WEBVTT - Conversations with Val Chmerkovskiy 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:06.680 This is Conversationous with Olivia Jade in My Heart Radio podcast. 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:12.320 Hello everybody, is Olivia Jade. Welcome back to another podcast episode. 0:00:12.720 --> 0:00:17.479 I am really grateful for today's guest. Not only is 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:20.400 he a really good friend of mine, but I think 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:24.120 that this episode is so important and it's so fitting 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:27.200 for what's going on right now and today I have 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:31.160 Val Schmerkovsky coming on my podcast. He was my partner 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.560 on Dancing with the Stars. He was born in Ukraine 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:38.960 and he has been doing a lot to help those 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:41.320 that are in need in Ukraine right now, and it's 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:44.239 something that you know, a little a little can go 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:45.760 a long way, and so I want him to come 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.440 on and talk to you guys about what's happening, how 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:51.640 you can help with you've been curious and um just 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.520 get a little history lesson on why and how this 0:00:54.600 --> 0:00:57.880 is all going down. So with that being said, he's 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:06.160 welcomed out. What's somebody? How are you good? I'm I'm 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:08.600 very excited for this episode for the I mean, most 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:10.240 people are going to be listening to this, but if 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:12.880 you do see on social media, like the little clips, 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.640 you'll see where Val is right now. And this episode 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:21.360 is very important because fall is from Ukraine. He was 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:24.640 my partner on Dancing with the Stars. Everything that's going 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:28.199 on right now is very near and dear to his heart. 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:30.520 And I kind of want to let you take it 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:33.080 away and explain whatever it is you think people should 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:35.440 know the history how to help what you're doing where 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:38.680 you are. And I'm going to shut up because I 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:42.160 don't know anything. So well, first of all, thank you 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:44.119 for having me, thank you for giving me a chance 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:48.680 to talk to your audience. I would, and I mean 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:51.360 that I would all due respect. I would hope that 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:55.320 people are learning in history books, you know, the things 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:59.160 you know, world history, not just American history obviously brainwasher. 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:03.760 This conflict Eastern Europe in general and especially in the 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:07.960 last century, you know, that's that's world history, you know. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:10.679 And uh, I'm just gonna get into it. Ukraine and 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.600 Russia have been neighbors, have been brothers in arms. I'm 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:20.160 not gonna go extensive history of like Kivs Carouse, which 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.880 is you know, kind of the empire was one under 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.280 the key of empire a few world back back in 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:29.440 the day. But let's just talk about the last you know, 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:34.240 let's say a hundred years. Uh, there was a union 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:37.200 called Soviet Union, right, and it was fourteen republicans that 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:43.200 were under under the same flag, um and Ukraine and 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:45.920 Russia being part of it. Now the Russian language was 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.760 then the main language of all of these republics. Now 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:54.760 that included Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania. A lot of the 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.359 you know countries that we're very individual, have their own 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.720 individual history that decided to unite together under let's say 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.840 a common cause, but by no means that they become 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:09.200 one country. They yes, for that time they were let's say, 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:12.800 one nation under the flag of the Soviet Union, but 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:17.480 they have extensive individual history and their own languages. Uh. 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:21.240 And so in just fast forward in nineteen nine and 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.680 started it was official that the Soviet Union fell apart, 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:29.520 and all these republics gained their own independence. And in 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:33.600 the last thirty years these republics, with this new found independence, 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:38.360 a lot of them adopted you know, democratic principles. And 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.240 with those democratic principles came also a lot of pride 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:47.120 and developing and now adopting back their their history, which is, 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:49.440 you know, their own language. Let's start with that. Now 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:55.560 that didn't complicate things. I am a product of with 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.360 some would at the moment consider a complicated situation. It's 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:02.320 not a company get a situation. I am from Ukraine. 