After suffering the war in Ukraine, refugees integrate in Quebec | War in Ukraine

It’s often like that before the first lessonsays Mylène, francization teacher at the Accore adult education center in Châteauguay, who immediately begins the presentations.

Welcome to the class!

The lesson is given exclusively in French, which most students do not understand. Never mind, they will have to learn. They will be here Monday through Friday for eight weeks.

Everything goes through the language, explains Nicoleta Caraulan, coordinator at the Roussillon Immigration Reception and Training Service (SAFIR), which registered the new students. In fact, with her team, she takes care of meeting just about all their needs.

If I don’t know the language, she insists, it will be impossible or very difficult to integrate into this society.

Fluency in French will indeed be an asset for those wishing to find a job. The Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, Jean Boulet, indicates that 522 companies have expressed the wish to hire Ukrainian nationals, on the Emploi Québec site.

There is a lot of empathy, he believes. We know the Ukrainian environment, the shocks caused by the war, by the Russian invasion, and there is a desire to help.

A new family

Among the group, Olha Kozlovzka and her 27-year-old daughter, Anastasiia Edelman, arrived from Ukraine just 12 days ago. Both women left kyiv on the third day of the war. They stayed nearly a week in western Ukraine, before crossing the Polish border on foot.

We walked all night, it was cold, says Anastasiia. We looked at my mother and I and said, “Are we going to survive?”

Our story is not tragic, she adds. Some stayed in the subway for weeks without food. We were told that neighbors who stayed were injured or worse.

We are finally fine, after two months of stress, says Olha. I am grateful to everyone who helps us.

When they leave class, Normand Thérien and Anne-Marie Langelier are waiting for them to take them home. This retired couple lives in Léry, west of Montreal. They chose to welcome the two Ukrainians to their home.

It’s going very wellexplains Norman.

They are, adds Anne-Marie, before taking a break, their throats tied with emotion, they are exceptional.

They remodeled the rooms that once belonged to their children to accommodate their new roommates.

The first day, Anastasiia, I forced her to go to bed because she already wanted me to look at her CV, confides Anne-Marie. The youngest worked in video production, while her mother, Olha, was until now a professor of philology at the university.

I am convinced that the two will find a job commensurate with their skills.adds Anne-Marie.

Finding some normality

A few kilometers away, at the Natalie Socqué dental clinic, a newcomer has just joined the team. Less than a month after her arrival, Victoriia Gabal has already found a job as a hygienist.

I had been a dentist for 15 years in Ukraine, she says. I was even treating patients in kyiv when my husband called me on February 23.

The day before the first bombings, he wanted to leave. With their two children, four-year-old twins, the couple hit the road. Victoriia ultimately never returned home.

And she doesn’t plan on doing it anytime soon.

To be honest, in my heart, my country is Ukraine, she explains, her eyes reddened. But we know we have a crazy neighbor. I don’t think it’s possible to go back there.

The family is also hosted by a couple from Quebec. It’s like they’re already part of the family, says Barbara Pagé. She and her husband Wayne sleep in the basement to give them space.

While Victoriia works, the twins go to daycare and her husband, Maksym, attends francization classes every day of the week, in the same class as Anastasiia and Olha.

Starting over isn’t easy, but with a little help, they’ll get there.