My Name is Olga and I live in Ukraine

This article is taken from edited emails received from Olga in Ukraine to Jan Paul of Shelter Bay. Jan has known Olga for twenty years. For security reasons we are not using Olga’s or her family’s last name.

Olga became friends with Steve and Jan Paul of Shelter Bay after winning a scholarship to study in the U.S. for one year. She did not live with the Pauls but visited often and stayed in contact with them through the years. They connected.

Olga writes: “Before war there were two kinds of people – those who thought it possible and those who thought it absurd.” Olga was among the former and promptly put together a survival kit including water, food, candles and medicine.

She lived in Ivano- Frankivsk, near L’viv in western Ukraine by the Slovakian border with her mother and two grandmothers. When not working her night job, she and her mother cared for her grandmother, who suffered from dementia. Her father and brother lived in Kiev, 340 miles away in central Ukraine.

Then, Feb. 23, 2022: A state of emergency was announced by the Ukrainian government. War felt imminent. She wanted to get her dad and brother out of Kiev.

“I paid a cab a huge amount of money to drive to Kiev and bring back my dad and brother and two dogs to Ivano- Frankivsk.”

Like many others, her brother refused to think they would be invaded and did not want to leave his job. Olga put all her “patience and knowledge” into convincing her brother to flee Kiev.

Even though a state of emergency had been announced, authorities continued to say nothing serious would happen. At 7 p.m. Olga began her night shift at work while continuing to call and convince her brother to return to Ivano- Frankivsk in the cab.

“So you think I just threw away $500 for no reason just to hire a cab to get to Kiev to move you guys? You know I might be in panic, but I am way too far away from being dumb. Is there no doubt war is a possibility?”

He finally agreed.

It would take the cab’s rescue mission, a minivan, eight hours to reach Kiev. Two hours later the van was loaded with boxes, two humans, one still very angry about leaving Kiev and two dogs. So far, no bombs. No air raid sirens.

Back in Ivano- Frankivsk at work during “deep night,” Olga heard planes flying overhead. On social media she read that Kiev was being bombed; her dad and brother having only left only an hour before.

Part II next week.