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:06.640 I'm from a Ukraine. I speak Russian. I speak Russian 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:09.200 because that was the language that I at the time, 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:11.240 when I was born, a long, long time ago, was 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.360 still part of the Soviet Union. So I learned Russian 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:17.359 because that was the you know, the language that everybody learned. 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:20.240 A lot of people in my city speak Russian, a 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:24.400 lot of them Ukrainian, a lot of them speak Yiddish 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:27.119 because they were of Jewish descent. It's a melting pot city, 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:29.120 you know, just like you know, you go to New 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.280 York City. There's a lot of dialects, but it's still 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.640 New York City, which is part of the New York State, 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:37.240 which is part of America. UH. Anyway, the point is 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:41.480 that all of these republics had the right to pursue 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:45.320 their own independence in the democratic fashion, and that's what 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:48.440 they did. In Ukraine, because we are speaking about Ukraine, 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.160 did just that. And there were a lot of growing 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.039 pains right in the nineties were really difficult time for 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:59.920 all of these republics, particularly Ukraine Russia as well. UH. 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:03.360 But in two thousands and and now in the last 0:05:03.480 --> 0:05:06.640 decade with a new generation of kids that that are 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:09.600 now united by the Internet and then the world kind 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.720 of shrinking, but we're all adopting each other's cultures were all. 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:18.720 You know, your generation especially is becoming you know, it's 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:22.200 kind of leading the this this storm leading the way 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:27.320 on kind of like not being divided, united by you know, 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:32.919 just the humanity of it. So um, I mean, that's 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:37.080 why this is so sad because you know, Ukrainians and 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.880 Russians and not just neighbors, you know, are great. Our 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:44.080 grandparents lived through the Holocaust together. They you know, they 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:46.960 fought in World War Two together. The Soviet Union lost 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:51.560 twenty seven million people in World War Two, seven million 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:56.320 people that included not just Russians, that included Ukrainians and 0:05:56.400 --> 0:06:00.240 Bela Russians and Lithuanians, Estonians and Armenians and everybod I 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:02.920 just mentioned. You know, we all fought in that war. 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:05.880 And so for you know, some of these grandparents haven't 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.400 died yet. For them to see the situation that's happening 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.640 is heartbreaking, you know. And so that's just kind of 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.520 the history of I guess, you know, just because there's 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:20.240 so much propaganda and fake news and misleading news, if 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:23.680 you will. Uh. And I'm the type of person that 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:27.400 always tries to see every angle, right. I think it's important, 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:31.560 you know, there's never just one side to a debate. 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:34.240 I think it's important to also be empathetic enough to 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.120 see what the other side is thinking, of feeling, or wanting. 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.760 But I think in this particular case is it's kind 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:46.200 of very clear. I have to confront my elasticity sometimes 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:49.039 as well and be like, no, bro, listen, there's also 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.000 some things that are right and some things are wrong. 0:06:52.800 --> 0:06:56.080 This is an unprovoked invasion by a neighbor that feels 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:02.440 not just invasive, it feels it feels like betrayal, you know, 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:05.440 it feels like real betrayal because these are cities that 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:10.160 celebrated Russian artists and and would with respect to Russia, 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:15.920 Russia celebrated Ukrainian artists. You know, it's they were It's hard, 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:18.000 you know. I'll give you my example. You know, I 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:23.440 immigrated to America ninety four, um, and for a long time, 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:25.680 you know, even with you, you were like, hey, where 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:28.640 are you from from Ukraine? Where is that? I'm like, 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:32.320 it's basically near Russia, you know. So you're right, Yeah, 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.720 I'm Russia. You speak Ukrainian, No I speak about Okay, 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:38.120 you're right. You know, this is a real conversation we had, 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:43.160 you know, and the truth is, no, I I'm I'm 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:47.040 Russia speaking Ukrainian. And now more than ever, you know, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.600 the unfortunate silver line and they came out of this 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:53.600 is now people know where Ukraine is, and not only that, 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:59.120 