Julia (48), Alica (8), Anna (15), stepdaughter Ilona (16)

Thursday, March 17, 22, Zilina

While talking to the Ukrainian women I often ask myself whether I would be able to do what they have done. Pack a bag, pack the kids and leave. I admire them for that incredible power they found inside of them while not knowing where they are going. I truly am not able to imagine myself in such situation. Those of us living in peace are incredibly lucky. Julia belongs to those who knew where they were going. But still she has found herself in an unknown place, in an unknown country, not speaking the language. With two kids of her own and her stepdaughter Ilona. This young lady helped me to interpret this short interview. She speaks English really well. She wants to be an actress. I wish they will be able to find their peace in Slovakia and I hope their dreams will come true! 

"I have four kids, two older ones stayed in Ukraine and I have brought two younger ones with me. I also have three grandchildren, two of them are still in there. My daughter-in-law decided to stay with her small kids at home with her husband, my son. He works in a territory defence. We came here only yesterday from Kramatorsk, which is a town in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region. We are running away from the war. We came here, we feel welcomed. They gave us food, we are all taken care of."

"We knew we were going to Slovakia, and we knew about this place before we left home. We will stay here for a couple of days and then we will continue our journey to a town where my husband works. He needs to find a place for us there first."

"I have many relatives in Russia, but they seem not to understand. They need to go out to the streets and squares. They need to say that they are against this war."