Anastasiia: “I miss Ukraine a lot but I have decided not to put my life on hold”
Anastasiia: “I miss Ukraine a lot but I have decided not to put my life on hold”
Anastasiia (left) stands with her sister Tania and their cat Kotya, at their home in Paris, France.
Anastasiia fled Ukraine in 2022, at the start of the full-scale invasion, together with her beloved sister Tania and their cat Kotya. The trio managed to reach Paris where they initially stayed with various French host families. Despite the deep nostalgia for her homeland, 41-year-old Anastasiia has been working hard to rebuild her life in France and focus on her future.
“I never imagined that three years after fleeing the war in Ukraine, I would be living in Paris, working and studying in French! I left Kyiv with my younger sister Tania on 5 March 2022, as the conflict was spreading. There was heavy bombing in a city near Kyiv. That’s when I realized it was a real war, one that would last much longer than the two or three weeks we had been told. We were in shock. I did not know if we would manage to stay safe. It was very cold. We were not prepared for a long war.
My sister Tania and I were both working in the capital while our parents remained stranded in the east of the country, where we are originally from. I was very fortunate as the bank I worked for in Kyiv organized an evacuation of its staff by bus to the train station, so we could go further west, where the situation was more secure. They were so many people trying to leave Ukraine at that time - many women with children, elderly people, everyone was so stressed and in shock.
The train was of course completely packed. We took turns sitting, we shared sandwiches. It was a difficult situation but at the same time very moving. Everyone was supporting each other. Everything that had mattered before in our lives suddenly did not seem so important compared to those unique moments of solidarity…
The train took us to Lviv, near the Polish border, and from there, we traveled to Przemyśl, Poland, where we stayed in a refugee shelter for two days. I then found a bus organised by the Red Cross and an insurance company, in solidarity with Ukrainians, that took us from Krakow to Paris.
We had visited my friend Marina and her family in France several times before the conflict. As soon as the war broke out in Ukraine, she contacted us and offered to host at her home in France – even just temporarily, so we could be safe until it was possible to return. We were so moved by her gesture. Once again, the power of human solidarity…
We did not speak French at the time, but registered with an association to start learning the language. At the same time, we began helping newly arrived Ukrainians as we both spoke good English. We assisted them with translations, encouraged them, and shared the information we had already gathered. It is not always easy to adapt to a new country, language and culture – especially when you keep worrying about the people you left behind.
We have been in France for three years and we’ve moved nine times! I still remember arriving with two small suit cases and our cat - we could only bring the essentials!
I currently work for an insurance company here in Paris as a sustainability officer and am soon finishing my master's degree in sustainable development and project management. I think I'm adapting quite well to my new life in France though it's not always easy. Over time, I've developed a genuine love for the French language and culture. I try to watch French films, listen to music, visit museums, and read as much as I can to better integrate and bridge the cultural gap. I’m trying to focus on the future. I miss Ukraine a lot but I have decided not to put my life on hold – I have chosen to start rebuilding it here in France.
I intend to keep learning the language and the culture, while offering help to those in need. I am a member of a UNHCR advisory committee on socio-economic inclusion and try to contribute to projects promoting the inclusion of refugees in the workplace. It‘s important to me to contribute something meaningful to this world. I believe that one day, politic leaders will awaken to the truth that nothing is more devastating than war — its consequences weigh heavily on both society and the planet. It must be stopped, without delay. Perhaps it sounds like a dream, but the idea of sharing peace, of passing it from one soul to another, inspires me."
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