Things are changing slowly and steadily, I knew from the beginning that this will slowly start happening. The whole of Europe is dealing with the refugee crisis. Not only, people have lost their homes, displaced from their loved ones, and fled the country to stay safe, but also they are suffering in each step of dealing with the refugee life. I started doubting my decision, I was scared of living in a war zone. On the other hand, I am quite frustrated living in the miserable condition of refugee life. No matter how much I try to stay positive, I can't. Mentally and physically I started feeling weak every single day. I really wished that this was a dream or I am living in a dream, a bad dream. I wished suddenly I woke up and realize everything is fine. I can't tolerate this focusless and degraded life. Don't get me wrong, you won't realize my pain until you are in the same shoes as mine.
Every day after leaving my bed, I usually take time to understand where I am now, I barely can sleep at night. I appreciate everything though but this unexpected life condition kinda making me sick. I couldn't spend a single moment in Kharkiv when I realized my safety was at stake, I had to leave. I was forced to leave because living in the dark basement for 9-10 days left a horrible experience for me. But what is happening now, actually nothing much, this was expected. It's me who is having a hard time here adjusting to everything.
Many things are changing, and even the mentality of the people is changing too. Everyone in this shelter feels stressed about upcoming life because many don't know what to do next, from where to begin. Everybody is dealing with their own concerns and I get that. Because I am also concerned about my future too. I don't know where to begin my life again. I talk to people every day, I have made some friends here, we share information with each other and try to motivate each other. But still, it seems like we all are standing at the same point and waiting to climb the mountain.
I completely forgot that this month I have to visit the food bank. It was completely out of my mind because I was dealing with other things. So, yesterday after having breakfast, I decided to go to the foodbank, otherwise, the credit I have got on my card will be zero and new credit will be added for the next month. I normally take the bus to go to the food bank. Public transportations were free for Ukrainians in Holland so without any hesitation, I ride on the bus. I was not alone, a friend of mine who also came from Ukraine was with me. We have been living in the same shelter for quite some time.
She suddenly informed me that from the next month we have to pay for the bus tickets as well. This rule is applied to all Ukrainian refugees. When I first arrived in Holland, intercity train tickets were free but 2 weeks ago, paid ticket services has started for the Ukrainians because of one incident. So no more free pass for train travel anymore in Holland.
Now new headache, I have to register for a monthly card for bus and train. It takes a minimum of 10 days to get a personal registered card. In Almere city, the municipality is not giving any transport allowances for the refugees. I don't know about other cities in Holland. I and my friend talked about different issues and our discussion was mainly focused on our current condition and what to do next.
After 20 minutes, we reached the Foodbank. while we were waiting to enter the shop, a volunteer came and informed us that, this was the last month for us for the free food products from Foodbank. From the next month, we won't get any credit for the food products. I was surprised but also understood that this was expected and reasonable. I am grateful for what we have got so far. The reason is simple when a Ukrainian refugee starts getting money from the government, the food bank stops providing free food products.
Unfortunately, I couldn't finish all of my credits, so I have to go again before 1st June. I still have a good amount of credits left on my card so I have to spend them before it becomes zero. I got 50 euros from the government this month and I haven't spent it yet. So, I guess now I have to spend that 50 euros wisely.
After coming back to the shelter holding 2 heavy bags, I realized that I have lost my room key. LOL... That's another story that I am keeping for the next post.
The whole day's experiences left a valuable lesson for me and that is I have to get my ass out of the chair. It's time to work.
I have prepared my cv for jobs and let's see what is waiting for me in Holland...
No more benefits, no more free food, and transportation. It was expected though. There are job opportunities here in Holland for Ukrainians and they don't need a work permit if they are registered by the municipality/ government. In this post, I only tried to express the actual scenarios of Almere city, I don't know about other cities.
P.S: Please do not take this post as a complaint post, I am grateful for all the help and support I have got so far. I tried to share the whole situation through this post...
Love
Priyan...
I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thought easily...
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I was intending to write some posts on a bit of the same topic, but never got to it.
There is no official policy on free transportation for Ukrainians in Norway as such. In general, refugees doesn't get free transport - but like in Oslo, there is free transport for Ukrainians now, on all transport except the trains. The train company offers one trip for Ukrainians that has just arrived to the country and need transportation to the place they are going to stay at.
