A Ukrainian family's challenging journey to Romania
"Before the war broke out in our country, we lived a normal life in Ukraine, in Odessa, and in our hometown. We lived a very joyous and happy life. Nothing could have been better, but everything changed in just a single day.
On February 24, the war began, and I heard the first explosions that night and the following morning. Explosions could be seen from my window. The morale of my family was at its lowest during the two weeks spent in the war in Ukraine. It seemed as if my life would never be the same again. At the same moment that I decided to leave my country with my family after two weeks, I felt that I was leaving my home forever. I also felt that I would never see my relatives again.
The journey to Romania was very challenging and long. Our trip to Romania was via Moldova, with several bus transfers along the way. It was very hard, very cold, and very scary. As we were getting to Romania, the kids got sick, we lost a lot of things, and we met a lot of different people, and not all of them were pleased to see us.
In Romania, JRS is our guardian angel. From the very beginning of our stay in Bucharest, they offered us accommodation, food, and even gave us valuable gifts. But that is not all. JRS is always concerned about our morale, always available to provide assistance whenever necessary.
The cost of living in Romania is significantly higher than in Ukraine. Everything is much more expensive. In Romania, we could not afford the things we could easily do in Ukraine. Therefore, I understand that our life in Bucharest would be much more difficult if it were not for JRS' assistance.
We can only hope that the war in our country will end as soon as possible and that we will return to our homes as soon as possible. Despite the fact that Bucharest is a very nice city, and the JRS are very helpful, there is no better city in the world than your own. The only dream we have is to wake up in a peaceful and free Ukraine one day. I'm scared that this war will drag on for a long time, that every day my relatives are in danger. It hurts a lot inside my heart that my kids can't live their old lives every day, see their grandparents, and friends, go to kindergarten... All of this hurts a lot inside my heart.
I don't want to move anywhere else, since we've gotten used to Bucharest in six months. Again, we're lucky here, if you can say so. JRS helps us here, and as far as our family is concerned, I think we're more fortunate than others because my guardian angel from JRS is an employee, Irene. She does a lot of work for us, and I really appreciate it. I can't imagine what would've happened if I hadn't met her... And why change anything if we still live in a waiting mode? Everything bad in our country will end and we will return home. Our future in Romania depends on JRS' support."