Old Swedish Village, Ukraine



All men are children, and of one family

~ Henry David Thoreau



 There is a village in Ukraine called Gammalsvenskby, which translates to Old Swedish Village. 

I came upon this place several years ago and became interested in the village, home to Estonian Swedes, who settled in Ukraine in 1780. 

I look at it online every now and then and it's always been a charming and lovely place. 

The King of Sweden has visited there and is also fond of the village. I believe he contributed to the building of a much needed road there some years ago. 

The other day, I opened SVT, Swedish TV online, which also publishes an online newspaper. 

And there it was:

Russia attacked the Swedish Village.


The above headline states that 80 to 90 percent of the village has been destroyed. 

Only 200 old and sick residents remain. 

I feel a lot as I write this and think about those 200 people and those who fled. 

We've all been thinking more about war, about Gaza.

I felt deep hatred in the Hamas attack, it was horrific, but I'm sure they didn't canvas civilian Palestinians to find out how many would approve of suffering the consequences of such an attack.

We have been thinking about Ukraine for a long time now. 

Reading about this lovely village, where some old people still spoke an old fashioned version of Swedish, I don't know what to say. 

It has affected me deeply.

Then something else came to mind:

We do feel more strongly when we feel a kinship with victims of wars or disasters, don't we? 

If so, is this normal or just plain wrong?





Comments

  1. MadSnapperNovember 13, 2023 at 2:10 AM

    yes, we do feel more strongly when there are kindred ties. that is normal, so why would it be wrong. that is so sad about the village, all war is sad and scary. we have a daily war going on the the USA, hate of others because of race is rampant. the states with the least gun laws are now like living in the old wild west. we have had shootings at burger king, walmart and I fear there may be a 2nd Civil War coming. of course you feel for your home country, as you should.

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  2. Yamini MacLeanNovember 13, 2023 at 3:14 AM

    Hari Om
    Indeed it is normal to feel more deeply when there is that stronger connection to a place or people. The world seems to be in self destruct mode just now
    ... the heart aches... YAM xxx

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  3. JuliaNovember 13, 2023 at 9:33 AM

    Such a sad situation our world is in right now, seemingly devoid of tolerance and love for people who are different than us.
    How sad that this village of which you feel a connection with has been destroyed by evil and those poor residents who have been displaced. Their lives will never be the same. This is beyond what human can fix except our Savior, Jesus.

    Of course, we feel more strongly when we have connection to these people. The whole world is interconnected and people are starting to protest worldwide. I pray for Peace.

    Hugs, Julia

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  4. Ginny HartzlerNovember 13, 2023 at 10:10 AM

    Oh how awful. Really, I am in tears now after reading your touching post about this wonderful city. Men will not be satisfied until we have killed everyone on the planet. Switching the subject, I am so glad you bought the snail mucous!! You must post it and also let us know how it worked. There is a lot about it on the web. Our granddaughter is 16 and has perfect, gorgeous skin!!! So WHY? I think a lot of women, especially teens, have a need to look perfect and fit in. I have to say I am not buying it for her, because she doesn't need it. WE need it though!

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  5. Lowcarb team memberNovember 13, 2023 at 2:00 PM

    Our world is not in a good place at the moment is it.
    In my own way I do my best to make my part of the world a kinder place.

    While commenting here, can I just say thank you for your kind comments on the low carb diabetic blog, so pleased that the recent 'cereal' link post and other recipes are proving helpful to you.

    My good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  6. happyoneNovember 13, 2023 at 3:29 PM

    So sad to read about the village.
    Such an angry world we live in now.

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  7. Janie JunebugNovember 13, 2023 at 6:44 PM

    Oh, no. The destruction is heartbreaking. I think it's natural and normal to be more upset about the war when it touches people with whom you feel a kinship.

    Love,
    Janie

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  8. TeresaANovember 14, 2023 at 5:18 AM

    This is heartbreaking. The older I get the more broadly I feel kinship.

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  9. DUTANovember 14, 2023 at 5:40 AM

    The story of the swedish village in Ukraine, practically destroyed by war, is terribly sad!
    I keep saying we cannot prevent natural disasters, but we sure can preven wars , that are man-made. - initiated and carried out by people, if only the involved parties stop hating and start talking.

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  10. sandyNovember 14, 2023 at 6:18 PM

    It's all so sad - so much pain and conflict in the world. I understand how deep you must feel about seeing this.

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  11. Debby November 15, 2023 at 3:36 PM

    That is so sad that such a special place has been destroyed. I have a friend who was born and raised in Poland and then in the late 80's-early 90's her Mom and her left for Sweden. She speaks both polish and Swedish. Met and married a Swedish man and gave birth to her 3 children here in California. I know right now she is having a very hard time of what is going on - she still has family in Poland and the anti-Semitism that is being heard around the world and in parts of California is upsetting to her as well. Our world is changing and not for the good.

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