The free transport offer won't last forever - and I think it shouldn't - refugees are supposed to integrate and get a job - but it's very difficult when it takes ages before the bureaucracy can produce a simple work permit, and when it's almost impossible to navigate through the job offerings without any knowledge of the English language.
You are absolutely right and you know the problem already. In Poland, I didn't get any government help and I knew that I will never get anything because of my dual citizenship. So, I left and came to the Netherlands. The government system/ paperwork in Holland is very slow and they said they are trying their best. In the Netherlands, the government is now dealing with housing because they don't have enough permanent houses for the refugees. In NL, white work and blackwork are available but to get a white job, you need social security number and a bank account which takes a long time. Here, host families are now telling the refugees to leave because they are not getting anything from the government and many refugees are not registered yet... So everything is just messed up now...
Many Ukrainians don't know English so they are having a hard time dealing with the paperwork and job sectors.
Hello my friend @priyanarc . It really saddens me that you and so many around you are going through that situation. From my heart all good vibes to you. I understand how you feel. But cheer up and go ahead, you will see that beautiful opportunities will come for you and many. Blessings and many successes. You are going to get a good job that will bring you many fruits, trust in that. Greetings sweetheart... 🌻🌈🐦
Some situations are very unfortunate and whatever is happening in Ukraine always breaks my heart. For me, I know something I will figure out to live life but I feel horrible for those who can't do anything here, especially the old people. These benefits are necessary for them because they can't do a job here because of their age. Even for a mother with kids, it's hard too.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful message... It means a lot to me... Stay safe...
I totally understand your heart @priyanarc. I live in Venezuela and so I have empathized with many of you in every way. Your message is perfectly clear, since here we are not dying at this moment because of bullets or bombs. But we have more than 20 years dying in all senses, and those you mention are the ones who have the worst time, because if we the younger ones manage, they can no longer. They are different but strong situations. My mom just left the country, 4 days ago, my sister took her to give her a better quality of life, I am happy and at the same time devastated by this, I was practically alone, my whole family is scattered around the world, they fled from here because there are no alternatives to live. I am left alone with my husband and daughter, and I don't know if I should resign myself to live with so much loneliness. As I told you the stories are different but if we were to share experiences we would have to put them on a scale, here I have seen so many people die, even my family, because of lack of medical attention, even almost that I tell it when I got covit, I treated myself at home, I had no money to be treated, the public hospitals collapsed, there are no supplies, I thought I did not tell it, just like my mother and daughter, it was very bad for us. My husband's mother died and it was torture, my husband cried and screamed because she was not attended anywhere, she died for lack of attention and I have seen so many people die like that. Here we go hungry, the electricity goes out, the cell phone signal, the water, gas, there is no gasoline. I'm really sorry I know your life is hard, but if I tell you about our life more than 20 years ago, nothing has been easy, I don't even have friends anymore, they emigrated. And some of those friends have suffered mistreatment, torture and even rape. Even my husband had to emigrate once, it was so bad that he had to return.
Sorry for being so long. You need support, I wish you the best and the best of success, I will always be looking out for you because I empathize with your situation.
But it's tough here too and we have no support. Just as they deceive at the international level with respect to you, so they do with us. I wish I could tell you so much that I have experienced.
A thousand kisses and blessings...
I am so sorry dear for reminding you of horrible and dark moments in life. Yes, you are right, we all have stories to tell. I had an idea about Venezuala but I didn't know many situations there because I had never been there. I am so sorry, probably you should try to migrate as well but obviously, you know your situation better than I do. What I have understood is that life is unstable and anything can happen at any time. This war is a lesson for me but your life condition and situation are similar to mine. We are somehow on the same boat, trying to find a way in our life...Don't feel alone, we are with you...
Sending a lot of love and blessing to you. I wish you a good happy life...
Thank you for your words, my dear.
I will always remain vigilant and with my empathy for you intact.
Let's have faith that things will work out for everyone.
Kisses and blessings
Take care of yourself @priyanarc 🥰😘💕✨🌈🧚🐦😺🌻
I also believe that everything will be fine and things will work out eventually. Probably life won't be like that which I have dreamed of but it's fine...
