They asked me to stay in a safe place, but I came home, despite the threat of shelling and blackouts

To stay in comfort or go back to your hometown, where your house was razed to the ground? That question was on Tetyana's mind. Everything was extremely nice in Germany, but what about her husband, students, and community back in Ukraine?

Tetyana, with her children, had been living in a lovely, big apartment in Germany. The government covered the rent; the state helped cover expenses on food. She had an excellent opportunity to stay there and work in a local school.

Tetyana is the Deputy Director of Makariv's Lyceum in Ukraine and a History teacher. In March, her hometown was occupied, so her family evacuated to Germany. Her husband Vasyl couldn't cross the border. He returned to Makariv as soon as it was liberated, only to find their house completely burned out. Nothing was left there except for one cup.

The children liked it in Germany. Maria, 8, not knowing the German language, made friends with local children and was invited to all the birthday parties. She also made friends with a woman who worked at the stables. Maria went there with pleasure as she was taught to ride horses. Tetyana's 16-year-old son also found activities to entertain himself.

The local school in Germany offered Tetyana to stay and teach Ukrainian children there. Nevertheless, she badly wanted to return home.

"Wherever you are, you still miss home and your dearest ones. I had the opportunity to stay in Germany, in peac…But I wanted to return to Ukraine and resume the education system here in these difficult conditions. To support our pupils who returned to Makariv," — Tetyana says.

Online lessons in the Ukrainian school were resumed in May. During that time, Tetyana conducted classes from Germany for 12 hours a week. The first lessons were not about history but about talking and speaking out.

"Everyone was online; all the cameras were on. Children were constantly sharing their emotions. Everybody kept saying how glad they were to see each other," — Tetyana remembers with a smile.

In Summer, the situation in Makariv improved a little; the town began to recover, gas and electricity were reconnected, and shops were reopened.

In October, almost all 685 of Makariv’s Lyceum students returned to town, with only 30 children remaining abroad.

"We returned to my mother's apartment and lived there with my daughter. And the eldest son lives with my husband at his parents' place. Both of our parents don't have enough space for the four of us, so for now, we live like this. I do not regret that I returned. There are problems with electricity, but still, it is at home with my dearest ones and with my pupils and colleagues," — Tetyana explains.

Still, they didn't have a family nest as they used to, where they could unite and restore their life together.

The charity project NEST took care of the family and collected $20,000 in donations for a fully furnished modular house with two bedrooms for Tetyana, Vasyl, and their children. The house was installed on the family's property, so they are back on their own land and can live in better conditions now.

The family plans to rebuild their big house in 5-10 years. It costs too much to do now, but hopefully, they will restore everything over time.

You can donate for more families in Ukraine to get a modular house to replace their damaged one. 585 families in Makariv’s countryside lost their homes. Help them have a family nest https://nestprytulafoundation.org/