Witnessing Ukrainian Resilience

Have you ever educated someone during the middle of a war? Do you know how some remain unshaken by the atrocities they face and continue to thrive? The resilience I witnessed of two Ukrainians confronted by destruction blaring in their faces is one of the most remarkable triumphs of human souls I've observed in my life. How do they continue to celebrate their holidays with joy? How does one of my students find humor in showing off her gas mask? Just how do they continue to focus on regular work despite an infrastructure that has been largely destroyed? These unfortunate circumstances have, thankfully, failed to shake the spirits of two Ukrainian students I have had the privilege to educate.

I immediately became interested when I saw on Volunteer Match a program called ENGin that was accepting volunteers interested in teaching English to Ukrainians. My desire to help those in drastic situations led me to apply and soon enough I was a tutor for ENGin. It was then time for me to schedule a meeting with my first assigned student. I won’t give away her name, but her incredibly gentle, anxiety-free presence immediately made me feel at ease. It almost didn’t seem like a war was waging in her country. The second student I was assigned to was funny, witty, and also very kind. I felt like I won the lottery when ENGin assigned me to these two young Ukrainian women.

My students remained steady despite the worsening conditions in Ukraine. Memories of my gentle student telling me about her detour around a blown-up bridge in Kyiv and my witty student showing pictures of buildings that had been destroyed in Kharkiv were the first shocking facts of the destruction that was increasing with each passing day. My gentle student’s response was “That’s life” as she chuckled and, similarly, my witty student confidently stated “Life goes on” after she laughed while showing me her gas mask. Maybe the most touching engagement I had with them was when they told me of how Ukrainians came together to celebrate Christmas underground. Even if Russia wins the war, it failed to break the spirit of Ukrainians.

People who share a common threat can either flee or unite: my two Ukrainian students are among those who chose to unite and remain in their homeland. Their kindness and resilience are a testament to the power of unity and a good sense of humor. It was an honor to teach both of these remarkable women and I hope we can maintain the friendship we established while I was their English tutor.