On March 6, I was at one of the big train stations to talk to the refugees and bring them some things. I was able to talk to three families – one from Kharkiv and two from Kiev. The first went to Wrocław, Poland, and the second to Riga, Germany. They were extremely tired, sleepy and thirsty for a bath. Their trip to Poland lasted three days. The latter had a dog with them, who was also very exhausted, but already at the border they got a package of food for him. At the station they had a shipment of sandwiches and drinks, blankets and clothes, there were places to play for children, there was an information desk, translators, many, many volunteers. I also brought them coloring books for children. However, they were very sad because their future is very uncertain. But she wasn’t despairing, there was no crying. I think they have already cried a lot of tears.
We invited four people from Ukraine who have been living in our convent since March 9.
A married couple, Iryna and Nikolay (71 and 68) from Dmitro, Ukraine, she is a family doctor and he is a doctor-scientist, want to visit their daughter in Italy, but have to apply for a visa. They submitted the documents and are waiting. She will stay with us as long as it is needed. They live in one room, so far they eat the meals with us. At first they had to regenerate after a three-day trip, but later they saw something in Warsaw. Do you know what they wanted to see? Places associated with Chopin. Iryna plays the piano. So one sister took them to the Chopin Museum and to the concert. She showed them the Old Town and Krakowskie Przedmieście. Another sister took Iryna to the hairdresser to make her feel better, refreshed and – as is the case after visiting the hairdresser – more beautiful. It was beautiful to see how pleased she was. Nikolay, without our request, looked for a broom and cleaned the passage in front of our house, because he wanted to somehow repay for the hospitality. It was very touching, but we had to stop him because they are our guests and the guests are not cleaning. Now they have a great worry because they keep asking: what will happen next? They will go to their daughter and what next? How long? Without a job? No something to do? Without money? Until the outbreak of the war, Iryna worked as a doctor and looked after 2,000 people, including 600 children. We reassure them, but we know this question makes sense. What’s next? From yesterday they have already obtained visas to Italy and are waiting for the tickets to be bought by their daughter. If there are tickets, they will test against Covid-19.