Knowledge is weightless, you carry it with you wherever you go

Art 3Snizhana en Yaroslava

For almost a year now, four Ukrainian refugees in a work experience position at Inholland University of Applied Sciences have been studying the living conditions of Ukrainian people. From within the Accessibility of the Law research group, associate lector Martin Blaakman and his team plus four Ukrainian researchers are studying access to basic facilities such as childcare, healthcare and housing. But what does the work experience position at Inholland mean for the researchers themselves? How do they experience the institution and what are their own personal stories? Snizhana Savko and Yaroslava Chebanova tell us more.

‘When I first arrived here, I had nothing. I have left my old life behind, completely. I managed to pack some photographs, documents and some practical stuff, but I had no space for clothes,’ says Snizhana Savko (27). ‘It is wonderful to see that so many people are eager to help, but initially it felt uncomfortable.’ By way of example, she mentions seeing a lot of people at a reception centre in Poland who were ashamed of having to accept humanitarian aid. 'We used to buy everything ourselves. It makes you feel inferior when you are no longer able to do so. It's as if you are a weak person, but we are not weak. We survived a war.’ This is way Snizhana is happy to be able to work. ‘I am now in a better position to improve our lives as a family than when we just received benefits. And I pay tax, which I regard as a token of gratitude towards the country that has helped me find a safe place to live, for the time being.’

Art 3Yaroslava Chebanova

Work to keep your spirits up
Yaroslava Chebanova confirms that many Ukrainians are embarrassed to have to ask for assistance. ‘As soon as we arrived in the Netherlands and were allowed to work, my sister found a job. It's not only that she wants to be able to pay for her own living, she actually needs work to keep her spirits up.’ Yaroslava herself was also keen to find employment, but she focused on the medical sector. She's a physician, but has not been able to find work because she does not speak Dutch. ‘Washing up dishes for a month, that's just beyond me. I really need a challenging job. The result is, though, that I've done relatively little for the past six months, and that's beginning to be a strain.’ It is not as if she has been sitting around doing nothing; she has worked as a volunteer and initiated projects. For example, with her sister and son, Yaroslava baked cakes and sweets which they sold on King's Day. She used the proceeds to buy medicines and sent them to Ukraine. 

Yaroslava has been back to Ukraine three times. ‘It's hard to accept reality. Your work, your home, your life: you have to leave everything behind and start from scratch.

I met a Ukrainian public-law notary who is now preparing meals at Schiphol Airport.’ According to Yaroslava, it is not just having to make concessions in the field of work, it is also having to deal with uncertainty about their future in the Netherlands. ‘I am now living with my son in an office building. We have to go to a different building to prepare food and take a shower. I'd love to have a place of my own, but I won't be able to find one as long as I have no certainty about work.’ At the same time, Yaroslava is aware of the housing shortage in the Netherlands. Having a teenage son at a local school makes things even more complicated. She stares at her hands. ‘Initially we thought we'd be able to return soon, but now I know this war is going to last a long time.’

Art 3Snizhana Savko

Lots of questions, but no answers
Snizhana is also afraid of that. She had long feared an escalation in the relationship between Ukraine and Russia. ‘As a child I moved to Kharkiv, a city located some thirty kilometres from the Russian border, so people mainly used to speak Russian there.’ However, after the Russian invasion of Crimea, in 2014, Snizhana deliberately switched back to Ukrainian. She and her family members were not the only ones to do so. ‘Many people began to speak Ukrainian again. It gives us a greater sense of freedom,’ Snizhana explains. Like Snizhana, her mother had always been aware that the situation in their country could change. ‘She urged me to be a good student. A good education is your greatest asset, my mother used to say; something you will always take with you. Knowledge is weightless.’

‘When the bombs fell, I was afraid,’ says Snizhana. ‘I had never thought to be forced to leave Ukraine. It was a difficult decision, but I had no choice. If you don't go, there may not even be a tomorrow.’ At first her mother, their three dogs, two cats and Snizhana herself stayed with a host family. They have now lived for some time in a reception facility in The Hague. ‘There is noise all the time and I don't sleep well. The facility will close within a few months and we'll have to leave, but I have no idea where we'll go and the city doesn't give us any information.’

This uncertainty comes on top of the trauma that many Ukrainians are already suffering, says Snizhana. 'People are already experiencing psychological problems due to the ordeals they’ve been through and the uncertainty about the family members they've left behind in Ukraine. And what we lack here is stability. Work, housing, all sorts of things are uncertain. We have lots of questions, but we don't get any answers.’ According to Martin Blaakman, this shows that there's room for improvement in terms of access to basic facilities in the Netherlands. ‘It is precisely this lack of certainty that is making it hard for people to build a new life for themselves, if only temporarily. While that is what they so urgently need.’

Interviewing skills
The Ukrainian researchers do get answers from the people they interview as part of the study at Inholland. ‘As a physician, I am used to conducting highly goal-oriented interviews,’ says Yaroslava. ‘It helps me get all the information I need in a very short time. For Inholland I had to adopt a completely different interviewing technique. I really had to learn how it works. At first, my interviews were too short and business-like,’ she laughs. As the Ukrainian researchers are in the same situation as the people they are interviewing, they are able to collect highly valuable stories and information for Inholland. For that same reason, however, conducting those interviews is not always easy, emotionally. ‘Especially when you're asking people about personal things while you now how sensitive these things are. Everybody here has lost something or somebody, and I feel their burden as a fellow Ukrainian.’ Still, Yaroslava noticed that the interviews had a positive effect on both parties. ‘I am a good organiser, I speak English and have information about certain things, but they in turn helped me find information for my son, for example. So it was more than an interview, we helped each other.’

Art 2 groepsfoto

The work experience position at Inholland is very important for Snizhana.  She hopes to be able to find employment as a psychologist in the future and is currently doing a follow-up study programme. ‘People are unaware of our abilities and experience, but we also have good universities and highly skilled professionals in Ukraine. I hope that having Inholland University of Applied Sciences on my CV will improve my chance of finding a pleasant job that matches my level of education.’ Even so, Snizhana would prefer to return to Ukraine. ‘I hope we will win the war and that we can return in two years’ time. That's my plan,’ she laughs. Within a second, she is serious again. ‘Me and my mother used to go out walking with the dogs in the woods, but I don't think we'll be able to do so again. For example, there may be mines all over the place. And it's far from certain that we'll be really safe, then, or only for the time being. Russia is not a good neighbour.’