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Three months have passed since Putin's invasion began, and I am truly amazed at what has happened in such a relatively short time.
I read that almost 7 million people had left Ukraine, I'm not sure of the figure, but let's suppose they were less, something like 6 or 5 million... but they did it in a few weeks, the neighboring countries suddenly found themselves with a wave of migration they had not seen since World War II.
I personally regret that subsidies and support for refugees are being reduced faster than the bureaucracy of each country manages to grant the legal documents to facilitate integration into the labor market and the achievement of minimum living conditions. That is going to cause a problem.
One knows that the assistance was going to be reduced and it was something that should be like that, but certainly it was also expected that they would speed up the procedures, because otherwise it would be nonsense to do things like that.
I wish you that your documentation comes out soon, that you can have a favorable job offer and that life straightens up.
The documentation process is so slow and on the other hand, they are cutting benefits which are frustrating. People are ready to do work but how? Documents are not ready, many people are waiting for the registration, some don't have bio-metric passports and they are waiting for approval from the Ukraine Embassy. Overall it's a mess and everybody is suffering :(
I'm sorry to read that, it really is an unpleasant situation. Some of my relatives have been through similar things and because of that I can empathize.
Without the documentation, what you can get is a black job, and my cousins have had a very bad time because of that, it is better than having nothing and fainting without shelter or food, but it is painful that such a bad situation could be avoided if procedures will speed up a bit.
I can only wish that things get better for everyone.
I'm sorry to hear that @priyanarc. I think it's far too early to cut your benefits off. 😒 ❤
Well, I guess the Netherlands wants us to work which is not a bad idea after all. If I get job opportunities then why not. But yes, you are right, too early to cut off the benefits but I also can understand that the whole Europe is dealing with this refugee crisis.
I hope you find something you like which is always a bonus.
Yes, I am hoping for the best, let's see...
Believe in yourself, you will succeed.
Thank you, hopefully, bright days will come soon...
Beautiful photos 💗
Very beautiful landscape!
Good job!
Best wishes from Ukraine! 💙💛
Thank you so much...It is really a beautiful city in terms of the landscape...
So sorry to hear of this heartache. I cannot imagine your pain
Yea, a new problem :D hahaha... Well next week is gonna be hectic :D
What do you think about videography in the Netherlands? What if I help you edit the film?
I sometimes make videos, in fact, I used to create travel videos and vlogs often. It would be great if you could help me to edit the videos.
Ok, so let's go.
I am from Manati and I am glad to meet you. I will give you my WhatsApp number. Also, my Instagram page called menatiofficial, where you can see my portfolio, will gladly accompany you in editing videos.
I will check your portfolio, thanks a lot... Do you have a Twitter account or discord? We can talk there...Nice to meet you :)
Nice 2 meet you 2.
Yes.on Twitter menatiofficial
Is it your Twitter account @menati ?https://twitter.com/menatiofficial
Yes i am.
Well, sounds uneventful overall, but I guess every small step towards something like normalcy is unimaginable hard right now.
Do you already have some positive feedback for a job? Even if it’s just to kill the time and get into a social environment, it’s probably worth taking one sooner than later.
Completely agree...
No, I haven't received any positive feedback, I prepared my cv yesterday and haven't dropped it anywhere yet, I haven't applied for any job yet. I am connected with some people and they have asked for my cv first so I don't know what is waiting for me. But I am sure, I will figure out something for myself...It's very important to get involved with society and culture because it seems like this war is going to last long...
You should send your CV to some companies who do limited time-based job services and they will find opportunities for you. The salary might suxx at the beginning, but not as bad as one might think.
If you're interested in staying in central Europe there will be a new year of apprenticeship jobs in September. In Germany, there are literally tens of thousands of unfilled apprenticeship jobs in the Dual Work/School System to train the next generation of professionals for the different industries, but you would have to go all the way.
I thought about that and started checking companies. Hopefully I will figure out something.
