Entertaining Strangers and Finding Angels
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. — Hebrews 13:2
Left to right, at the square of St Michael of the Domes: St Andrew, St Olga, St Methodius and St Cyril
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. — Hebrews 13:2
It is not my wont to write so soon after a trip; in fact, my trips to Somaliland and Papua New Guinea in April and June respectively remain unwritten, handwritten notes jotted in notebooks stashed in some forgotten corner, and arguably those trips held far more excitement than any reasonable person could expect.
If this post seems somewhat effusive in comparison to previous writings, I make no apologies because finding genuine warmth from relative strangers is to be treasured and celebrated. Business travel is a cold, miserable, lonely business (literally). More often than not, you find yourself rushing to meet this train or that flight, praying your alliance status will get you through the ordeal ahead. Visiting new countries can be fun; it sure seems fun at first, but the glow quickly fades when you return to your hotel drained every night. I’ve always contended that business people who manage to conduct dalliances and affairs whilst travelling display a stamina that eludes me.
Back to the post and my maiden sojourn to Kyiv and Lviv, Ukraine, at the invitation of the Institute of Leadership and Management at the Ukrainian Catholic University. It all started a dreadful grey February day when Ola Kotska called at our Berlin office on behalf of UCU, asking if Dave and I would be keen to visit her country and explore partnership opportunities. Neither of us turn down opportunities to visit new cities for a good week (Lviv, in Dave’s case), so of course we said yes, even if the exact nature of the visit had yet emerged. The irony of Dave being a Roman Catholic, and Jesuit at that, had not escaped me.
On my part, Ukraine is a fascinating country, not least because of its current geopolitical situation. The humanities grad in me always looks to the history, language, religion and art of a country to understand its people, and in Ukraine’s case, it is either happy coincidence or divine planning that I am to be finally, formally received into the faith by a Ukrainian Catholic priest this December. I was thus armed with baseline knowledge and a list of foods I had to try.
The date was set for mid September. Time flies, and despite several conference calls in the intervening months, I hadn’t appreciated the scale of what UCU was planning, which naturally led to my complacency in obtaining a visa. The week before last was an exercise in self-flagellation, mild panic and steely determination as I realised I’d missed the deadline for an online visa application, but there’s nothing a phone call and consulate visit can’t solve. Note to self: you don’t realise the privilege of holding a Singapore passport until you do.
The flight was uneventful, if long. A seven-hour break at ZRH’s lounge provided respite and a chance to clear emails — here’s another thing about business travel: all your quotidian work falls by the wayside, and the catch-up is inevitably horrific.
Seeing Ola’s face after more than twenty hours on the road was quite welcome. The next five days were a breeze as far as logistics were concerned. I don’t think we’ve ever been this well cared for in a long time, and it is to our hosts’ great credit that they practise the Christian value of hospitality that is easily espoused but usually taken for granted.
St Michael of the Domes, first night’s walkabout in Kyiv
Proof that I actually did some work amidst all the feeding
Euromaidan is still very, very fresh in Ukrainian collective memory
The next day leading two half-day workshops, with NGOs in the morning and government in the afternoon; same format, different audience proved more taxing than originally thought. It is as much about stamina as dealing with the emotional stimulus of a new group and starting from fresh just as you got into the swing of things. Nevertheless, facilitation is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly, just like writing, and Tuesday was an excellent chance to do so.
The following paragraph reflects my personal views and are not necessarily held by Cognitive Edge. Ukraine, as a country, is on the cusp of renewal, recent upheaval bringing a sea change within certain demographics. It has a president just about 100 days in office, with one of the youngest cabinets around; one of them only 29. The old east-west tensions lurk beneath the surface, but the general sense is that Ukraine wants to move forward in a manner that engages all factions of civil society. It is a country that knows it wants to be more visible and known on the world stage, and that the first way to do that is to be serious about cleaning up its domestic act. The openness (a word they used many times) and willingness to try new things is enabling the energy from the sea change to be implemented. The cost of living is still low, the potential for growth is huge, and people are hungry. A great challenge would be making that growth sustainable, in a way that does not run roughshod over their more vulnerable citizens.
Thursday saw us heading to Lviv, and the difference is palpable. Cultured, genteel, intellectual — they are Galicians after all and ultimately Austro-Hungarian when it comes down to it. Art, particularly the performing arts such as music, is firmly embedded in Lviv life, not merely its cultural life. Musicians can be found every few yards or so, to the point that it can become excessive, but we’d never have discovered the absolutely stunning bandura. Check it out on YouTube, highly recommended.
Religious life is also deeply embedded in Lviv’s consciousness, even if one is not necessarily observant. Churches dot the old city, and shrines can be found at roundabouts. People don’t shout about their faith, but it is clear to me that talk is considered cheap, and practising values and ethos is what counts. I deeply respect that.
The campus church is the heart of a Catholic university, of course
UCU’s commitment to practising Christian values of charity, hospitality, service and compassion is a beacon in a world quite devoid of any of those, and so is its devotion to pastoral care and developing spiritual leadership. The only way we can pull ourselves out of our current messes in atomised, polarised societies is to acknowledge the role that religion and spirituality still play in the majority of societies, and to use its tenets to overcome differences, build bridges and rebuild communities. UCU is a natural partner in that regard for Eastern Europe and its diaspora. We will be back in Lviv next year for linked events in training.
Last but not least, none of this would have been possible without the meticulous planning and organising by the ILM team, particularly Anna and Solomia, and of course Natalia and Ola. We were taken care of as if we were members of their families, which I’m reasonably sure is how they saw it. Such genuine warmth comes from a wellspring of rootedness in community, in each other, in shared visions. I feel grateful to have been on the receiving end of that.
I will end this post as I started it, with a Bible verse Natalia quoted in reference to Lviv and UCU:
Can anything good come out of Nazareth
In response to her question, Yes — and look how far that came.