house in our neighborhood. They won't be moving in until next month. Talking with some of the neighbors (we have a good, close knit neighborhood) that have had experience with Ukrainians they said not to expect them to be sociable, that they generally tend to keep to themselves and will not socialize outside of their fellow Ukrainians. Of course, since the house they bought is right next door to me I will definitely go over and welcome them to the neighborhood and hopefully develop a friendship with them.


My question is....what experience have you had with Ukrainians?

Sounds like nosy neighbors making up stories, Yeah not racist at all !!!

[elnina]

They probably will get closer and socialize after they know you better. People from across the pond are, generally, just like that. They will be friendly, but not fast to make friends.

[DaGoose]

Thanks all. I'm not so sure I wouldn't be the same way if I was in their shoes and moved to their country in an area that had a heavy population of Americans. I too would probably look to socialize more with Americans. Anyway I'll just stick to the plan of welcoming them to the neighborhood and getting to know them.

[HarborRat]

My grandmother on my father's side escaped the Nazi-occupied Ukraine during WWII. Yes, she was very weary of strangers and even hid in the basement when she heard police sirens. Generations have passed but the Ukraine still has it's troubles. It's all about trust...be good to them and they will be very good to you. Maybe you will pick up a little Yiddish slang .

[LifeIsGood01]

I never judge any nationality, race or creed on what others tell me since I know there are good and bad people in every group. They may be nice or not, but it has nothing to do with their ethnicity. Some groups do stick to their own, but if they have been here a long time they may be Americanized or at least their kids may be.

Go ahead and say hello and welcome them and let them know if they have any questions about the neighborhood to stop by and ask.

[josephp732]

I dated a Ukrainian woman who was a French Professor and I found the complete opposite to be true. Ukrainians are warm and kind people. I have been to Kiev and I can see how there is this false assumption that Ukrainians aren’t that friendly - you don’t see a great deal of smiles (Heck you don't see a lot of smiling people in NYC either!). But it's like anywhere else in the world - it's cultural. The idea of smiling without actually having much of a reason to do so used to be thought of as acting like a fool in the former Soviet Union.

Do a little research on Ukrainian history, people, customs, food, etc... It's amazingly historical country with wonderful people, a lot of false propaganda about the Ukraine has been fostered by Russia.......it's only ~300 miles from Moscow to the Ukrainian border.

[DaGoose]

Wow. Such great advice. Thank you one and all.

[Caligula1]

My Brother lives in Northport and he has a few Ukrainian neighbors.
His neighbors are social and they keep their homes and yards in immaculate condition.