The language barrier does not prevent solidarity. In Canteleu, near Rouen (Seine-Maritime), the Solin family has decided to welcome under its roof two young Ukrainian orphan sisters, who speak neither French nor English. Veronika, 20, and Margarita, 18, fled Odessa on March 1 and arrived in Normandy four days later on Saturday March 5.
It was Thaïs Solin who, after seeing their message on a Facebook group Hungarian, offered them to come and live in the family home with her mother Fabienne, her grandparents and her husband Aaron. Thaïs and Erin are in France at the moment, with Thaïs’ family, but the couple normally live in Budapest.
Communicate using an app
The two sisters speak neither French nor English, so it’s Thais and her husband who communicate with them using their mobile phones, using a voice translator. It is a precious help but it is not always perfect, recognizes Thaïs. “Sometimes we tear our hair out, but it’s ok”, jokes the young thirty-year-old. His mother Fabienne relativizes: “We don’t need words to understand each other!”
After a few days, the two sisters have made their mark in the house. This Sunday, March 13, they are preparing lunch, chicken and sautéed potatoes, and Fabienne, the mother, is forbidden to lift a finger: “They are charming, they participate, they are super nice!”
“They are very autonomous!”
They accompany for the races, participate in all the tasks and show amazing maturityThaïs admits: “This character trait is explained by their experience, they grew up in an orphanage so they learned not to depend, they are very independent and they are keen not to be a burden for us, I also think that makes them feel good.”
The family has always hosted foreign students on language stays. Welcoming travelers from all over the world is part of the habits of the whole household: “It’s already what happened for my father, who emigrated from Poland, my mother’s family helped him to settle down!” Since then, almost every language has been spoken at the Solin table.
So when Thaïs read Veronika and Magdalena’s message on Facebook, she didn’t hesitate: “They were looking for a base in Paris, I offered to welcome them, but I explained to them that I was not in Paris itself, even if it is not very far.”
Learn French and do volunteer work
From now on, the two orphans would like to find a joblearn French and discover the region. “We have things planned for the weekend”says Thaïs, “As they love animals, we got in touch about volunteering and we planned to take them horseback riding.” The family also started the process to obtain a residence permit for them and contacted the town hall to report the arrival of the two young girls.
For now, it is impossible to imagine if the two young women will one day return to Ukraine. “For the time being, this family life secures them, we will think about French lessons and activities, and we will see later for the rest”, simply conclude Thaïs and Fabienne. Asked about their wish to stay in France, Veronika and Margarita laughingly answer that they want to stay, but “only with this family”.
According to the latest report published this Sunday, March 13 by the UN, nearly 2,700,000 refugees have fled the fighting in Ukraine. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, more than 10,000 people who fled Ukraine have been identified on French soil.