EVERETT – Galina Allen knew that as a Pentecostal she had no chance of getting into nursing school in her native Ukraine.
So in 1985 she moved to another Soviet republic, Latvia, where religious discrimination wasn’t as severe. Four years later, Allen immigrated to Snohomish County.
“I came to this country because I was deprived of a lot of opportunities based upon my beliefs,” she said.
Allen spoke Thursday to more than 60 people at an Everett Community College forum on Ukrainian culture and traditions, and on Pentecostal beliefs. About 90 percent of Ukrainians in Snohomish County are Pentecostal, said Allen, a bilingual job counselor with the Refugee and Immigrant Forum of Snohomish County.
In the 2000 Census, nearly 3,800 people in Snohomish County identified themselves as being of Ukrainian ancestry, although Allen said the true number is closer to 10,000.
The talk was the first of what could be a series of presentations at the college on local ethnic and immigrant groups, said Faye Dunlap of the college’s Equity and Diversity Center.
Much of Allen’s talk was on the cultural obstacles that Ukrainians face. She recalled how she once made the mistake of rejecting an American’s offer of food, even though she was hungry.
In Ukraine, she said, it’s considered polite to decline food once or even twice, before finally accepting it.
Many Ukrainians have problems with job interviews, she said, because they’re uncomfortable with boasting about their accomplishments.
“Here, you’re supposed to sell yourself to a potential employer,” she said. “We were told other people are supposed to say good things about you – not yourself.”
Erica Sternin, managing librarian at the Mukilteo branch of the Sno-Isle Libraries system, said Allen’s presentation will help her better serve Ukrainian patrons. For example, she didn’t know until Thursday that Ukrainians typically do not smile at strangers.
“At the library, we’re taught to smile at every new person in the building,” Sternin said. “That’s how we’re trained to welcome people. We need to be aware that if someone doesn’t respond with a smile, that doesn’t mean they’re in a bad mood or they don’t like you.”
Reporter David Olson: 425-339-3452 or dolson@heraldnet.com.
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