More than 15,000 Ukrainians have received their temporary protection certificates. Figure provided by the Foreigners Office. Among these thousands of refugees, Tatiana Odinttsova. At only 29 years old, this young woman from Donetsk had to flee her country for the second time in her life. The first time was in 2014, when Crimea was annexed. Today, it is once more necessary to flee the bombs and it is in Belgium that she has found refuge.
A smell of traditional Ukrainian soup reigns in an apartment in Watermael-Boitsfort, in Brussels. This is where Tatiana found refuge. She came with her mother and her 17-year-old brother.
The 29-year-old had to leave without her father, sister, or husband. She worries regarding them.
“When we arrived here, we had a lot of time to reflect. Sometimes this causes us a bit of anxiety. Especially for our father who is in occupied territory.”
It changed our life in 24 hours
Tatiana baked a traditional bread from Ukraine. The goal, to share with Laure and Javier and thank them. The family has been living in their apartment for only a few days. We already detect moments of complicity, even if we have to be tricky when we don’t speak the same language, like using a translator on our phone.
Laure tells our microphone: “It changed our life in 24 hours. I am not the same person as before with what I have just experienced and seen for not even a week.”
Between lightness and anxiety, the family must learn to live far from their land. Tatiana takes advantage of the meal to share with her hosts her life before by showing photos and videos on her Instagram account. Tatiana is a famous pastry chef in Ukraine. While waiting to find work in Belgium, the followingnoon is taken up with gardening. The activity keeps your hands busy and clears your head.
