While war refugees from Ukraine are still arriving in the Netherlands, some are already going home. This also applies to Julia, who lived with her mother, son and a friend for weeks in a holiday home in the Amsterdamse Bos at the expense of Mirjam Terhorst from Amstelveen.
The four could no longer stay at the holiday park because the high season is approaching. “We had looked for and found other solutions, but they really wanted to go back.” Julia and her son return home to the heart of Kiev, and her mother and friend live about 30 kilometers outside. “They are very homesick,” says Mirjam.
The older women are retired and miss their own community very much. “They have maintained daily contact with the village and that is now safe again and the gas is connected again,” says Mirjam. “Ukraine is a very big country. This region is quite far from where the fighting is now.”
Mirjam thinks it is nice that they are going back to Ukraine. “It does show the resilience of a population. Those people don’t want to be here at all. They want to be in their own country, we must never forget that.” Russia does have new attacks on Kiev announced† That worries Mirjam about the return. “I hope it’s okay now. That they don’t want to go back too soon.”
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The refugees came to the Netherlands by car and now return with the same car. Which, as can be seen in the photo, is completely full. Mirjam waved them goodbye this afternoon. “They are now staying at a shelter in Den Bosch for a few days and then they drive to Ukraine.” Mirjam says that it will take them a while, since only Julia drives.
Farewell Dinner
The refugees are extremely grateful for their stay in the Netherlands and provided a farewell dinner last night. “They had made borshch and deruni with sour cream, which are Ukrainian potato cakes”, Mirjam sums up. “There has been a lot of toast to them, to us and to peace. They impressed on us that we really should come by when it is peace.”