they know the difference. And you know, my sadness is 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:04.440 apps salutely with the Ukrainian people, absolutely, but it's also 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:08.400 with the Russian people because unfortunately, these actions are setting 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.560 that country back and isolating that country, you know, and 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.000 it's going to be a long time, but the sanctions 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:17.600 and everything, you know, it's for the first time in 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:21.040 a long time. You know. I grew up in this country, uh, 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:24.400 you know, and every blockbuster thriller, you know, there's always 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:27.280 a Russian guy trying to take over the world, and 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.360 and I was always like, damn, I has always got 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:31.920 to be the Russian guy. Um And you know, and 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.320 I feel like there's done a lot of work that 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:36.400 was done in the last you know, like I said, 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:41.160 twenty years that finally assimilated Russian culture and tradition into 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:44.880 into the fabric of the world. And because there's a 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:47.840 lot of incredible human resource, there's inquiring a lot of 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:53.559 incredible talent, a lot of amazing people. And you know, this, 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:57.480 unfortunately is h is a huge leap back. It's not 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:02.240 a step back, it's a lead back for Russia. And 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:06.199 and in the most obvious way, it is absolutely devastating 0:09:06.240 --> 0:09:10.800 for Ukraine. Um. But on the flip side, the way 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:16.160 it has rallied the world behind this country. And you know, 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:20.520 I'm sitting in Portly, New Jersey, a largely Korean neighborhood, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.720 you know, with with Eastern Europeans and Italians and the 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:28.000 Spanish community and the Black community, and you know, we 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.520 we this is right outside of New York City, and 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:33.280 it's a microcosm of what this country is all about. 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:37.320 And the volunteers that are coming into UH into this 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:40.920 initiative that we found at here are every single color 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.880 of all ages. This is not a scoulsive East Europeans 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:47.080 that are coming to help. It's thousands of people from 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.679 you know, like I said, all different cultures. And you know, 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:53.320 for me, that's been kind of the most um the 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:57.319 most beautiful thing is that you know, it's it's easier 0:09:57.400 --> 0:09:59.960 to rally around a cause that is you know, touch 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:05.080 to you personally. Uh, it's much more difficult to take 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:07.839 the time and and and take your hard earned dollar 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.439 and donate it, or take your time again and volunteer 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.120 or donate a piece of clothing or you know, rally 0:10:13.200 --> 0:10:16.240 behind a cause and a country that is very very 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:22.320 far away from you, you know, and and doesn't affect 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:26.640 you immediately. It's it's a beautiful thing that they you know, 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.319 it's I said this to somebody. You know, I haven't 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.280 felt this type of you know, I put I put 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:34.200 up a flag on my car two times in my 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:38.679 life because you know, as bravado and extra as I 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:41.679 can be sometimes, you know, this type of patriotism I've 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.360 only felt twice in my life, you know, I mean 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:47.800 many times. But like again, I never went as far 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:50.160 as putting a flag up my car. It was after 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:55.160 no eleven, after not eleven here driving around the city. Uh. 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:58.319 You know I had the American flag with pride, and 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.400 and now after this I have you know, I have 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.200 the Ukrainian flag driving around the standardas so. Um, it 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.760 is the incredible situation that we're in and I hope 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.600 you know, yet again, it is the youth. It's it's 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:14.720 your generation, it's our generation. I guess in some regard 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:19.200 that has the power to really spread the word. Uh, 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.800 you know, I don't want to you know, I don't 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:27.360 wanna encourage bullying each other. I don't want any you know, 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:32.160 further animosity. I just want kids to kind of open 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:34.719 their eyes and and and do their due diligence and 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.839 if they have the time, maybe maybe you know, kind 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.640 of research and and do their best to to help 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:47.600 because again, uh, you know, today it's Ukraine, Tomorrow it's 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:49.760 it's going to be somewhere else, and you know, we 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:53.000 have to be really you know, we have to just 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:55.480 really work hard to make sure that we're not going 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:58.760 backwards and that the next generation is living in a 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:02.480 world that you know, you're not bombing cities and uh, 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.360 you know, kindergartens and and kids aren't living in bomb shelters. 