1. Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you today in support of Vadym Basysty because I believe he is a tremendous human
being and will be a valuable asset to your organization.
My relationship with Vadym began with my Peace Corps cluster training in Kiev and the town of
Yagotyn. From the very beginning, I have always been highly impressed by Vadym's extreme
professionalism and sense of personal and professional responsibility. His dedication to the demands
of being a Language and Cross-culture Coordinator for the United States Peace Corps in Ukraine was
always obvious to me. The more time I spent with Vadym during these first three months of training
in Ukraine the more I realized just how much his professionalism is an integral part of the person he
is.
I have always been struck by Vadym's calmness. I have seen the man laugh and even heard him tell a
few anecdotes from his childhood, but I have never seen him moved by frustration or irritation.
Though I and the other three trainees in our cluster may have expressed these emotions at times as a
result of our immersion in Ukrainian life, Vadym was never anything but an invaluable support to us,
available to talk with and never hesitant about letting us know this. And sitting here, reflecting on all
this, I can immediately call up two important instances when I or another trainee took him up on his
offer. Training can be a very confusing time with conflicting emotions resulting from our ties to
America and the start of a new and very exciting life in a foreign place. I believe I can speak for my
entire group when I say that Vadym was always of a very large and needed rock of support through
this time.
Vadym was a wonderful teacher as well who always strove to keep our small classroom an
interesting, relaxing and fun place to learn the Russian language. Over the course of many
conversations, I have come to strongly believe that Vadym will be successful and valuable in
whichever endeavors he chooses. But again, I emphasize that it has always been the rare chemistry in
Vadym of professionalism, personal integrity, and friendship that has impressed me and made me so
proud to have known him.
Sincerest Regards,
Brian Peterson
TEFL Volunteer
United States Peace Corps, Ukraine
bwpmahler@hotmail.com