On Day 7, we boarded our buses according to our previous "western Ukrainian" designations - "Kalush", "Lviv" and "Ternopil" - and headed off to the lands of Cherkassy. The heartland of Ukraine awaited us - Kaniv - where Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's greatest poet, lays buried.

The trip seemed to go very quickly. Soon we found ourselves marching three abreast, a company of women, followed by men, flowers in the arms of most. Leading the company - the Zlet komanda and our chaplain, Father Inokentyj. In place at the top of the hill, our orchestra Trembita stood expecting us.

Our komendant, Markian Shwec, a member of the orchestra, stepped ahead of the company and spoke to the gathered community, encouraging them to take example from the life of the Great Bard. He invited the president of the Congress of Ukrainians in Canada and former head of CYM's World Executive, Evhen Cholij, to speak a few words to those gathered. Druh Cholij reflected on three anniversaries being commemorated this year - 15 years since the Tragedy at Chornobyl, 10 years of Ukrainian Independence, and the 5th anniversary of Ukraine's Constitution. He spoke also of the importance of Ukrainian youth, of educating and nurturing them in a patriotic spirit, and invited our youth to active participation in national life.

Trembita played its rendition of "Reve ta stohne ("It cries and moans"). Later we shared a prayer at the gravesite and sang Vichnaya Pamyat' for Taras. It seemed that nature itself joined us in our mood. The sky darkened, the wind arose, the Dnipro river became angry and displayed its white foam, and it seemed that all of Ukraine stopped in that solemn moment with us sumivtsi. For some, it was difficult to stop tears from their eyes, and as if in sympathy, the clouds nearby opened and sent their own drops down among us.

Later we visited the museum. Wandering from room to room, we traced the life story of Taras Shevchenko, saw his paintings and belongings, and listened to the explanations of our tour guide. On the first floor, we learned about the grave of the famous poet. His death mask which showed us an glimpse of his facial features, images of his burial, the kerchiefs of the women and girls in those pictures, the telegrams bearing messages of sympathies on that morning of 10 March with the passing of Taras... In unison, we sang the "Zapovit"...

Back in Kyiv, a musical evening awaited us with the ensemble Dnipro. It was a delightful and completely new experience. We heard a composition called "Those, who are of the sun", a work composed of classical melodies from various regions of Ukraine, and encompassing the cycle of a year. It was followed by the Arkan, the traditional mens' dance, as the director explained to us... You had to see it and hear it yourself - words cannot describe the experience. In this performance we saw and heard so much of the traditional and ancient, unfamiliar and at the same time familiar and close to the heart. Both the music and the costumes were superb!

We met today with a number of Ukrainians from the diaspora who have worked for the Ukrainian cause. Some of them now reside in Ukraine itself. Among them: Askold Lozynskyj, the Stojkos, Evhen Cholij, and others.