KATRINA BOGUSKI
Freelance
Palmer Rapids- Since making the decision to host refugees, several people have expressed sentiments that suggest they think the project is a big undertaking. In fact, it is not. Yes, there are some minor temporary sacrifices, but they are small in comparison to those the Ukrainians have undergone and smaller still to the rewards the experience offers. It would be better to view the “sacrifices” as exchanges. I give up a bit of space and a bit of time in exchange for an experience that has many rewards.
It occurred to me that those who view the exchange as some sort of hardship likely have some misconceptions about what is involved. They are responding to what they imagine the experience would be like rather than how it actually is. The purpose of this article is clear up some of those misconceptions and introduce you to the members of the family who are staying with me and my two cats in Palmer Rapids. By the end of the article, you might be inspired to host a family too, or help out in some other way.
The family who is staying with me is comprised of a husband (Vitaliy Zemlianskiy) his wife (Jenya, short for Eugenia), their twin 13-year-old daughters (Vitalina and Sophia) and the most entertaining family member, Fred their four-year-old dog. Fred is a Pug and it is because of him that the family came to be welcomed into my home. My theory was that if a family of four was able to flee from a war-torn country and still manage to arrive safely with their dog, they were responsible, organized and committed to keeping their family unit intact, pooch and all. Upon their arrival, my assumptions were immediately validated.
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