B.C. girl write

. Diane Kliparchuk is an 18-year old girl, born in Britash Columbia For
ars she was a member and teacher of dance groups of the Association of

nted Ukrainian Canadians.

h Recently, Diane was given the opportunity to further her knowledge of
Tainian and other folk dances She readily and glad'y accepted her chance

to study at t,

he world famed Kiev Conservatory.

ciapns that time she has written several letters to her parents in which she,
youth ee er impressions of the school, the opportunities enjoyed by Soviet
: , Mm general, life under a socialist society. : i

The PT is pleased to reprint excerpts from one of these letters.

g.

First of all we went to Ba-
ae the capital city of Az-
iday an. (For the Christmas hol-
oe — Ed.). It’s on the
ie of the Caspian Sea — a
tha a city and very beau-
rea ust take a map of the

d and look to see where I
actually was!

; tI saw there reminded me
ae SO very closely re-
oe country and yet so
chitestn + Mainly it was the ar-
ary ay the beautiful green-
very € palm trees, etc. The
et Unny part of it was that
phate snow on the green-.
thet Palm trees! (They had

T coldest winter in more than

i this year),
the ade, we were greeted at

ain station by three won-
“ful Azerbaijan ice They
of alee big bus just for nine
hree guides.

this Lite taken straight to the
remely . and the drive was ex-
Loca eautiful. It was allalong
sa Pian Sea — put all the
Wide on Park about 13-2 blocks
othe. €d with palm trees and

er *€ south e
astern’? -
tropicay oe rn’? or sub

called: ‘*Romeo, My Neighbor.’
It was a very good film — very
funny.

The next day we went to the
Historical Museum. It was SO
very interesting, especially the
prehistoric remains. The old al-

people have advanced.

After that we went to the main
library; it?s huge — all marble
with statues and arches outside,
marble stairways with beautiful
greens (plants) and palm trees
inside.

Fach subject has a huge ‘‘Zal’’
(hall) where one can work with
all the information he or she
needs. One room is as big as
our whole Burnaby Library.

After that we visited the ‘‘Kom-
somol’? (YCL) building. The 1lo-
cal secretary was a woman. She
outlined to us the history of

ee

Diane Kliparchuk

Azerbaijan and the progress it
has made under socialism —
especially for women, who, until
the revolution, lived like in the
old days of the Bible.

-phabet, the art work and jewel-
lery, the ancient cave drawings,
the old graves... It’s fabu-
lous to see everything before your
very eyes, instead of in books

astanian Autonomous Republic
(they call themselves Moisseyev
No. 2). Their dancing is very
similar to Georgian but not quite
as much on the toes and very
different from Azerbaijan. The
audience and the whole night was
absolutely wild...

The next day was a busy day
again (each day started at 8
a.m. at the latest and endedafter
12 p.m. and later). We went to
the Committee of Higher Educa-
tion for Azerbaijan and were
again greeted by a woman.

She outlined the progress made
by their republic and their fu-
ture plans for education. This
was followed by a tour of an
oil refinery.

* * *

Next day we went to the New

City (Sumgahyeet) after break-

fast. Absolutely amazing! A per-
fectly new (14 years old) city,
\completely built according to a
previously approved plan. It has
everything — including the high-
est birth rate! (The average age
of its citizens is 36).

When you look at the city map
and then tour it, it?s almost im-
possible to believe. The govern-
ment just said: ‘‘We are going
to build a new city’’ — and a lot
of young, eager and trained people
came and built it...

In Sumgahyeet we also visited
a boarding school. You should
see how Grade Ones can write
with straight pens. It’s just beau-
tiful. Every letter was soperfect
and they didn’t just write a couple
of words but pages and pages of

s a letter home

plant, etc. Absolutely huge. Boy,
they’re two years ahead of their
7-year planalready and they don’t
overwork each other,

It’s just great — so much
automation, which is such a
blessing.

With such a large population
in the Soviet Union they are
still short of laborers. Can you
imagine? Everybody is usually
well educated and a specialist at

something or other.
* * *

We also visited the Pioneer
Palace of Culture. Boy, those
kids eight years old can do all
kinds of electronics and have
short wave radio friends allover
the world. Most of themare from
7-14 years of age, and they go
to the palace twice a week after
school.

You can’t believe the displays
you seeare actually done by them:
art, drama, stage work, chemis-
try, physics, biology 30, maths,
home economics, sports, wood
work, metal work, gym. It’s just
fantastic!

