Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova thinks back to time spent in Bloomington

As Ukraine marked 30 years of independence from Russia on Thursday, it seems a good time to say hello to Bloomington’s best-known Ukrainian friend, Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States.

In a chat from her office in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Markarova said even though she hasn’t been back to Bloomington in person for more than 20 years (“But I do join events online!”) she remembers the town and Indiana University fondly.

“Whether you are into culture or sports, you can find it in Bloomington,” she said. “Some would say it’s in the middle of nowhere, but I would say it’s the center of everything!”

Markarova came to Bloomington for graduate studies at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, which later became the O’Neill school. She received a Master of Public Affairs degree, with a focus on public finance, in 2001.

Home again in Ukraine, she was appointed deputy minister of finance and later minister of finance. Markarova was appointed ambassador to the United States in February 2021.

She remembers Bloomington people as “very down to earth. Even the most sophisticated were never arrogant — intelligent but quite humble,” adding: “If you travel to Ukraine, we’ll offer you the same — mashed potatoes and pork chops!”

And there’s something about the setting of Bloomington, in south-central Indiana, that reminds Markarova of Central-Western Ukraine, where you’ll see old granite quarries filled with water, like the limestone quarries of Indiana, she said.

So, where did she live in Bloomington?

“I lived right off campus, on Grant Street, together with a friend of mine — we rented an apartment,” she said.

And places she remembers?

“First of all, the campus itself,” Markarova said.

“Then, the Runcible Spoon! You know it? I spent so much time there, all the international students did. And Kirkwood Avenue, and Nick’s for a game.

“We used to go to the Irish Lion — good steak and beer. I will definitely go there when I come back!”

Markarova meets lots of people from many places at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. So, what does she say to young people about their responsibility to the world now?

“You have to learn your profession. You have to learn how to take care of yourself and to take care of others.

“I always tell people that democracy and freedom and independence are never given. You have to fight for it even in peaceful times.

“During this horrible 17-month period, our young people have learned how to do this,” she said.

And she’s very proud of her Ukrainian young people.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Ukraine's U.S. ambassador is a graduate of Indiana University