Meet Ukrainian Mum of two, Oksana Havryliak, a Finance staff member at LSTM - she arrived in the UK with son Yaroslav, now 15, and daughter Kira, now 8, in May 2022 along with her sister and her two children.
They are living near Tarporley, in Cheshire.
Oksana gives an account of her experiences in the UK and talks about May’s Eurovision Song Contest, which is set to be staged in Liverpool.
Where abouts in the Ukraine are you originally from?
I’m from Chernihiv – a town in the North of Ukraine. It has more than 1,300 year of history. Chernihiv is about 90 miles from Kyiv and nearly 45 miles from a boarder with Russia. Since Chernihiv is on the way to Kyiv, my town was attacked by the Russians on the first day of the war. They tried to take it under their control and so, to have an opportunity to go to Kyiv. Chernihiv was heavily bombarded until April 2022, but Russian forces had failed to capture the city. I was forced to leave my home and my country when the war started. For 16 days, my family were hiding in the basement of our house in fear for our lives, often without electricity and water. My aim was to keep the children safe.
How did you end up working in finance at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine?
Maths was one of my favourite subjects in school. So, I graduated from an accounting college in the town where I was born and went to the University in Kharkiv. My first job was as an assistant auditor in one of the largest auditing companies in Kharkiv. All my jobs were related to finance, so the numbers were always surrounding me!
I came to the UK under the program ‘Homes for Ukraine’. Our sponsor brought a vacancy in Finance department to my attention, and I applied for it. I’m enjoying working for LSTM, the organisation with a long history and noble goals.
Did you watch the Eurovision Song contest, last Spring, when the Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine won?
I came to the UK in May last year, just before the Eurovision Song contest. What is interesting that from Chernihiv my family went to Kalush. It’s a town in the West of Ukraine. My family and I lived in Kalush until we got the Visas to the UK. The band Kalush Orchestra is named after the city where its members come from. I didn’t watch the final of Eurovision Song contest, but the first thing I did the next morning was to search the internet to look at the results of the competition. We all were proud of Ukraine and happy that Sam Ryder, a British singer, was very close to victory. Ukrainians are eternally grateful to the UK for supporting Ukraine from the first day of the war and for me it’s very symbolic that Great Britain and Ukraine got two first places in the music contest. Even here our countries are next to each other.
Do you have a favourite song from a Liverpool-based pop group?
I wasn’t born when a song ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles reached number one on the music charts. However, it’s still widely known song and loved by many in Ukraine. I like it very much too. It’s about a love story, however you can also find there, the idea how the things can be changed in just a day. And this is about everyone’s life, it’s also about my country.
How important would you say music is to the people of Ukraine?
There are music schools in Ukraine and from time to time the teachers from them come to regular schools to introduce children to different musical instruments and encourage kids to play instruments.
Unfortunately, I can’t sing! But when I was a child, I attended a music school and used to play the accordion.
What five words would you use to describe Liverpool to your friends and family back in Ukraine?
I really like Liverpool. Five words it’s not enough to describe this lovely city. But they can be: Scousers, Cathedrals, Universities, Tunnels and Seagulls.
I believe that talent has no borders. Talent multiplied by passion is the secret mixture that ensures success. And the Liverpudlians have both these secret ingredients.
how are you coping with the situation back in Ukraine?
In this difficult time for Ukraine every man can be called up to the army to defend the country. My husband, my brother and my sister’s husband are in Ukraine. My cousin and his nephew serve in the Ukrainian army. It’s better not to think deeply about what is going on in my country, not to remind yourself that there was a day when you went to bed as usually but woke up in absolutely another reality. Not to think deeply that the life has been changed, and many lives have been taken, homes and plans have been destroyed. I hope and believe that another day will come, the day filled with happiness and pride of the people and cities which survived the struggle for peace and freedom. It will be Victory Day of Ukraine and the whole world.
Oksana, 42, said: “If you can’t change the situation, you need to change your attitude to the situation.”
Oksana also talked fondly about visiting Chester Zoo, Edinburgh and London – she loved the architecture, especially with The Houses of Parliament. She and her family are looking forward to travelling to Cardiff in the near future. She is in touch with her husband on a weekly basis, but exchanges are limited in order to try and keep him as safe as possible.