More than a year after the war in Ukraine began, Mariia Kyreieva and her daughters, Veronika and Polina Prusakova, still remember the haunting first days of the war.
“It was really scary,” Veronika said. “I didn’t know what to do. I just started crying.”
“We were at a loss because you don’t know what to do,” Mariia told ABC15.
The family recalls hearing the sirens as they waited in their Kyiv home or a bomb shelter. They knew that had to move and soon were on a train headed west, looking out the window at their hometown.
“Everything was in very dark smoke,” Mariia recalled. “Our train was going through all these black clouds.”
They made stops at a refugee camp in Poland and a stop in Madrid before ending up in Arizona and reconnecting with relatives. But their husband and father, Hennadii, had to stay behind.
“I’m trying to start a new life for my children but I miss him every day and every hour,” Mariia said.
“We haven’t seen the other part of our family for a full year now and the only thing that saves us is FaceTime,” Veronika said.
The daily FaceTime calls keep them as connected as possible, but life goes on in Arizona, with everyday problems away from a war zone — problems like a teenager adjusting to a new school.
“For me, it was really difficult to get to know people here because they are different than people in Europe and I felt like I didn’t fit in,” Polina said. “But it’s getting easier and I love people here. They are nice. And I think they like me, maybe?”
Mariia is a mom trying to find a new job to support her family.
“When they see I have no work experience in the United States, they prefer to take somebody who is experienced.”
Even with 14 years of experience in construction, she’s facing challenges finding any work.
“I don’t apply for any director or manager position,” Mariia said. “What I need is just a normal life, a normal stable life.”
Mariia says she shared her story in a local Scottsdale Facebook group and has received lots of support. She has two job interviews lined up for Monday and is optimistic.
