Most Ukrainians had not heard of Devon before Russia invaded their country. And now, twelve weeks later, many are learning to navigate life in a place completely different from the home they know, and wonder if one day it will be theirs.
For some, Devon is a place where the trauma of war can begin to unload, complemented by new experiences and opportunities. Others, however, feel the weight of uncertainty as they try to start life again.
When Valentyna Romanchook learned she was going to Devon, her mind was blank. He had fled his home in Kharkiv, a town near the Russian border, and was crashing into accommodation for employees of a brewery in Poland organized by his son, an employee himself.
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When Valentyna arrived, she was too shocked to eat. Her son bought her a croissant, one of her favorite foods. But still, he couldn’t eat.
“I saw it was a croissant, but I didn’t understand it was food,” Valentyna said. “I couldn’t understand where he was or what he was doing.”
In Kharkiv, Valentyna worked as a gardener in a holiday park. Although tensions grew between Russia and Ukraine, with troops less than a hundred miles away from home, the war is something she was never prepared for.
Even though the shock has passed, Valentyna still wants the house she knows (Image: Frankie Mills)
“I was at work on February 23rd. I went home, talked to a friend, had dinner and went to bed, “Valentyna said.” When I woke up, the war had begun. This contrast of peace and war cannot be conveyed with words “.
After a month in Poland, Valentyna found Thorsten and Anne in a Facebook group, a couple living in Moorhaven, a village near Dartmoor. Quickly, the couple offered to welcome her. But even when she boarded a plane bound for the United Kingdom, Valentyna’s surprise prevailed.
“I was going to England, here were these British people who were willing to take me in, who gave me a home, but it was like a movie. I felt like life was something that was happening to me. “
After a week in Moorhaven, Valentyna slowly began to forge a routine. He began working in the garden, finding solace in the similarities between the plants there and those at home. With each small act, the shock began to subside.
“It’s the simple things that make life feel normal, like making a sandwich, going out or having a cup of tea,” Valentya said. “The shock will not go away completely. It will never go away, but our brain eliminates it with new experiences, new thoughts and new ideas.”
What has helped Valentyna the most is the presence of other Ukrainians in Moorhaven. With a population of 348, Moorhaven has hosted eight people are fleeing the war and six more are waiting.
“I can’t imagine if there was no one from Ukraine,” said Valentyna, who speaks limited English and spoke to me through a translator. But the problem remains for Valentyna, as for all Ukrainians who have come to Devon. “I don’t know how I can build here the same life I had in Ukraine,” he said. “This part is really difficult.”
Many Ukrainians arriving in Devon do not feel confident that they will be able to return home soon. They come not only in search of security but also in the hope of creating a new life. After getting a place to stay, the first thing people want to know is where they can find work.
Alona Mysiukevych and Svitlanda Borodynia sit in the garden of their sponsors’ house in Exeter (Image: Frankie Mills)
The same goes for Alona Mysiukevych and Svitlanda Borodynia, two friends who came to Exeter from Kyiv in early April. Before deciding on Exeter, they wanted to know where it was, if they thought it was a nice enough place, and most importantly, if there was a job.
Back in Ukraine, Alona and Sviltana were both up to the task. . Alona worked as a chief auditor and chief accountant at a Fintech company. Sviltana worked as a budget manager at the same company.
Because of their level of English, Alona and Sviltana knew that in order to find a job they would have to go down a level. But after several weeks of research, her only job was as a cleaner at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. The couple turned down the offer. Although they are desperately looking for a job, any job, they say their limit is to work as a cleaner. “It’s a problem for me when you know you have a degree,” Svitlana said.
Alona and Svitlana say that one of the most difficult things to get to the UK has been the apathy that comes with looking for work. Despite having recently fled a war that has now displaced 14 million people, they say that looking for work every day has been one of the most difficult parts of the journey.
