IDALOU, Texas — In March, EverythingLubbock.com explained to the story of Ann, 19, who had been an trade student in Idalou, Texas who returned to Ukraine right after dwelling in Idalou for the 2018-2019 school yr. On Monday evening, we spoke with Ann once again.
Ann fled her hometown in favor of the protection of Poland in February as Russian soldiers invaded. Ann far more not long ago remaining the protection of Poland to request cheaper medical care in Uman, Ukraine.
As Ann boarded an overnight bus that would get her again, she assumed she would be on your own, but she located fantastic enterprise on a bus packed entire of women of all ages and kids just as keen to return residence.
“I was fearful when I had to go household since it’s however not safe in Ukraine, but at the exact same time, it was form of inspiring for me,” Ann claimed. “I required to see my loved ones so considerably mainly because I skipped them.”
“That experience of getting home — that experience of being in your house,” she mentioned. “In Ukraine, we say the home is your castle and you have to secure it.”
Even in the relative security of her little, centrally situated metropolis, anti-tank barricades crammed the streets and cars lined up for blocks with drivers hoping to get smaller rations of petrol.
Shortages in groceries, gasoline, and work opportunities have her community longing for normalcy. Ann’s father is one of the quite a few Ukrainians who shed their positions.
“You go in the avenue, and you really do not see smiles,” Ann reported. “You really don’t see content people. Indeed, people get made use of to alarms and explosions, but it’s however not the exact.”
“I consider after the war will end, my town and the entire Ukraine will adjust. It will modify their knowing of predicaments — their fact. I guess persons will enjoy their everyday living in a various way and will value it,” Ann stated. “They really don’t aspiration about the new automobile, to be popular or abundant. They just want to go residence, to have meal with the whole loved ones and go for a stroll. But they lack of this.”
A lack of commodities was satisfied with an abundance of compassion.
Uman is the secure center for displaced Ukrainians who can’t or will not leave the country. Ann stated the metropolis of 100,000 men and women has hosted 20,000 extra persons fleeing hunger and relentless airstrikes in the besieged metropolitan areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol.
A refugee herself, Ann returned to uncover her loved ones assisting others.
“I know a relatives who arrived from Mariupol, and I saw their auto, which was absolutely wrecked with no even glass. They experienced no dresses, small backpacks,” Ann reported. “And they were wanting for clothing.”
“My mother took really a lot all my clothes I experienced here and gave it to them due to the fact they have a 17-yr-previous daughter. It was terrifying for them, but they ended up so grateful for all the things they have here.”
Ann’s host family members in Idalou also prolonged a encouraging hand. Ann claims the loved ones presented to host her once more in Texas and was a vital supply of data in the early days of the invasion. She hopes all Us residents can prolong her men and women the exact guidance.
“What I would say to Texan persons – first of all, thank you for hosting our individuals. Continue to keep accomplishing it mainly because we will need your support,” she mentioned. “Spread real data, and basically just chat about this — since heritage must be penned, and it must be penned in the right way.”
“I’m confident that with assist from the U.S. government, with the support from the full America, we will win this war.”
Ann simply cannot continue to be home for prolonged. She worries, together with many other residents, that Russia will mount the most significant attack but on May possibly 9 — Russia’s “Victory Working day.”
She will vacation back to Poland to be part of her mom and brother, but her father is not authorized to leave.
Nevertheless she continues to be optimistic and appreciative of the lessons realized all through her time in West Texas.
“This war has experienced an effect on me. I have improved a whole lot,” Ann claimed. “We will gain, and we will wait for this war to be above. And we will rejoice it.”