Незламні Українці
NATALIA IMAN:
«THE IMAGE OF THE UKRAINIAN DIASPORA SHOULD CONFIRM THE STRENGTH OF THE NATION»
U
krainian NATALIA IMAN was forced to escape from the war in distant Mexico. She was not only able to start a new life abroad, but also plans to create a powerful image of the Ukrainian diaspora. How will she succeed? Read in our interview about the indestructibility and strength of the nation as well as about women appeared between war and exile.
La fuerza de una nación Nataliia Iman lafuerzadeunanacion2024
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MILLENIUM BUSINESS’вересень
– Welcome, Natalia! The war divided the lives of all Ukrainians into «before» and «after». What did you have to face? – On the first day of the full-scale invasion, I experienced real horror and despair. I was in my house in Vyshgorod, enemy planes were flying above me and rockets were whistling. Only in the evening I was able to reach the children who at that time were in Gostomel with their father. And then there was a long road passing by tanks and burning cars to the west of Ukraine where no shots had been fired yet. Acquaintances or strangers gave us shelter. At first there was hope that everything would end quickly and we would return home. But when it became known that my city was occupied, together with my daughters I left for Poland. Just then, I got a call from an old friend of the family – the Mexican Carlos Otero, who invited me to his place and promised to help us. So we ended up in Mexico, in his family. – What challenges awaited you in Mexico? Was it difficult to get used to new conditions? – Like all refugees, I experienced deep depression because it was a forced migration. In addition, there were no social programs in Mexico for Ukrainians fleeing the war. Fortunately, I was immediately offered a job in my specialty. Friends helped to send the children to school and arrange insurance. Difficulties arose due to the language barrier, because we spoke English, not Spanish. Also, Mexico has its own peculiarities related to the mentality and safety of movement. On the one hand, Mexicans are very warm and familyoriented, love children and this helped