Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 29(2): STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICESA Phenomenological Approach to Uncovering
Multilingual Identities:
A Navigation of Ukrainian, Japanese, and English
through Crisis Management
Michael Kuziw, Jin-Ai University
Email: mike.kuziw@gmail.com

Introduction
Growing up in Ontario, Canada, it was second nature to use English as a common language in public
settings, including school. However, up to the 4th grade, I had attended a public elementary school thatcatered to families of the Ukrainian diaspora. Everyone around me was of Ukrainian descent, including thehomeroom teachers, the principal and even the French teachers; Ms. Tymchyshyn, Ms. Twerdochlyb, Ms.
Olenka and Mr. Sweleba, just to name a few. Then, on the first day of the 5 th grade at my new school, St.
Jerome Elementary School, I first realized that not only was I the only one in my class who could speak
Ukrainian, but that I was not the only one who could speak another language. I have a vivid memory of thedelight I felt in being surrounded by people who had their own culture on that day, and how much pleasure
I took in sharing that feeling with my mother. This memory has stayed with me over the years, but notwithout its challenges. In order to truly appreciate my identity, I would come to learn that navigating myway around my language skills would be the only way I could find true happiness and purpose in my life.
This personal reflection will be applicable for everyone who seeks to understand how to appreciate theirlanguage skills, and understand how language plays a pivotal role in one’s identity and enrichment to life.
My turning point
The connection I have with my Ukrainian heritage has spanned decades, but I was never as impacted as I
was on February 24th, 2022 when Russian forces invaded Ukrainian territory. There is no questioning that
this event has significantly altered people’s livelihoods, their safety, and their well-being. I must admitthat in no way can I fully grasp the pain of the people who called Ukraine home, or their experiences
throughout the war, however, for me, this was a turning point in my own identity. From day one I wasreminded of my Ukrainian heritage, most notably through messages from friends. Many of these messages
came from close connections, family members, and classmates, but others came from individuals who I
have had very little interaction with. The common thread was that despite their closeness, physically andemotionally, they all knew the association I have with my Ukrainian heritage–I wear it on my sleeve.
The navigation of language
After being approached by the Fukui Prefectural Government to work as a translator-interpreter for
displaced persons from Ukraine, for the first time, I had a conversation about my identity as it related tomy Ukrainian heritage. What I wanted to gain from this experience was a clear idea of how I have come toassociate with my Ukrainian heritage as it relates to my identity, by deconstructing the influences in mylife that have led me to this point. The focal point would be to know how language manifests itself in theidentity that I hold onto; a combination of various identities formed by language. By doing so, I could makesense of my work as a language teacher, being more aware of the way my students themselves navigate
their own identities as it relates to language in their lives.
The dialogic inquiry is complemented by a language landscape of myself, answering existential
questions through a chronological plot of the language in my life. For the analysis, I used a

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 29(2): STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES
phenomenological approach; the idea of a unique construction of the human experience, which states that
individuals do not experience life as isolated events; rather they are active in creating cohesion andconnections between the events to create a meaningful life story (Barkhuizen, 2011). To make sense of myexperience, I applied an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which allowed me to categorize
my findings into three basic classifications: Time, Space and Body. (Smith, Jarman, & Osborn, 1999.)

TimeMy prior experiences
Canada has the second largest diaspora of Ukrainians outside of Ukraine, where more than 1 million people
identify as ethnic Ukrainians. The foundations I have with Ukrainian culture were instilled by my parentsand grandparents, who were proud of their culture and ancestry, passing down traditions, including thelanguage. I am very grateful to them for raising me bilingually and for encouraging me to take an interestin my heritage. From an early age, I learned about Ukraine, its language, the history, and culture. Not only
did I attend heritage language school, but I also created bonds with others in the diaspora. I was proud ofmy heritage and often spoke about it. I even had the chance to visit Ukraine once, which further
strengthened my relationship with Ukraine.
Me, nowUntil recently, I didn’t know how to express my identity effectively in social settings. In Canada,conversations often started with, “Oh, I was wondering how to pronounce your last name.”, or “That’s aunique last name. Where is it from?”. These opportunities gave me a chance to talk about my language
skills and the experiences I had as a child. However, unlike in Canada, most people in Japan were surprisedby my heritage, my family’s story, and the fact that I could speak an additional language. It came withcuriosity, but a sense of unfamiliarity because while Canada was a familiar place to the Japanese, Ukraine
was not.
After February 24th, people started to take an interest in Ukraine, its people, its geography, andimportantly, its language. Suddenly, Ukraine was on everyone’s mind. I personally took it upon myself tobegin a charity drive at my workplace, collecting money for an NPO. Soon after, I heard that Japan would
be accepting displaced persons from Ukraine and that some of them would be arriving in Fukui. After therealization of my uniqueness, I took it upon myself to represent Ukrainians and engage with the Ukrainianlanguage. For instance, I gave a presentation at the Other Language Educators (OLS) SIG Multilingual Café,introducing the Ukrainian language, including information about its syntax, history and current usage. As
mentioned earlier, I also accepted a position to work as a translator-interpreter with the local government
to assist Ukrainian families coming to Fukui. This was very coincidental given that I had only recently begun
studying Ukrainian formally again through a podcast, “Ukrainian Lessons”.
Finally, the Michael who never got the chance to speak, was able to use his skills in crisis
management. After entering this new realm, I finally found the purpose and meaning for my heritage andlanguage. One day I could be helping with visa applications, while the next I may be translating for juniorhigh school students eager to learn about the impacts of war and the need for peace. In Ukrainian, I could
talk about things so basic, but it brings me such happiness to express it in a way that I cannot in Japaneseor English.
The future
The work I do will continue so long as there are people seeking Ukrainian language assistance in Fukui.
With more people being interested in the Ukrainian language, I am sure that I will find myself helping
others, not only through translation and interpreting, but also through teaching opportunities. I can speak

