Chiltern Welcomes
Inna's Story
Ukraine
Sometimes when Inna sleeps, she dreams she is already home. It feels real. It is so sad when she wakes up and it is not. Her previous life in Ukraine is like a dream…
Inna was born and raised in Podilla in the 1980s. The region has a rich history, dating back to the Neolithic period, with various tribes and civilisations occupying it over time. Inna lived with her parents in Starokostyantyniv, Khmelnitskyi region until she finished school.
She moved to Kyiv and graduated from Kyiv Agrarian university, faculty of Economics in the 1990s. In Kyiv she met her future husband, who was also born in Khmelnitskyi region.
Her son was born in 2009 and daughter in 2012. They lived as an ordinary Ukrainian family. She worked as an accountant, organised the everyday affairs and raised their children. The children attended a music school, both became soloists of a local folklore ensemble. The ensemble’s focus was on authentic folklore. They research the Podil’s region heritage with the aim of popularising it by encouraging the children to learn about traditional customs, rituals and singing.
February 2022 – war broke. They had talked about it but they weren’t prepared. They couldn’t understand how in the 21st century this would happen. They were neighbours! On TV they were told to prepare a backpack and to have all the documents ready, just in case. They were laughing in disbelief. Why would they ever need to do that?...
They currently live with their sponsors, who they consider their “guardian angels”. If it wasn’t for them, they wouldn’t be able to cope with all the bureaucratic and moral problems. They shared moments of success and disappointment with them, they have always accepted them as they are. They are grateful to them for taking them into their family and helping to integrate into British culture. They would also like to thank Olga, who helped them to find the sponsors and is supporting them as they settle into their new life in the UK.
They are also grateful to the Hilltops Ukrainian Support Community. They helped them find new friends and to have a piece of Ukraine here in England. They are always looking forward to dinners at Ballinger Hall, where they share their successes (like finding a job or a flat) and many worries that they have.
