What do you pack in your suitcase when your world is upended? Documents, medicines and maybe clothing. But what else can you take with you, a bagpack, books, or anything that reminds you of the life you’re leaving behind? What do you hold on to that will keep those memories alive?
A flight carrying 230 Ukrainian citizens landed in Regina on July 4. They were given temporary residence at University of Regina for a couple weeks before they get on with their journey. Most only had a few minutes to pack their bags and even less time to think what they wanted to bring.
Global News asked them to show us the things they couldn’t leave behind.
Sofiia Oleksandr from Kyiv played the recorder as she talked about how much she enjoyed it and that’s the one thing her parents made sure they brought along.
Sofiia Oleksandr wearing her traditional vinok headdress.
Sofiia Oleksandr holding her Vishivanka national shirt, the embroidery on it comes from the region they belong to. Different regions have deferent ornaments.
Kostenko Oleksandr said that he brought this religious deity item with him from Ukraine because it is very close to his heart and that there was no way they could leave it behind.
Nataliia Sydoruk brought family photos of her grandparents, her first day of school, her father holding her in his lap among others. Her husband is still in Ukraine and while she feels safe in Canada, she still worries about the safety of her husband. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to him,” she said.
Olena Storozhenko and her family escaped from Kharkiv. She said that the situation was so dire that their three-year-old was starving and hadn’t eaten a full meal in over a month. She added that all of her children were sick and the younger boy was hit hardest. Storozhenko said that all she wanted to take was her family and nothing else mattered.
Natalia Moroz said that the Ukrainian flag is very close to her because she is not in Ukraine anymore. “In Ukraine there is war and this is a symbol of our identity. We came from Ukraine and we still have Ukraine in our hearts,” she said.
Moroz also brought her passport and children’s birth certificates. “We don’t need them but I brought them because maybe someday I will be able to go back to Ukraine and I will need it there. I also didn’t want to leave that part of my life.”
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Iryna Tsebak proudly wore her traditional Ukrainian ornament that was region-specific to Lviv, in western Ukraine. Her daughter in-law and classmate handmade it for her 55th birthday.
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