welcoming Ukrainians, an “obstacle course” for Olivier
13,500 Ukrainians have arrived in France since the start of the war, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. But France could receive many more. Up to 100,000, according to the Red Cross. In the meantime, Provençals are mobilizing to house exiles. This is the case of Olivier Bauer. This entrepreneur, residing in the 7th arrondissement of Marseille, decided to host a family. A 31-year-old mother, Anna, and Emilia, her 5-year-old daughter. The two Ukrainians arrived a little over a week ago from Pereïaslav, about a hundred kilometers from kyiv.
And this arrival is a hell of a mess for everyone. Starting with Oliver. His daily life is no longer that of a single forty-something: “It’s like a daily life as a father, I imagine; which I’m not”jokes the person concerned who had, for her guests, to arrange a small corner of intimacy in her accommodation. “That’s it! In this room, there is a bed and cupboards. I also put teddy bears to try to offer them a more pleasant room to live in.”
The language barrier
Olivier is very caring for Emiliia and her mother, Anna, still very marked by their journey: “Sometimes, at night, I wake up with a start saying to myself: but what am I doing here? Yes… We will need time”recognizes the thirties. For now, exchanges are in Englisheven if the Marseillais started a little Ukrainian. “I learned to say okay to the little one”the one who has become a kind of uncle-cake for her is still having fun. “It’s true that on the food, it was necessary to find foods that she liked, because he does not eat the same dishes as us there.”
Purchases, which represent an additional charge for the finances of the entrepreneur. “I’m in the red, but I warned my banker. And that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is to help.” And to help families in his administrative procedures, Olivier has decided to take leave. “Just to enroll Emilia in a school in Marseille is a real hassle. You have to have the right documents, which are not in French, of course. And then, you also have to find the right contacts.”
“If thousands of Ukrainians arrive in France, we will need a real shock of simplification to facilitate their reception”, Olivier Bauer, Marseille business manager