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.760 It was really personal besides me, you know, looking at 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:31.720 my heritage in my birthplace and wanting to do something. 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.520 You know, my brother was in Key of when the 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:39.600 invasion started, and uh, you know, we're all really nervous obviously, 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:44.080 and he was petrified. We talked about it, and you know, 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:47.760 he was grateful to get out. But you know he's 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:50.200 now right back at the Polish border trying to do, 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:53.720 you know, whatever he can. He's we'll get into where 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.440 I am and what we're doing, uh as far as 0:12:56.720 --> 0:13:00.480 you know, our resources. But yeah, there is a lot 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:06.280 of sadness still, you know, because it's good that you know, 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:08.959 we're safe here in the privilege of living in this country, 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.200 but you know, there are a lot of our friends 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.280 and family and peers that are in Ukraine right now 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:18.040 that are, like I said, in bomb shelters. And I 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:20.800 think we're getting a little you know, used to hearing 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.319 that word, and we're kind of like, okay, cool, No, No, 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:25.960 Like you don't know, you don't understand what that is. 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:28.200 That means you don't have a home and you have 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.920 to hide in the shelter with with nothing there, there's nothing. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.520 It's not like you're swiping through your you know, Internet, 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:41.120 and the tension and the fear, you know, so, uh, 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:43.640 we wanted to do something, you know, I don't I 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:47.920 don't you know. Um, It's crazy to me the courage 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:52.040 that it takes for a fellow dancer yesterday, we're you know, 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.560 we're competing at a dance competition today. He you know, 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:57.760 he picked up an A K forty seven and he's 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:04.400 you know, patrolling his story like like, that's not I 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:06.960 don't know if that's the kind of life we wanna 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.800 have in this world. You know, I don't know if 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.200 that should be a reality for anybody that's a young 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:16.280 man trying to you know, one thing, my mom says like, 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:18.800 you know, well this was a couple of weeks ago, 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.960 you know, but she was like, you know, the war 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:24.240 has been going on for now ten days. You know, 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:28.280 just eleven days ago, these kids went to bed like 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:31.960 nervous about their test that's coming out, you know, they 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:36.040 were excited about maybe their wedding day coming up. They 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:40.960 were grieving, you know, some sort of pain, or they 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.360 were nervous about something else. So they were dreaming about 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:47.880 getting into their I don't know, like accomplishing that thing 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:50.360 that they always wanted, you know, or excited to go 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:54.360 on that date with that boy that they finally asked 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:58.720 them out. And literally overnight, just all of that shatters, 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:03.520 and all of that shatters immediately and for the foreseeable future, 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.400 and I just you know, sometimes we look at things 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:11.200 on TV and is devastating, but we can't understand it, 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:12.920 you can't feel it. And when you kind of like 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:18.520 everyday humanize the topic that the subject matter, I think 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:22.680 it hits home a little bit more, you know, realizing that, 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:27.960 like these are old people that do all of this. 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:32.040 They love playing basketball just like me. They you know, 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:37.600 they like good fashion, they love you know, they they 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:42.480 love Jack Harlow and whoever else is popping right now 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:44.400 and Cardi B. Like these are these are kids that 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:49.040 grew up again. Ukraine has done a tremendous job moving forward, 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:53.000 moving uh, you know, kind of progressing into the future. 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:57.760 It has just an incredible again human resource and natural 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:02.840 resources and history and beautiful cities and architecture. It's a 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:06.280 country that's over a thousand years old, you know, just 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.280 to put it in perspective, this country's not even you know, 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.720 it's two and fifty years old. It's over a thousand 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:16.000 years old. There's so much history there, uh, and you 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:19.720 know it's literally being bombed and leveled as we speak. 