How are the refugees from Ukraine who have been taken in by Brabant families for about two weeks now? If we can believe Ruslana Davidenko, Brabant feels like their second home and all people are kind and warm to her. But staying in our beautiful province forever is not her dream. She wants to return home on the first day of peace, to her husband and two children.
Niek and his girlfriend Henny receive eight Ukrainian refugees in their house in Lithoijen. At first they made room for four people, but soon four more were added.
One of them is 52-year-old Ruslana Davidenko, until a few weeks ago she lived in a suburb of Kiev. Almost two weeks ago she arrived in the Netherlands with her daughter and mother.
They traveled for days by train and that is how they finally arrived in Hanover. She was taken there by Dutch volunteers. “We were really scared and worried about where we would end up and how we would be received. But it soon became clear that we ended up in a good place and that the people are very nice.”
Ruslana proudly shows where she has been living for the past week. “This is my house. My first home is in Ukraine, of course, but it already feels like my second home.” Niek is working outside. “This is my Dutch father”, she says with a smile. “Tato, Hollandiya.”
They are really completely grounded in Lithoijen. “It’s going really well now, because we are safe here,” Ruslana begins. “Everyone is kind to us, this is just a really nice place. Here the sky is blue, without war.”
Relieved and with a smile she speaks to us, but at the same time behind the smile is a lot of sadness. Ruslana had to leave her husband and two children behind. They try to call each other every day. “They are doing well now, but the situation is different every day,” she sighs.
The kitchen is one of the most important places for Ruslana and her mother. “Here we make breakfast, lunch and dinner.” They don’t want to sit still and do something in return for Niek and Henny. “And we want to introduce them to Ukrainian cuisine.”
Together with daughter Anya (14), Ruslana has a room in Niek and Henny’s house. Anya already has friends in the village with whom she goes rollerblading and horseback riding. They communicate through Google Translate, English few Ukrainians can speak or understand.
Now that they have found their place, Ruslana is eager to get to work. “I don’t want to take advantage and just sit still. And I hope my daughter can go to school soon.”
But she doesn’t want to stay in the Netherlands. “I’ve already thought about this a lot, but I want to go back to my country on the first day of peace. And I expect the war to end soon and so we can go home soon.” Ruslana would then like to invite her Dutch mom and dad, Henny and Niek, to her home. “And this remains our second home, for the holidays.”