March 29, 2022

 

Three Generations of Women and a Dog of Unknown Gender

 

 

Meet Irinia (mother), Alla (grandmother), Myroslava (younger child), Kira (older daughter), and Dara (dog)  They barely escaped from Chernihiv, site of a devastating siege and some of the fiercest battles in the war.  They were part of one of the last evacuation routes out of the city. They didn't tell me anything about their husband/father/son whom they had to leave behind and I didn't ask.

I picked them up at the border and noticed that they were carrying all of their possessions in large plastic bags. I suddenly remembered that some of my colleagues had bought a van load of new suitcases that they were going to distribute at the border. We rendezvoused in Przemysl and gave the family three new suitcases for which they were very grateful. 

We stopped for gas and dinner on our way to Krakow. (I made sure this time to buy gas). As we were about to eat, Myroslava blurted out, "Bon Appetit" with a big smile and a giggle. I thought to myself, "Is this the same girl who just experienced devastating trauma and can still smile and laugh?"

I drove them for three hours to Krakow, where they planned to spend the night and catch a train in the morning to Dusseldorf, Germany. They intended to apply for asylum in Canada.  As is the case with many refugees, they had no idea where they planned to spend the night, how they were going to get to the railroad station, the schedule of the trains, etc.  So while I was driving, I was simultaneously texting and talking to my colleagues at Type of Wood Charities to come up with a place to stay that night.

The support from the other volunteers in the group was incredible.  I belong to a WhatsApp group of volunteer drivers, interpreters, and coordinators.  Type in one request and you suddenly receive offers of help from several individuals.  In the case of Irina's family, it was difficult to find a hotel that would accept pets and I was told that the Sheraton Hotel was the only one that did so. So I checked them into the Sheraton (a very fancy, upscale hotel) and went up to their room to try and figure out how to get them to Dusseldorf by train. Keep in mind that the only way to communicate with Irina was by Google Translate on our phones, so it was challenging to discern her exact plans and wishes. I spent an hour trying to research train and bus schedules from Krakow to Dusseldorf and was not getting anywhere.

This is where the interpreters from our WhatsApp group came to the rescue. I asked for help and within minutes, several volunteers offered their services.  Greg, in particular, was a life saver as you will soon learn.  He spoke Polish and some Russian and Ukrainian so he was able to communicate with Irina and navigate the railway information, which is in Polish.

You will recall my views on synchronicity in my first blog post.  Here is another example of it occurring in relation to helping refugees.  It turns out that Greg was not only staying at the Sheraton Hotel, but his room was on the same floor as Irina's family! What are the odds of that happening randomly. 

As I got ready to leave Irina and Alla gave me big hugs and said over and over again, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." It was a very emotional moment for me. I received a text from Irina the next day that they made it to Dusseldorf and said. "I can't thank you enough!!!"

After I left for my three hour drive to my hotel, Greg came to meet her in her room. The next day I learned there was only one train a day to Dusseldorf and that they had missed it by half an hour.  So Greg drove them to the airport and paid for their flight to Dusseldorf. It wasn't that simple, however.  Remember the dog, Dara? He/She needed a rabies shot and a microchip inserted in order to enter Germany, so Greg took care of it. This is an example of how the volunteers work together as a team to solve challenging problems!