“It’s a new life when you don’t know a place,” Svitlana said. “You have no friends, no family, no job. You don’t know what tomorrow will be like, or next month. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. But I need to start a new life. Like everyone else, I need money, I need a job, “he said.
Recently, the two women were offered to work as cleaners at a nearby gym. This time, they agreed, hoping it would only be temporary. “I think we need to start studying more English,” Svitlana said. “Study, have a better level of English and then find a job.”
Hundreds of people attended the job fair organized by Liz, Paul, and David at the Carlton Hotel in Torquay.
Not only Alona and Svitlana have been looking for work since they arrived. Viktoriia Novak is a Ukrainian citizen who moved to Exeter two years ago. Since the war began, she has become a kind of unofficial ambassador, helping people navigate the city as she arrives.
Four days a week, Viktoriia is at the Conversation Cafe on Paris Street, a volunteer-run center to support Ukrainians and their hosts, where she spends time listening to the dilemmas Ukrainians face. The most common problem, says Vikotriia, is how to find work.
Of the 100 Ukrainians Viktoriaa is in contact with, only seven have found work. Finding a Ukrainian job is more than a matter of earning a living. It is also a way to deal with trauma and assimilate into society, says Victoria.
“Work distracts a lot from other things,” he said. “When you have the responsibility to do something else, it helps you not to think about what is happening in the country.
“It also means interaction. People always tell me, ‘If we could communicate more with other people, it would be much better for us.’
With nothing to do, Vikotriia also says that the Ukrainians are lost. “They’re used to working all their lives because our economy isn’t that good,” Viktoriia said.
“They come here and want to work. They like to work. Many of them do not know how to rest. Their sponsors tell them ‘relax, everything will be fine’, but they say ‘no, I can’t relax’ “.
Mariia Kosten, 12, photographed with her host’s cat. Mary’s father, Oleh, was allowed to leave Ukraine to take his daughter to a safe place (Image: Frankie Mills)
In Torquay, the story is the same. “I’ve been talking to people at Zoom where there are bombs exploding in the background. One of the first questions is, ‘Can you get me a job?'” Paul O’Brien said.
I met Paul in the breakfast room at the Trelawney Hotel, a cozy 12-bed hotel in Torquay that has become the casual headquarters of the Torbay Ukraine Host & Visitor Support grassroots organization.
Paul started the organization with his wife Liz and his friend David Harwood. Initially, what the trio did was similar to a wedding service for guests and hosts after some local pairings went wrong.
“We had to move a lady who was allergic to cats,” Paul said. “We worked alongside the town hall, went through the housing and DBS controls, and in four days it was in this new location, with no cats.”
“We were basically making a Cilla Black,” he said, “We were trying to figure out what people needed from their hosts.” Since its inception, Torbay Ukraine Host & Visitor Support has become a well-oiled machine that goes far beyond matchmaking. They now offer assistance for all stages of the journey, from travel plans in Ukraine to life in Torbay.
When you try to browse the UK visa application, Paul, Liz or David are on the phone giving you instructions on how to fill out forms. Their conversations are often interrupted by the sirens of airstrikes.
“You talk to people regularly and they say I’m sorry, I have to go to the shelter now,” Liz said. they got it, “Paul said.
Once here, the group offers English classes, emotional support through weekly meetings, as well as hands-on assistance with things like getting an NI number and enrolling in the workplace.
But one of the most valuable things the group has done to help is find a job. Two weeks ago, about two hundred people gathered at the Carlton Hotel, provided free of charge by CEO Jason Garside, for a job fair hosted by Paul, Liz, and David, mostly from Ukraine.
Entrepreneurs such as Riverford, NHS, Woodlands and The Livermead Hotel were present and actively recruited. One thing that particularly impacted employers was the overqualification of people for positions, but their willingness to apply anyway.
Oleh Kosten is a Ukrainian living in Torbay who has been able to find work. He is currently undergoing general maintenance at Exeter’s Nightingale Hospital. Paper is a step back from its past …