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:27.040 And that's yeah, that's kind of my little feel for you. Well, 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:30.920 I think it was very informative. Um I mean, yeah, 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:34.440 it's really hard to wrap. Yeah, it's hard because I 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.480 can't even imagine how like I feel a certain way 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:39.720 about it immediately when I heard about it, just because 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:41.480 I know you and love you so much, and it 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:43.800 then it feels personal to me. And then it's like 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:45.840 when you really sit here and you think about like 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:50.680 kids and moms and people that were living their daily 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:53.880 life in their complete normal bubble and now they're in 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.320 bomb shelters like you were saying, and just these terrible, 0:16:56.400 --> 0:17:00.200 terrible situations. It's it's hard to even believe that's where all. 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:07.160 But you know, like can you imagine a young family, 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.840 like I said, you know, just a short while ago, 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:14.719 dreaming about their you know, buying their home or just 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:19.240 just moving into their home, starting their family. And now, uh, 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:22.240 the guy has to go, you know, the guy has 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.360 to go and serve on the front, you know, being 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:30.560 a trench somewhere while his wife and kids are refugees 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:34.160 in a neighboring country if they're lucky, and when they 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.920 do get to a neighboring country, Like the challenges, the 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.919 just the everyday challenges. I I don't want to again 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.359 paint this, you know, gloomy picture but we start to 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:48.320 celebrate when we see kids be accepted by these countries 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:50.800 as refugees, and it is a beautiful thing and it's 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:54.320 a testament to the world for opening it his doors 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:56.679 to the Ukrainian people. But then once they're there, like, 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:00.159 let me just put it in perspective, it's like, now up, 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:05.240 you know, where's that? What are we doing? What language 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:09.159 are we speaking? What do I do? I'm a professional engineer, 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:15.000 Like do I go and clean somewhere or like like, 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:19.200 which is also a noble job, but it's like even 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:21.720 that job is scarce. Like we also live in a 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:25.159 tough it's tough for everybody, not just Ukrainians. But you know, 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:28.720 to add this, it's like you look around and you know, 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:31.159 the ego, the pride, for get the ego, but just 0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:34.800 like self respect, you know, you kind of it just 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:39.800 it just kind of it shatters everything at every level, 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:44.720 war in general, and it's just that's where we ad 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.080 And I never thought that, like after two years of 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.960 a pandemic, you know, this would be now this this 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:53.560 other hurdle for the world to kind of try to swallow. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:12.359 Ye do you kind of want to talk about the 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:15.240 President of Ukraine a little bit because I I was 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:18.280 fascinated when you were talking to me. And also fun 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:23.160 fact he won Dancing with Stars in Ukraine, right yeah, yeah, 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:29.080 So this guy, you know, he was an amazing actor, artist, 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:37.680 comedian in particular, UM who got a degree in economics. 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:40.040 I believe economics. Don't call me on that, but he 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:45.240 you know, he's an educated man, right uh, but pursued 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:47.639 the arts and was really good at it, really you 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.359 know charismatic. Um as a celebrity, right like in Ukraine, 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:53.600 he was, he's a celebrity. Yeah, yeah, he was. He 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:56.840 was a celebrity in Russia too. He was a celebrity 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:01.679 in Ukraine and in Russia he was celebrated, you know, 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.640 the celebrity, but he was. He was a very well 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:09.280 respected artist. And in two thousand and six he actually 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.320 competed in the Ukrainian Dancing with the Stars and one 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:15.199 just to kind of like full circle moment for me 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:18.640 to just kind of get a little attachment to the guy. 