Julia from Kiev: The people of Ukraine believed that the EU and NATO would help them. They are disappointed
/ PHOTO GALLERY / Carefree, beautiful childhood. This comes to mind as the first 39-year-old Julia Jezerskaya when we talk about Kiev. The city where she saw the light of day in 1982 and lived there until she was fifteen.
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Julia Jezerská, Majdan, 2015.
| Photo: Courtesy of Julie Jezerská
The year 1997 marked a turning point for her family. “Dad was disappointed with developments after the collapse of the USSR, state embezzlement, corruption and violence against people who wanted justice.” In January 1997, her family first visited Prague. While Julia’s father is in love with the Giant Mountains, she has fallen under the spell of Prague and Czech. However, because her father had an acquaintance in Chomutov, they eventually headed from Kiev there. After five years, they moved to the metropolis.
When they left the Ukrainian capital, her parents suspected that she would not return. “Separation from my grandparents was the most difficult thing for me personally. But they understood our step. They believed we would be better off. ”After a few months in the Czech Republic, they really weren’t sure if they really stayed. “The emigration process was complicated and financially and mentally exhausting. We had to submit about ten different confirmations from different authorities, landlords and insurance companies every six months. We also had to pay administrative fees for extending the residence permit. And then wait if it turns out at all, because there is no legal claim to it. “
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She is said to have felt foreign at times. But in retrospect, I always think that positive experiences have prevailed. When I feel good in Prague, it is naturally resilient and therefore adaptable. “Maybe my brother didn’t feel well here. He has returned to Kiev. ”And he is still there today. Not far from the Ukrainian capital with a newborn daughter who is less than a month old.
Julia is herself the mother of a four-year-old son. Therefore, when she learned of Russia’s attack on her homeland at the end of February, she was overwhelmed by the worst fears. “I have a crazy fear of my brother’s family. We’re in touch every day. ”When asked if she could ever imagine it going to war, she honestly said she did. “It simply came to our notice then. I was hoping they would agree. Until the last moment, the people of Ukraine believed that this would not happen. And if the EU and NATO help them. Now they are disappointed. “
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She is now trying to help herself. She shares useful information, helps her relatives and loved ones find accommodation, interprets. “God willing, my lunar niece will come to Prague with her mother and older brother soon,” believes Julia Jezerská.
Julia Jezerska (39)
She was born in Kiev in 1982. She has lived in the Czech Republic since the age of fifteen, currently in Prague 6. She graduated from two universities in the metropolis – the Faculty of Arts, Charles University (Czech for Foreigners) and the Faculty of Law, Charles University. She is the mother of a four-year-old son. She works as a lawyer at the headquarters of the Czech Social Security Administration.
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