April 2021 Student Spotlight: Oleksandr Chystukh
Oleksandr (Alex) comes from Ternopil, Ukraine. This is his third semester at MCC, and his major is criminal justice. Five years ago, he came to the U.S. and a new world opened up for him. He loves to travel and create memories. He says, “Nothing fun will ever happen if we stay all day on the couch or computer.” This story is a perfect example of his philosophy.
A Thousand-Star Hotel
There was nothing for miles around us and no help if something went wrong. It was a cold but unforgettable night for me. New Year is one of the essential holidays of the year for me. It is the same for other people in Ukraine. The New Year in my country is magical because all adults and teenagers are rushing about, looking for a place to celebrate. Some folks rent a hotel room, and others have the party at their homes or apartments. Usually, all the hotels are full for weeks before the 31st of December, and nobody wants to have a party in their house because it gets destroyed by morning. That year my friend Dima and I didn’t find any available apartments or hotel rooms. They were or booked or way too expensive. So, I searched all over the internet and found something crazy that ignited the fire in my eyes. I knew it would be an adventure with some risk, and I knew it would worth it. Immediately, I told my friend about that idea.
Dima told me, “You are crazy, and this could end badly. I’m in.” It was two days before the New Year when I found the post. Random people from all over the country could sign up to celebrate the New Year together at an empty cabin on the top of a 4,600-foot peak in the Carpathian Mountains. Also, there was information in the post about on how to get there and what we had to bring. So, at only 18 years old, my friend Dima and I started to prepare ourselves. We went to the store and bought backpacks, warm pants, sweaters, sleeping bags, water bottles, a lot of food, and the most critical item: tall boots that shouldn’t get wet, which didn’t help much in the end. I told my parents that I would be with Dima at his house in the village, and there was no phone connection. I felt terrible that I lied to them, but these moments happen only once in life.
The next morning, we packed and went to the train station. Tickets were sold out, and nothing was available for the next two days. Ordinary people would probably give up and go home to their parents, but not us. The next train to the mountains was in twenty minutes. I told Dima that we must be on that train. Eventually, the massive and long train, which looked like a small town on metal wheels, arrived at the station. Next, we saw was a door open in front of us. As soon as it opened, we tried to sneak in, but unfortunately, the train conductor caught us. The conductor was a tall woman with short dark hair and a weird hat. I explained everything to her and then gave her a little bribe and some treats. She told us that we could stay in her compartment. We had a wonderful time with her. She told us many cool stories and drank tea with us. We brought alcohol too; we finished one bottle of brandy together. After five hours that flashed by like 20 minutes for us, we arrived.
Vorokhta is the tiny town where we had to meet the others. Dima went searching for the restroom, and I was looking for our new friends. Next to the big oak, I saw a group of people that might be them. There were four people with big backpacks. One of them was super tall and muscular, and for a moment, I thought that he might cause some problems. In the end, he turned out to be an incredibly kind and sincere man. Those guys had been waiting for us and the other group had already gone to the cabin. It was 1 pm, and we had a very long trip ahead. We found a taxi, and it took us 15 miles away from the town. It was the farthest that a car could get. The rest of the way, we had to walk.
As we started walking, I saw the majestic and mighty mountains in front of me. I felt deep and crackly snow under my boots. I saw tiny cabins scattered in the hills like seeds. We were passing meadows, rivers, and tall trees that were covered by snow. Everything was perfect, except the fact that Dima and I were getting cold. At some places, the snow was bottomless, and my legs became wet all over. The backpack felt like a small mountain on my back. We had been walking for hours. Every hour, we stopped for rest and drank some tea. Finally, we saw the light on the top of the hill. By the time we got to the cabin, it was dark already.
When we came closer, I could see the small wooden house with an old table in the middle of the room and a massive stone fireplace. The sound of the fire made the atmosphere inside so cozy. We took out all the food that we had: drinks, fruits, and alcohol. There were people from different parts of the country, each with their stories and jokes. It felt like we had known each other for years; we couldn’t stop talking. However, there were things to do. The girls were preparing the table, and the boys went to the forest for wood and were making stumps for chairs. After we warmed up, everyone went outside to make a snowman and throw snowballs. My friend pushed me, and I fell into the snow like on a pillow. When I wiped my face from the snow and opened my eyes, I saw thousands of stars in the sky. There were so many of them that I could see different colors. I felt as if I saw the whole universe.
Finally, we all went inside because it was 20 minutes before midnight, and nobody wanted to miss the New Year. We opened champagne, took the plastic cups in our hands, and everyone said something about the future year, wishing the best for all of us. At that moment, I felt the risk was worth it. I will never forget the night I spent in a thousand-star hotel.
ESOL Voices is a collection of stories written by ESOL students at Monroe Community College. This publication highlights our MCC students who come from all over the world. Look for new stories in the Tribune. We hope you enjoy our students’ stories as much as we do.
— Katie Leite & Pamela Fornieri, ESOL Program, April 2021