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:21.440 But yeah, he he's a fellow Dancing with the Stars, 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:26.520 an alumni, UM and he actually you know, he came 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:30.119 out with the show that where he you know, he 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:31.879 built his notoriety and then he came out with the 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:34.560 show where he actually plays a president, and the whole 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:38.840 concept of the of the show was that this regular guy, uh, 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:41.639 you know, within the turmoil of the country and a 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:45.560 lot of corruption and political corruption and unrest. Uh, this 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:51.080 regular everyday guy um runs runs for office. I mean 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:53.880 it's more complex than that. But somehow he ends up 0:20:53.920 --> 0:20:57.760 being in this campaign, you know, for for office and 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:03.040 he wins you know, short along story short, and it 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.359 was such a popular show and it was just you know, 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:09.640 I guess again. Ukraine has been through a lot of 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:14.480 growing pains politically and uh, you know, it had a 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:17.160 revolution in two thousand and fourteen, and had a revolution 0:21:17.160 --> 0:21:20.200 in two thousand and four before that thousand and eight. Uh, 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:22.919 and then in two thousand and fourteen, Uh, there was 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:27.680 a huge again the people rose up to their government. 0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:32.879 It was a huge again revolution that was that was 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:36.920 led by the people to have a democratic process because 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:40.639 they didn't believe in their representation. Uh, and there was 0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:43.840 a lot of corruption and uh, they fought for their 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:47.560 democratic right to elect their president. And so you know 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:52.520 that a show about the everyday man rising to the 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:57.000 occasion and with humility and no political agendas or rather 0:21:57.000 --> 0:22:01.359 there no you know, I guess no option attached to 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:05.840 the history of his political career. Um. This this everyday 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:08.639 man gets elected and he becomes a national hero and 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:14.080 then he does a good job as president, etcetera. And 0:22:14.119 --> 0:22:17.800 it was such a popular show that as a like, 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:22.080 people online started kind of messing around with him and 0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:25.440 and going like, yo, you should actually run for president 0:22:25.480 --> 0:22:28.560 because he's an off camera he you know, he loved 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:32.320 his country. Is his grandfather, you know, fought in the 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:38.000 Great War, um, and you know, he comes from a 0:22:38.040 --> 0:22:41.679 family of military men, you know that served Ukraine, so 0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:45.160 he has a lot of pride in Ukraine and being there, 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:48.600 and uh, you know, it went viral, this this kind 0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:52.120 of like the notion of him actually running for office 0:22:52.200 --> 0:22:58.720 because again, the people were exhausted of politicians and you know, 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:03.040 career politicians, if you will, with certain agendas, self serving agendas, 0:23:03.040 --> 0:23:05.840 and and one thing led to another they kind of 0:23:05.920 --> 0:23:10.840 like volunteered him into into, you know, run for office. 0:23:10.920 --> 0:23:13.760 And in Ukraine it's a little different how it goes. 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:16.520 There's multiple parties, it's not just a two party system 0:23:16.640 --> 0:23:19.399 like in America. And uh, you know, he kind of 0:23:19.480 --> 0:23:23.080 ran as under his and and then the slogan was 0:23:23.119 --> 0:23:27.959 the same as in the show, and uh yeah, he 0:23:28.040 --> 0:23:32.679 kind of ran under a very like a similar brand, 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:38.200 if you and he passed the first round of elections 0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:44.399 and people were like, oh, shoot, like this and people 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:48.880 really rallied and he won by like sevent like sev 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:53.680 which is unbelievable, you know, but he was revered and 0:23:53.720 --> 0:23:56.240 loved and and then again he stepped into the office 0:23:56.280 --> 0:23:59.560 and I guess two thousand nineteen, I believe, and my 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:04.880 man was hit with the pandemic, you know, and and 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:11.359 rallied his country out of that, and then and now this, 0:24:11.880 --> 0:24:14.199 you know, and and the way he's you know again, 0:24:14.320 --> 0:24:16.320 if you turned on the news or you've been following 0:24:16.320 --> 0:24:19.560 the story, I mean, this man has really rose to 0:24:19.640 --> 0:24:22.879 the occasion. You know. His his famous quote that I 0:24:22.880 --> 0:24:26.800 guess went around the world is America. I guess called 0:24:26.840 --> 0:24:29.360 him to to help extract him from the country when 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:33.000 the invasion started, and h he said, you know, I 0:24:33.000 --> 0:24:36.160 don't need a ride, I need an ammunition. Uh. And 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:39.879 so you know, he's he's hunkered down and he's with 0:24:39.920 --> 0:24:43.040 the people. And you know, when you're fighting a bully 0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:48.280 that's overpowering and oversized and overmatched, when you're all out overmatched. 0:24:48.560 --> 0:24:51.879 I guess is the word morale is huge. You know 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:53.880 when they say it's not it's not the dog, it's 0:24:53.880 --> 0:24:55.399 not the size of the dog in the fight, as 0:24:55.400 --> 0:24:57.399 the size of the fighting the dog. Like this is 0:24:57.400 --> 0:25:01.800 a perfect example, opinions are you know, really you know 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:06.280 they have a reason. You know, they have the morale 0:25:06.400 --> 0:25:10.600 because there is no reason for Russian military to be there, 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:12.639