They no longer dream of going elsewhere

It’s been three and a half months since the Antipova-Mikhiyenko family left Ukraine in a panic to come and settle in Quebec. Our journalist, who welcomed her the first month after her arrival, met her to talk about her adaptation.

Catherine Handfield
The Press

“Babak! »

Demian, 6, runs to the picnic table where his parents are installed, at Michel-Chartrand Park, in Longueuil. He points to a large groundhog waddling in the grass a few meters away. “Babak” means “groundhog” in Ukrainian.

“We have never seen marmots in the wild in Ukraine. I know there are, but they are more careful! “, explains his father, Vitaliy Mikhiyenko, who displays the same amazed expression as his son.

Three and a half months after their arrival in Quebec, like good Europeans, the Mikhiyenkos are still fascinated by marmots, chipmunks and other wild animals in Quebec. But slowly, Vitaliy Mikhiyenko, Natalia Antipova, Zoriana and Demian adapt to their new environment.

“We no longer feel like we are in transit here,” explains Vitaliy Mikhiyenko.

Outpouring of generosity

On March 29, the family arrived in Montreal with three suitcases in hand. She had left Ukraine a month earlier, a few hours after the first Russian strikes, to take refuge in Slovakia. In the meantime, Canada accepted his application for permanent residence, which had been undertaken a few years earlier.

The outpouring of generosity towards the Mikhiyenko family has been exceptional. The administration of a rental condo building in Longueuil offered to house her for a year, free of charge. A reader of The Press volunteered to help family members move and fully equipped their kitchen. Touched by their story, a Montreal businessman gave them a car.

“We were taken and installed in our life in Quebec,” summarizes Vitaliy Mikhiyenko, mimicking a mechanical shovel with his hand. It feels: he is grateful.

Between good news and discouragement

The whole family is doing well. Natalia has taken francization courses for which she receives an allowance. The children went to school in the spring and now attend day camp. Vitaliy Mikhiyenko works for a Chicoutimi company that develops health, safety and environmental management software. It allows him to work remotely.

Vitaliy Mikhiyenko met his colleagues for the first time last month, while going to participate in a dragon boat race in Saguenay. The Antipova-Mikhiyenkos visited several other cities — Quebec, Chambly, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Granby, Sherbrooke. They watch the price of houses, hoping to one day become homeowners.

Until then, Vitaliy Mikhiyenko is trying to sell his house in Poltava, in central Ukraine, which requires complex administrative procedures.

He does not hide it: he sometimes has periods of discouragement. For example, he failed part of his theoretical driving test, which he considers too subjective (he fortunately passed the test on the second try). He is also struggling to navigate Quebec’s health care system, “the only serious disadvantage compared to Ukraine,” he said.

“When I failed that third section of that test, or when I wanted to go see a doctor — and of course, there are no doctors in Canada — I jokingly tell my family: “We buy tickets for Ukraine and go back.” But the children and Natalia answer me: “Okay, but go alone”, says Vitaliy Mikhiyenko laughing. They like to live here. »

The children made friends at school. Demian met a Ukrainian girl who had also fled her country. Zoriana, 11, befriended a girl from Bangladesh. What language do you speak among yourselves? Zoriana understands the question, even if it is asked in French. “A little English, a little French,” she replies, a sign that the Quebec accent is also slowly taking hold.

Parents are pleasantly surprised by Quebec’s summer weather. They also like the spontaneity of Quebecers, with whom it is easy to strike up a conversation for no specific reason.

Natalia Antipova, who still speaks little French and English, remains hopeful of one day finding a job in her field: coaching professional. Already, several of his dreams have come true, such as living abroad, living near water and living near skyscrapers (their condo is on the edge of the St. Lawrence River).

Natalia Antipova explains something in Russian to her husband, who translates. “Now that she has moved to Canada, she no longer dreams of going anywhere else. She wants to live here and improve her life here. »