On a sunny Sunday, we're talking outside a church where she and her husband were sitting right behind me during the service.
"I cried every day"
Maryna has fled from Mykolajiv near Odesa. She fled with her husband when Russian rockets rained down on the city. "I cried every day because of the terrible bombardments that took place almost every day. I get notifications on my cell phone when the sirens start, and at that time it sounded about 3-4 times a day. My heart is broken. The day we arrived, I could barely pull myself up."
Maryna is a head teacher at a school whose focus is teaching English, teaching children in grades 7, 9 and 10. She is still able to teach her students as classes in Ukrainian schools and educational institutions continue online during the war, just as they did during COVID-19.
Online learning is challenging
"Right after the war broke out, the children were given a vacation, which was necessary for them. On March 28, all the children resumed their classes because the government had decided that they should finish this school year. Maybe online education is not optimal, but as good as possible under the circumstances. It has been very challenging for both students and teachers because the connection socially and academically is often not so good. Many of the kids are scared."
Maryna's students are partly in Ukraine and partly in a number of European countries they have fled to with their parents. Maryna knows all about the challenges of not being able to teach face-to-face, but via video. "But teachers are brave," she says with conviction. "We are patient, tolerant and responsible - it's in our blood. We are responsible for our children's level of education, for their knowledge and we have to be brave in such a difficult and terrible time."
When asked if the children have been traumatized, Maryna replies. "It's hard to say exactly how our children are feeling when all communication is online and you can't see them face to face. But I know that some of the children's apartments or houses have been damaged a lot. They have had to move to a new apartment, to their family, to Western Ukraine or to another country."
Maryna and her husband receive food
Maryna and her husband sometimes visit the church in town where refugees can get help, with the support of Danish European Mission donors. Here they receive food parcels to supplement their diet. "I admire Moldovans very much because they are so friendly, hospitable and open-hearted. They greet us with kisses and hugs, and they have given us this place to stay and given us food. They support us and encourage us."
"We pray every day that these terrible bombardments must stop"
I ask what it means to Maryna that she can pray to God in this situation. "Prayer is very important to me in this time," she replies. "Everyone in Ukraine prays for peace and to keep life. We pray every day for these terrible bombings to stop. We want all people to live in peace and joy. When I pray, I feel something in my heart and soul - a belief in a better future. I can feel with my whole body that one day things will get better and that God's blessings will come."
