Nataliia’s story

Before the full-scale invasion, I was happy. My life in Ukraine was full—full of family, of purpose and a career I loved. It was a perfect life. Our family enjoyed meetings without reason. We could get together just by calling each other to celebrate a holiday, a birthday or just to help out in the garden. Family celebrations meant smiling with each other and telling stories.

I was a lawyer, and I was good at it. I understood how the system worked, how to navigate the complexities of legislation, how to communicate effectively and solve problems. That confidence was my foundation. Then one day, the rocket fire started. At that moment, I understood this life was destroyed. My plans were destroyed and I had to decide what to do. Now I miss this confidence in my personal life, confidence in my professional life and confidence about tomorrow. My daughter was 12 years old at the time. The problem was that we had no shelter from the rockets. I was scared for my life and my daughter’s life. For this reason, we left our country.

The first step is a shock. I remember the queue of people on the border. So many women with children. It was a disaster. You just have to decide what to do next. You are just lost and you don’t know what to do. We decided to go to the Czech Republic because it has a similar culture. I remember thinking we would be there for one or two months maximum. Then everything would be OK and we could return. But when I analysed the situation, I understood it would not be so fast.

At first, I had some work online, so I could do that and save some money. We were sad and stressed. But our hosts helped us by talking to us and trying to calm us down. Those months flew by, and I knew I had to start looking for more permanent accommodation, to find a job and to begin learning the Czech language.

New home, new challenges

The first time in a new country is a big challenge. You don’t know how anything works: the transport system, the educational system, or the healthcare system. You know nothing. It was difficult even going to a store to buy something. I’m so grateful for the help of strangers at that time. Help with clothes, with food, with hygiene. When we got our one-year visa, we started to take small steps forward.

I understood that I had to find a job to have money and to be involved in some more important process. I wanted to do more than survive living day-by-day. I wanted purpose. It was such a nice feeling when I got an invite from IKEA to take part in their hiring process. I realised that I can be part of something important again. I can live.

Still, every year we wait for the day when we can extend our visa to continue legally staying here. Waiting is always a challenge for us. We have to navigate online forms and personal visits before we can receive the visa for another year.

Return to the law

Now I have had my law diploma nostrified and officially recognised. But that is not enough. I still cannot work as a lawyer because of my imperfect knowledge of the Czech language. I miss the feeling in my professional life when I can explain everything I want to explain, when I can solve some cases. My dream is to be back at the top of my profession. I want to be involved in big things. I want to get good results for my company, and I want to see the results of my work. I hope to be able to return to my profession as a lawyer. It’s a big challenge for me because first I have to learn the Czech language perfectly and that will take time.

But I’m ready for that and I won’t give up. I see where I can help other people and be useful. And I want to be useful.