WAR IN UKRAINE
24.02.2022 early in the morning full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine had started.
I remember every minute of this day.
I was awake that night, I wasn’t able to sleep. I heard noise but refused to accept reality, I was trying to fall asleep. We were talking that war is coming. We all knew but didn’t want to believe. When the bombing was close – I found a will to look out the window. Half of the sky was red. Flame in the village nearby caused it.
I checked the news, pretending that I was mistaken, pretending that there is hope. There wasn’t. That was war.
I remember how I filled every container I had with water, I remember how in one second everyone whom I had seen as an adult growing up, was scared and lost. When people who always knew what to do ask you ‘What to do’ and it breaks your safety bubble. Now I am an adult, and being an adult is me. Like that, in one night in one second. Since that second – I am a discussion maker, I am responsible, I am carrying this weight on my shoulders.
I was thinking about all the possibilities. Occupation, loss of electricity, the need to run. Pack backpack – documents, water, some clothes. Go to the shop – buy all the necessary items. Tanks on the streets. Go home – prepare food while I can. Even if it is hard to operate your shaking hands listening to explosions. Go to pharmacy. See panic – don't panic yourself.
After 3 weeks of living under constant bombing, I decided to help my friend with evacuation. She has 3 cats and 1 dog, so traveling alone is not an option. I took my prepacked backpack and left.
I found cages for the cats. I said goodbye to my mother, not knowing if I would see her again.
Me and my friend met at the train station on the 14th of March. There was a big line for the train, it was without a destination – just an evacuation train.
We were lucky to get a seat, we spent 30 hours on this train, it took us close enough to the border.
We were lucky to end up on the border with Slovakia. I knew this country; I had some friends there. We were offered a place to sleep in Banská Stiavnica – the town where I was living in 2018.
But to get there we had to go through 10 hours in a line at the Ukrainian-Slovak border in the freezing cold.
At about 4am we reached a shelter and took a break before continuing, traveling 10 more hours to our host.
We spent two weeks in Slovakia, the first week was just pure shock. We were offered a guest house, but we can’t stay there for longer than a week because of the pets.
It gave us time to get rest after the road and get comfort from familiar surroundings that helped me to navigate.
But we needed to move – so we went to Zvolen.
Having nowhere to go we were lucky again to find Rudo. I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life. He saved us. He gave us a roof over our heads and friendship for our souls.
Rudo and Nick gave us that one week of ‘normal life’ which we desperately needed.
We were able to stop and think. Idea was simple – go to the English-speaking country. That’s how we decided to go to Ireland.
It took us 1 week to get to Ireland. Traveling with 3 cats and 1 dog is quite a challenge. We couldn’t take a flight, so we went by land (and later on, by sea).
We started from Zvolen and got to Bratislava. We got to Vienna at night, and when we were waiting for the train to Munich, a man passing by asked: ‘Ukraine’ and after a positive answer opened his wallet and gave us 20 euro. I will never forget this man and these 20 euros. The kindness of everyone whom we met on the way, all the effort and help. All the compassion. All small and big actions.
We got to Munich in the morning. Next stop – Paris. We were on the road for more than 24 hours and knew that the next 24 would be almost impossible. We started to search for a host in Paris. After hours in Facebook groups and asking our friends, we had found a friend of the friend of the friend who hosted us.
We had a peaceful night and some rest in Paris to continue our journey. Our next destination was Cherbourg to take a ferry.
On the train to Cherbourg, it became clear that we would be late. A lady in front of us realized that we were in trouble and offered her help. Her car was waiting for her at the train station, and she offered us a lift.
Even so we didn’t make it. The next ferry was in 2 days.
The lady from the train helped us to find a pet-friendly hotel and took us there. When we were checking in, we realized that she also paid for our room.
In 2 days, we took the ferry and after 18 hours on the sea we finally made it to Ireland.
4 of April 2022 we arrived at Rosslare and get Temporary Protection in Ireland. From the port we were taken to the sport hall which was temporarily changed to the refuge center. We were offered a bed, food and support. It was even more than we expected.
As we had pets with us it brought more trouble for the staff, but we found a solution. By day 4 we managed to make our space cozy, we were ready for anything, as we didn’t know how long we would spend here.
After 4 days in the sports hall, we were offered temporary accommodation in Clonmel and I can write a book about the time there, but I won’t. It was the safety which I was looking for. It was a chance to put myself together. The first 2 months I spent in bed, deeply depressed. I was lost and didn’t know what to do with my life. It was ruined.
The warmest memories from those 2 months are these cookies which Rudo’s friend in Slovakia gave me. It was my emergency kit to go back to the warm memories.
In June I started to go outside, I forced myself out for walks. It took me 2 months to notice that my new town was surrounded by small mountains. It took me 2 months to be able to see how beautiful the country around me is.
I was learning to appreciate this little place that I have, I came to Ireland with one backpack. I had never owned much before because of constant moving. But now, being 3500km from home, I needed to at least pretend that it is now my home. I was trying to make it as cozy and comfortable as I possibly could.
I was looking for beauty outside and was trying to create some inside the house.
Even in new situations, we still carry our personality with us. So, when I started thinking about ways I can fit in, in a new place – my first and the best thought was volunteering. I applied to be a volunteer in the local charity shop.
I was working there a few hours a week and it was the highlight of my week. I was hanging and ironing clothes. I was working on the till and meeting the locals. I was alive again. At least for a few hours a week.
That’s how I spent my summer 2022.
In autumn I was brave enough to join a volunteering team for a local festival – AppleFest.
It is a harvest festival which includes a lot of activities. I met local people and got a little feeling of belonging.
I was working with children, took part in a tablemats exhibition and I was a member of the final procession.
I continued volunteering in charity shops in my free time for the next year (2023). I was a volunteer in Irish Cancer Society Charity Shop and Vincent's Charity Shop (SVP).
I met so many amazing people, got confidence in my communication in English and achieved the feeling that ‘normality’ is possible again.