Olena Pashchenko has arrived in her adopted country - day care center wanted

War broke out in Ukraine on February 24.

Thousands of people left their homeland in fear for their lives.

They also found refuge in the district.

Our newspaper asked four women to write down their adventures and experiences.

Today: Olena Pashchenko.

Wolfratshausen - I'm Olena Pashchenko, 25 years old, married and mother of a four-year-old daughter.

Before the war we bought a house near Kherson.

We renovated it, and our lives kept improving.

I was working my favorite job as a bank teller and we had many plans.

On February 24th at 5 am we were woken up by a phone call from my mother-in-law.

She said that war broke out.

We anxiously pack a small suitcase.

We didn't know what to do next.

We decided to go to friends in the country.

When we got there, we realized we had gone to hell.

Very close we heard the first explosion and shots, saw many Russian military vehicles.

We were afraid.

The next morning we decided to go home.

On the way we saw shot up cars that also tried to leave this hell.

My husband Vitaliy drove incredibly fast - we shouldn't see the dead and the Russian military pointing their guns at us.

When we got home I just sat there.

The sirens wailed constantly.

There was no basement to which we could flee.

We slept in the bathroom, a windowless room.

It was safe there.

We explained to our daughter that it was a game.

We are very grateful to Germany and the people who help us.

This is priceless.

Olena Pashchenko

After a few days I persuaded my husband to move in with my parents and three siblings (4, 14, 19).

They had a basement that we set up as a shelter.

During the day we were in the house, cooking and playing with the children.

With my daughter I only went out into the yard and no further.

At night we stayed in the basement.

We stayed with my parents for a month.

This time was very nerve-wracking for me.

We followed the news on the internet hoping for a quick end to the war.

But after two or three weeks I realized that the war will last a long time.

I was faced with a very difficult decision: take my child to safety, who ran to the basement after every knock, shaking with fear, or stay with my parents and husband.

I was desperate.

What should I do?

With a heavy heart I agreed to leave Ukraine for two or three months.

Every day I remember how my mother cried when we said goodbye.

No matter how hard I tried to get her to come, she wouldn't.

She said her house was here and she wouldn't be able to leave the two grandmothers.

Also interesting: Family returns to Ukraine: "Thank you for the open hearts"

Finally, I left Kherson with my daughter and mother-in-law.

We were checked about eight times by the Russian military.

At every point, soldiers with guns interrogated people and searched everything.

My husband needed us to go to Lviv.

Saying goodbye to him was very difficult for me, we had never been apart for long.

We went to Munich by bus.

Then we made our way to Wolfratshausen.

My husband's brother lives there.

But we couldn't stay with him for long - he only has a small one-room apartment.

The first days we lived in Bad Tölz in a refugee camp.

A week later a family took us in.

We were very worried as we couldn't imagine how everything would be.

How to communicate without knowing the language, how to behave.

But we were worrying for nothing.

This family is wonderful.

She did everything to make us feel at home.

We received support and help.

After three months, the family found us an apartment and helped us move and fill out all the documents.

Also read: Ukrainian knows nothing about her husband's whereabouts – she wants to go back to her home country

From the day I arrived in Germany I started learning German.

At the beginning of July I found a job and my mother-in-law took care of my daughter.

My husband came to us at the end of July and my mother-in-law also found work.

But she wants to return to Ukraine because her mother is ill and needs care.

What we lack is a kindergarten place.

Our daughter really wants to play with other children.

Then my husband could also work full-time.

We are very grateful to Germany and the people who help us.

This is priceless.

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