Boy, how dumb and unskilled it
makes one feel! They know more.
than our average UBC student—
I’m sure of it.

And the only instructors they
have are themselves. Can you
imagine a few little kids making
two movies per day? I still can’t
believe it.

* * *

After visiting the palace we had
a special supper, courtesy of
**VOKS’’ (Society For Cultural
Relations With Foreign Lands
—Ed.) and were presented with

ae RY We then went on a city tour.
els Betting cleaned up we ee BD Boy, what a beautiful city! Old all their work. records.
is - to Supper, and, after that Ancient art is much more ela- castles, white buildings just like I gave a Grade One class Then, after a luxurious din-
i he state film etiaiae There porate than modern, with riches the Taj Mahal in India, although Canadian pennies; I have apic- ner, we went to the State Com-
seal a lovely documentary on and tiny, minute hand work. And less expensive, of course... ture to send of the class... pany concert... ae
alg ian and its culture. We it is all so well preserved, All That night we went to see a Then we went to a steel plant— Next day, we went to Tbilisi,
_ SAW a musical comedy. of these things showhowfarthese dance ensemble from the Dag-_ rolling mill and sheet metal the capital city of Georgia...
‘3 MMO)
’s doctor lauds Soviet medi
FIRST TIME IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Queen $s Oc Or au Ss ovie me Ics
¢ E §® Reginald Watson Jones, an take cigarettes from a box, and was extremely reliable—‘‘in four
A Biographical Novel on orthopaedic surgeon to Queen drink from a flask of water. years one motor had never brok-
TARAS SHEVCHENKO Elizabeth Il, has described an The miniature driving motor en down,’? Lady Hoare added.
; operation performed on a young
Bard of Ukraine Sh in veer as ‘‘one of the F- be E
by Two Canadian Authors finest bits of surgery I’ve ever ‘@| g = S Gg Gg S
: _ seen.”’ :
So ea Reese 28 ae: Lapses The. operation ‘was superbly I’m your friend — friend!
data imurked ton soll vobservance by, done, with great tranquility, Say, look, I bring gifts,
UNESCO in 1964. calmness and wonderful organi- All shiney and new,
zation,’ he said. Sir Reginald, .The very latest. These are
ee who is chairman of the research The wonderful things that we have
committee at one of Britain’s And, friend, we buy ’em
largest orthopaedic hospitals, is By the case.
leading a team of British doctors Of course, we’re just
currently in the Soviet Union ‘Folks’, same as you:
to study Soviet achievements, Don’t tell me no different
particularly in developing elect- For you all read the funnies
ronic artificial limbs. Same as us.
Another member of the team, | Ain’t that right, friend?
Lady Hoare, chairman of the Sure, sure!
Thalidomide Appeal Trust Fund, So — just you put your little
claimed that ‘electronic limbs Ole John Henry right there.
are quite clearly going to be See, nothing to it!
the advance of the future.” After all, what’s one
She wished that Britain had a- Little ole river or
centre like the one she had seen, A bunch of trees or bush
‘¢where doctors and technicians That no American — pardon me—
work so well together.”’ CIVILIZED person wants to live on Anyway?
| She told reporters she had seen What’s that?
a patient with an electronic arm ea
put on and take off his coat, South Viet Nam?
= Say, listen, friend,
‘Strangelove opens © Who you been talking to?
in local movute house, Like I said, we’re same as you,
‘few weeks ago the PT car- Just ‘folks’.
A ried a film review of Stanley What in hell we got that
Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove: Or Great undefended border for?
How I learned To Stop Worry- Don’t you drive a good
ing And Love The Bomb.’”’ This American car?
excellent movie, which has been Don’t you know
acclaimed by dozens of news- What’s good for you?
Te te ee A ret
O11 ? 2 : +
THE WORLD IS MY VILLAGE seek in Vancouver’ poets rat?
By Hannah Polowy and Mitch Sago It is playing at the Park The- OK, ’ll tell
F ’ you.
PAPERBACK—g2 HARD COVER—$4 etre Cemnie Sy. ana sibih, Se: If it wasn’t for our knowhow
A call to the theatre, at TR 6- An@ouncant!
te Stier ¢ PROGRESS BOOKS os ope you with start- evar eH Heat
dq St. Toronto, Ont. : The godamn trees,
"Mn We would sincerely urge all That’s what!
nnn PT :caders to see this film. : —JOHN HOPE,

March 3, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5

ee