Alesya (43)

Saturday, March 5, 2022, Zilina

I am used to saying that every day brings us something new, that we learn something new every single day. Personally, meeting people fleeing the war in Ukraine gave me a lot. Spending the day with them is a really great lesson in life. They do not shout in anger, they do not bang on the table, they do not threaten with revenge. The complete opposite. Peacefully and in a very humble way they pass on their wisdom. Like in case of Alesya.

"Like most people I have escaped because the situation is difficult where I come from, in Odessa. There is no work, we have nothing to live on and there are empty shelves in the shops. My grandmother stayed in the city. I have found myself in a very difficult situation. I have been living in a sublet for 6 years. I'm divorced. We sold the apartment, but my husband didn't pay me, he ran away with the money. The case is in court, but I will probably never get the money from him given the current situation."

"When the war broke out, I knew I couldn't wait and had to decide. I learned about a free train to the Czech Republic. However, it was departing from Kiev. Eventually, I boarded a train in Uzhhorod, where I crossed the border to Slovakia late at night on March 2. They all helped us a lot at the border. They told us that we could get asylum, how to handle the paperwork, and so on. Volunteers brought us here for free. We cannot even pay, we only have hryvnia, and we have nowhere to exchange the money. People received us here with open arms, for which I would like to express my thanks to the Slovak government and its people. They gave us place to stay and food to eat. Now we can think in peace about what to do next and how to help our families."

"I have relatives in Russia. Ordinary Russian people are not to blame, we are all Slavic brothers. However, I do not understand why their government wants to divide this country and the Earth. After all, the Earth doesn't belong to anybody, it has no borders. It is us who will belong to her in the end, and it doesn't matter where our bodies will lie. We will all lie down there together. There is a wisdom: The Jew says - this is my land! The Ukrainian says - this is my land! Georgian - this is my land! Finally, the Russian declares - no, this is my land! And the Earth whispers softly - You are all mine!"

"We all hope that the negotiations will bring peace and that the politicians will find a solution. It can always be found. Politicians want to divide the world and we want to live in peace! We must stop it! Innocent people are dying! We are afraid of what will happen tomorrow or if there is going to be a tomorrow. We wish that by tomorrow as many people as possible will make it alive. "