“Tandj, bekker, maon, vösj, versjèt”, is repeated through the living room of the Sittard culture guard Guus Queisen. In his farm on Broekstraat he offers the Ukrainian Elena and Victoria a safe shelter, but that is accompanied by a ‘Limburg integration course’.
Queisen teaches the sisters basic words of the Sittards dialect with the help of a Veldeke reading board.
Flan and sour meat
He also teaches Elena and Victoria about Limburg culture, traditional festivals and typical customs. For example: “Flame plays a role all your life,” Queisen tells the Ukrainians when he cuts the apple crumbs. “In Limburg we eat pie on festive occasions, when someone is born, but also when someone dies.” When Queisen serves the flan, Elena expresses her appreciation for the delicacy. “Vlaai is my favorite Limburg food. But sour meat is also delicious,” she laughs.
Even more culture
Although Elena and Victoria only left family and hearth behind two months ago, they have already had the necessary activities behind them. “I immediately made them a member of the neighborhood association and after a week we visited the Sint Joep. To convey even more culture, we went to the half-fasting parade in Hasselt.” The sisters enjoy every outing. “The carnival activity was great to experience. A little crazy, but fun,” Elena says.
‘Contrast is huge’
Still, it took a while before the sisters could truly enjoy themselves again. “The contrast between the war in our living environment and the peace here in Limburg is huge.” Elena refers to the bombings that woke her up in Kiev. “It is mentally difficult to process when you hear peaceful birds chirping three days later in peace.”
‘Rebuilding life’
The sisters fled the Ukrainian capital on March 11. They left everything behind for one simple reason: safety. From the farm in Sittard, which is the final station for the time being, Elena and Victoria call family every day. “We hope that the war will be over soon and that they can all come here. I can’t wait to hug them and show them how nice it is here. We want to rebuild our lives here,” Elena said. .