Viktoriia came to Prague with her son in response to growing tensions in the Donetsk region six years ago. Recalling her first weeks in Czechia, she says she felt lost. She talks about the difficulties of finding work and her conflicting feelings about her new environment. Among other things, the Slovo 21 project Your New Home, which offers a helping hand to holders of international protection, helped her find her bearings. Today, Viktoriia passes on her experiences of migration and finding peace far from home at the InBáze organization. She helps people in the same situation she found herself in six years ago.

You came to Czechia six years ago, before the full-scale conflict in Ukraine broke out. What were your first impressions of your new home?

Yes, I came six years ago. But it’s important to mention that I’m from Dnipro, which is close to the Donetsk region. So we were greatly affected by the first conflict in 2014. We all knew that war was coming. And that’s why I’m here. And my feelings about the new place? We had been to Prague a few times before. But my first feelings were like, “Why am I here? What am I doing here? What am I going to do here and why do I need all this?” I think we were all a little lost.

Why did you ultimately choose Czechia?

Mainly because it’s close. It’s two hours by plane. And also because of the language. It’s closer to us, as are the culture and mentality. And also because my son wanted to study engineering at the Czech Technical University. He was interested in robotics, he went to various competitions… So I accommodated him with the choice of location.

What were the biggest obstacles for you in Czechia?

Maybe looking for a job. I didn’t want to work like all foreigners. I didn’t want to clean houses just because I was a foreigner. I was looking for opportunities to do something else.

Czech is a Slavic language, but how did you overcome the language barrier at the beginning?

I learned the language simply by communicating. As soon as I arrived in Czechia, I moved into the Czech community. All my neighbors were Czech. My son immediately went to a Czech high school and all his friends were Czech. So that played a big part in learning.

I understand that those first weeks in Czechia weren’t easy. But is there anything from that period that you remember fondly?

It has to do with the Czech community. Right from the start, I felt that they had accepted me. We arrived here during the first week of Advent. I have fond memories of that. Our first month here was like a holiday, like a vacation. It was Christmas, Prague was beautiful…

How did your son experience the change of environment?

He was fifteen at the time. I’m not saying it was easy for him, but it wasn’t terrible either. He could still keep in touch with everyone via the internet. It was a little difficult because it was during COVID. It was still a very uncertain time. But otherwise, I don’t remember any major obstacles.

How did the Your New Home project help you during this period?

I got involved in the New Home project as part of our integration. Every asylum seeker received an offer from the Ministry of the Interior to participate in an integration program. And that experience was good. It was about the legal minimum. But I was also in contact with a social worker, which helped me a lot because I didn’t have my own laptop. They helped me get one. They helped me with everything a foreigner in Czechia might need. So it was a good experience.

Today, you yourself help at InBáze. How exactly?

I work as an intercultural worker. That currently mainly means administration and organization. I do administration for courses, such as the social services worker qualification course or the basics of intercultural work. I also provide basic information for foreigners. Everything related to employment, business opportunities, and similar things.

You mentioned that foreigners in Czechia often work far below their qualifications. Does InBáze address this problem?

Yes, we talk about it a lot. Most of the women who arrived after the war started had no idea what would happen next. Maybe they didn’t want to work at all because they felt they would return soon. But now I see that they are looking for normal jobs, getting their diplomas recognized, retraining… So the situation is really improving.

Do you now perceive the Czech Republic at least partly as your new home?

I still don’t feel at home here. Probably mainly because I can’t go to Ukraine. On the other hand, I have friends and a support network here. Still, I can’t say that I feel 100% at home here. Maybe ninety percent. But I definitely see my future here. This has a lot to do with my son. He definitely wants to stay here, he likes it here and wants to continue studying.

The interview was conducted as part of the project Your New Home in the Czech Republic 2024–2026 , which is co-financed by the European Union.