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 29(2): STORIES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING PRACTICES
for all teachers when I say that the best students are the ones who have the inner motivation to learn alanguage. Aside from language teaching, I hope to enhance my translation and interpreting skills moreformally from experts in the field.
Through the work I am doing I have realized that I enjoy working with people on an intimate level. I
want to hear their stories, listen carefully, and also tell their stories to others. Perhaps one day I canbecome a counsellor who can help people overcome their difficulties and I hope to do so not only through atrusting relationship but with the gift that language brings. It would be a dream to publish my writing on
this topic and assist in a more global arena of crisis management where mental health and language
coexist.
SpaceSpace has always been vital to the way I navigate my identity. The best way to describe space is throughoutlets. There are times when I feel I don’t have to constantly be reminded by others of the person I am. I
can simply be me. However, I have never been good at being the same person consistently in all spaces inmy life. When I am an instructor at work, I am an English teacher and when I am at home, I am a partner,and a homemaker. When I am working with the Ukrainian family, I take on another part of my identity. Onething I struggle with is the ability to combine these spaces into one fluid person, who can draw fromvarious experiences that represent who I am without feeling there are any consequences. These spaces are
comfortable for me; I tend to avoid discomfort.
More than before, I am surrounding myself with reminders of my identity and the way that I haveaccepted it. I feel compelled more than ever to discuss linguistic landscapes with students in my daily
work, not only making friends with those who have an interest in languages, but also encouraging them totake steps to build upon their language skills, most recently for example, coupling two students who sharean interest in Portuguese. While I find myself busier these days, I manage my work much better and morepositively because of the experiences I have had.
Support networks are another outlet that I have depended on greatly recently. My family andfriends are aware of the work that I do, and they support it wholly. Equally, the organizers of the work
have been pivotal in supporting me emotionally. Therapy has also been a very engaging part of my identity
process. It has helped me to understand that I do not have to be perfect in the work that I do, which plays
an important role in how I view my language skills. At the same time, I have learned that the work I do andthe conscious time that I put towards using my language skills can be selfish. If truth be told, being selfish
is completely about perspective. I am doing good for someone and in turn I feel good about it as well. Ihave become a witness not only to my language skills, but also more broadly aware of myself, which I canbetter control through my body, physically and emotionally. Therefore, I feel better equipped with thechances of growth occurring because I have let myself be vulnerable to these outlets and situations I didn’t
find myself in before.
Body
If I were asked to describe myself physically, I would say I am a white, cis-gender Canadian man. I’ve neverbeen entirely comfortable with that because it only describes part of who I am. I feel my body moves withlanguage. I think as language learners we need validation for who we are outside of what others see. When
our abilities are embraced by others, we tend to showcase it through our actions tangibly. This has been an
important learning process for me because only through validation do I gain a sense of aspiration. This
manifests itself spiritually and mentally just as much as physically.
I tend to spend a lot of time alone, which makes it easy for me to hide my physical identity. I
cherish the time that I have alone, which allows me the opportunity to process my thoughts and engage
with my body and mind. I created this life I live, which allows me to think about possibility, and intuition.

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While I define myself as an introvert, I find I can also be a social person. At the same time, I feel a visceralexperience when I have fruitful and engaging conversations with like-minded people. Thus, I tend togravitate to those who are involved in altruistic projects that involve language skills. I feel mostdisengaged when I am in a group setting, where I spend more time stacking myself up to others rather thanfeeling proud of my skills. The key fact is that I had been waiting to be seen. I never had the chance toembody the identity that I now embrace. And I finally have realized that moment.
Final thoughts
The conversations I have about my identity have changed for the better. Nowadays, people show concern
for my extended family in Ukraine, and they see me as someone who has a strong connection with aculture and language that is unfamiliar and distant from their own. I feel fuller than ever, despite feelingthat I’ve yet to find my life purpose. I’ve never embraced attainment of my goals in life as possible, which
has felt disorienting up to this point. However, I’m much closer to finding my purpose than before. Myambition is to find myself in situations that make me feel vulnerable and I think the best way to do that isto continue to meet new people, motivating others to continue their journey of language identity, and bethe best instructor I can. In summary, I hope to strengthen my resolve to overcome any shortcomings andface adversity head on.
References
Barkhuizen, G. (2011). Narrative knowledging in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 45(3), 391-414.
Smith, J.A., Jarman, M., & Osborn, M. (1999). Doing interpretative phenomenological analysis. In M. Murray& K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Qualitative health psychology (pp.218-240). London: Sage.

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