Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen has been enjoying his first trip to Ukraine. He has been there on behalf of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for the past ten days attending an international conference for mayors. Goertzen says Ukraine has so many similarities to where we live.

"There's a familiarness to Ukraine. The topography is very similar, the geography, a lot of it is similar and, certainly, the climate is, there's a lot of snow here as well. It's been very familiar. We also do have strong roots. So many of us from the southeast, whether we're of Ukrainian descent or whether we have Mennonite roots, have roots here in Ukraine. It's really a very interesting and humbling thing to come back to the roots that so many of us have."

Goertzen adds the food is also very familiar and he's been eating things like sommer borscht and perogies. On Friday, Goertzen travelled to a number of villages where the ancestors of many Steinbach residents once lived.

He will return home Monday.