«We should also organize opportunity fairs» When the ambassador arrived, he felt humiliated, turned around, and left. The activists placed many Ukrainian flags, which can be seen on the graves of Ukrainian soldiers, and poured red paint as a symbolic gesture. Perhaps the most impressive action was when, on the day of the Soviet victory on 9 May, activists blocked the Russian ambassador’s access to the mausoleum of Soviet soldiers, where he wanted to lay flowers. The head of this foundation, Natalia Panchenko, organizes various actions in support of Ukraine, including blocking lorries that wanted to bypass the sanctions: all these actions are aimed at raising funds for the Ukrainian military. There is another center, Euromaidan-Warsaw. The demands placed on Ukrainian cities will be higher because only in this way can we ensure that they become better. This is great because such experiences are essential for the rebuilding of Ukraine. On the other hand, they possess critical thinking skills and observe what they can «take» back home and what experiences they can adopt. On one hand, they miss their hometowns and feel nostalgic for their native homes. I noticed how amazing these children are. We held an urban club for children from different cities in Ukraine, such as Kharkiv, Pokrovsk, Kyiv, Bucha, and others, at the Ukrainian House. Currently, for example, they are organizing a summer day camp. They organize numerous activities for both children and adults. In Warsaw, there are several centers for Ukrainians, including the Ukrainian House, which is supported by the City Hall. This presence gives them a sense of being at home. Why is that? It’s because they encounter fellow Ukrainians everywhere in various service sectors – from kindergarten teachers and store clerks to children’s hairdressers and taxi drivers. In general, Ukrainians in Warsaw feel psychologically comfortable. For example, to have an operation for our son here, we were told to wait for 22 months, so we decided to go back to Ukraine and have it done there. The only unusual thing is that there are queues. The attitude towards Ukrainians is very positive, and all medical services are free for us. In Warsaw, there is a Children’s Health Center similar to our OHMATDYT hospital. Having access to hospitals and medical laboratories remains an important factor for us. So we have fled to a safe place, but we have not escaped from the war. Every day, my eldest son says he wants to go to Kyiv, asks when the war will end, and is sure that we need to destroy the Muscovites. My husband is now supplying equipment and ammunition to the Ukrainian army. We could look for a way out, but we have been saving our sons’ lives for so long. In Kyiv, we live on the 23rd floor, and there is no shelter, so it was difficult for us to run anywhere with two kids. We will definitely return home the question is only when. We have been living constantly, as they say, out of suitcases, and it remains the same until now. When we arrived in Warsaw on March 2nd, finding an apartment was nearly impossible due to the rush. I was fortunate that I studied in Warsaw at one point in my life and have several classmates here who helped me with accommodation. I carried my younger son, Yarema, in a baby sling, and later we were given a stroller here because he was growing. I only had a tracksuit that I wore for about six months and a pair of sneakers. We thought we would stay here for a month, and we didn’t bring much clothing with us. For a few weeks, my mother-in-law accompanied me for the purpose of adaptation. Nobody wanted to go with me: my husband couldn’t, and my mother works in a hospital. Why here? Because it was the closest option. Therefore, we had to go to Poland for a while. We moved to a village, but it was challenging to access medical care. It was in Lviv that I found out about the start of the war. So, we made the decision to go and let our younger son meet his grandparents because I am originally from Lviv. My husband and colleagues at work suggested that I go to Lviv, saying it was dangerous to stay in Kyiv, and it would be a kind of short «vacation» for the children. In our situation, we needed constant access to doctors because we had to undergo weekly tests. Of course, we read the news about the possibility of a full-scale war, but until the last moment, we couldn’t believe it would happen. We returned home in mid-February and I introduced the younger son to the older one. It happened that we stayed at the OHMATDYT children’s hospital for almost a month. Before the start of the Russian invasion, in January, I gave birth to my second child.
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