the new life of refugees in France

Oleh Buriachok’s uniform does not go unnoticed in the streets of Rougemontiers (Eure). He arrives from Ukraine to visit his wife, a refugee in Normandy for 10 months, during her week of leave. This is the first time he has left his country since the start of the war. “It’s weird not to hear sirens, alarms and gunshots. I wanted to see my family so much, I’m so happy to be with them, that I don’t think about it”says the soldier.

“I can do everything”

“It’s the best time of the year, I can finally see my husband”, launches Olesia Telizhenko. Their children have adapted well to school and are improving in French. A source of pride for parents. A few kilometers away, in La Bouille (Seine-Maritime), Oksana Bolotova, also a refugee, is learning a new job. In the kitchens of the restaurant where she works, it’s time to prepare the desserts. “It’s a novelty because it’s not my job at all, but I don’t mind, I can do everything”, she testifies. In her country, she was a civil servant. In France, she learned the culinary arts, despite the language barrier. She met her companion in France and they both live today with his parents.