They Just Wanted to Survive, Their Nerves were Shut
War. Refugees. Family. Ukraine.
On the 20th of March, 2022, my family was finally able to escape Mariupol. My family has to run from city to city to find somewhat safety from the bombing, shooting, and shelling. My brother was nine years old with many disabilities, but he was courageous and helpful to my mom and uncle. Their journey was not an easy one but because of all of our prayers, they were shielded.
Melekino
On the 20th of March, 2022, my family left Mariupol and came to Melekino, a small beach village about an hour from Mariupol.
Melekino. Screenshot. Retrieved from Google Maps.
My family was situated in a small beach house. My mom and brother had one room and my uncle had the other. The weather in Melekino was cool and humid. The heater in their beach house would stop working at night, so my family was extremely cold. My family brought nothing with them but a little bit of clothing and documents. There was only one grocery store in the area and prices there were very high. For food, my family would have a limited amount of cans, rice, and bread. My uncle found a small church near them where he was given some toys for my brother. Due to losing almost everything they had, my brother had nderwear and no socks to change into. My uncle would give Vova his own underwear and socks. I wanted to send my family money but I was not able to because there were no working banks in the village. Notwithstanding the hardships, my family made it because they are very tight and went through trials before. They also made it because of all of our prayers and the people that were helping them in Melekino. Here are some pictures of my family in Melekino:
The first picture -- smog from Mariupol seeing from the cost in Melekino. Second picture -- my brother holding shelves found in the sea. Third picture -- my brother playing with sticks. Fourth picture -- my brother got a toy from a local church.
Berdyansk
On the 26th of March, 2022, my family was able to move to Berdyansk, a beach tourist city near Mariupol.
Berdyansk. Screenshot. Retrieved from Google Maps.
My family came to Berdyansk with their friends that they stayed with in Melekino. Those friends had a car and at their own risk, they drove to Berdyansk. They chose to move to Berdyansk because it was nearby, there was no active war at the time, and my family's friends had a small house in the city. The majority of refugees from Mariupol came to Berdyansk. Berdyansk was occupied by Russia, so Ukrainian banks and phone services did not work time-to-time. During my family's first couple of weeks, they were not able to receive money from me and that was challenging as they needed food.
After my husband and I finally were able to send my family some of the money that all of you donated, my mom was able to buy food and some clothing. My brother was in shock and was traumatized, so my mom took him to the local zoo to help distract him. The prices in Berdyansk were always high because it is a tourist city, but due to the war, they went up even more. It was unbearable for my family to live with their friends due to Vova's disabilities, so my family rented a one-bedroom apartment. The rent was very expensive, but because of your generous donations, my family was able to afford it. It helped my mom to be able to take care better of Vova and have some privacy that they did not have in a while due to hiding in different shelters. Here are some pictures of my family in Berdyansk. In these pictures, you will see where my family first lived with their friends, mom taking Vova to the local Zoo, and food and an apartment that they were able to rent because of YOU.
Many refugees from Mariupol who came to Berdyansk went to another Ukrainian city called Zaporizya. My family did not want to go to that city because near that city were active battles between Russia and Ukraine. After going through a nightmare in Mariupol, my family did not want to go through that again. They were afraid.
Crimea
On the 26th of April, 2022, my family left Berdyansk and came to Dzankoi, Crimea, a small Crimean town. They stayed in Crimea until May 15th, 2022.
Dzankoi, Crimea. Screenshot. Retrieved from Google Maps.
As I mentioned before, my family was afraid to move to another city in Ukraine due to the battles and my mom was worried about my little brother. My family also did not have transportation to move across Ukraine to Poland or another safe country. My family was offered to move to Crimea for free. In Crimea, my family was welcomed warmly by local people. My family was given food, clothing, and a place to stay. My family stayed at the rehabilitation place that was empty and ready to accept refugees. They were fed three times of a day and the local Baptist church gave some clothing to my mom and Vova. The prices in Crimea were high as well, so my family was very frugal with the money they had. My mom was exhausted because she had to work on their documents to move to their next destinations. My mom was also very exhausted because my brother was very energetic and needed a lot of attention. Here are some pictures of my family in Dzankoi, Crimea:
The first picture -- my family eating their lunch. Second picture -- my family received food. Third picture -- my mom received shoes from a Baptist church. Fourth picture -- my brother got his favorite dessert -- ice cream.
Thank you so much dear readers, family, and friends for your kind donations. Your generous donations and prayers helped and still helping my family on their journey to settle in a safe place. Thank you to all of those who helped me to know how to transfer my family money and provided contact information of volunteers in several cities. My husband and I pray for you and your families. Please share this post with your family and friends.
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