I have heard about Germany that a lot of jobs are available there but the main problem is where I am gonna stay there and how my documents gonna work there. I am sure it will be another long process. I am going to check all the details and requirements in Germany for Ukrainian refugees. There are a few things I haven't shared on the post, and a few personal things. I am not a Ukrainian passport holder, I am a resident holder so there is a big difference between me and other refugees...
The German law on this makes a point that you need to be a refugee from Ukraine and a city authority additionally has to grant you a permit to allow you to work and live in that region. That applies to people who don't have a job or residency so far as well. It should be fairly easy to get those tasks done if there's a company wanting to have you on the team.
If you don't have an ID from Ukrain you maybe have some other proof of residence.
I have ID and proof of residency, I don't hold the Ukrainian International Passport, so probably there are some opportunities for me. I will check out the details...
I know a fair bit about the Netherlands and its lifestyle, it's very different from where my heart is. I like the german way a lot better. We work a lot, get stuff done, constantly train ourselves, love having small parties, and drink white wine or bavarian beer.
One thing is, smart and loyal people who want to stay and learn a job, will get their shot. Has been this way for literally decades. We invited the turks 30/40years ago, then a lot of Balkan people, a couple of years ago refugees from Syria and guess what, we still have a lot of jobs to fill.
@manniman
I cannot relate. And hope that what you are trying to say just came out wrong.
Might be the bavarian lifestyle choice
Netherland is completely different and dutch culture-based. Life is different here and the system is very slow.
So I should try to apply as well...Now my question is that Germany is giving work permits to Ukrainian refugees?
So to answer your question, yes.
If you apply for a job and they would like you to work for them, you can register at the "Arbeitsagentur" to get a permit and access to the health care system here. Two days from now, all Ukrainians who would like to work in Germany will be granted a working permit as soon as they apply for a residency called "Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach §24". All administrative work is handled by the local "Arbeitsagentur" of that city which is responsible for the location of the job/residence.
Awesome, I should check out this information... Thanks a lot...
@priyanarc I would stay in Dutch track , after what you gone through this has to be the place to work from , germany could have been a possibility but now that is on my opinion not anymore
Lovely photos it is a terrible situation happening in Ukraine for sure have the best weekend you can
@priyanarc !ALIVE !CTP
Yes, whatever happening in Ukraine is heartbreaking and the scary part is, I don't know when the war gonna be officially finished...Terrible situation but I have to move on...
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Thank you so much...
💙💛
Hey btw, did you read about the 9€ Ticket in Germany?
Yes, I have heard about it but not in detail. I have heard that the refugees will get a monthly card with 9 euros or something. I am not so sure. Here, in Almere still no such benefits for us, I have heard Amsterdam is giving refugees an extra 55 euro allowance but I don't know what about it... Need to ask around...
You can buy 9€ Ticket and travel all month long, it will be available for 3 Moth in a row. You can take all trains that the APP shows you, probably everything besides the Intercity Express, which means you'll travel a little bit longer between big cities but that's not a big issue since it's a flat rate ticket. It's meant for people to take their time and visit someplace, maybe surf some couches :P
For Example, I could go from Munich to Hamburg and back with that ticket, usually it takes 5,5 hours with the ICE, and with this ticket, it takes ~9Hours across Germany and 3 train switches on the way - but crazy cheap with 9bucks for a WHOLE MONTH all directions any time of the day.
Maybe you wanna take a tour, or maybe you can even find a job at a Hotel, Bar, Club, Festival, or whatnot. If life serves you lemons, you know what I mean.
Well, it's fucking cheaper :D... I paid 6 euros yesterday for 28 minutes of bus travel, Amsterdam one way takes 14 euros for 20 minutes of travel :P :P ... Now I am thinking should I move to Germany :D!!! At this point, I am not very choosey about the jobs, I can do anything except loading-unloading work...
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Almere :-) I have a Ukrainian cousin-in-law there (not a refugee, he settled down there permanently quite some ears ago). His father was staying in Almere in the beginning of the war, but is back in Kyiv now. His brother has joined the military.
Wow, that's amazing and I really respect the decision made by your cousin-in-law's father. They did what is right and they dedicated themselves to the country...
Almere is a nice city, to be honest...
@priyanarc,
You know... there hasn't been a day, that we all haven't stopped thinking about you. Not just because of the current situation; I have known you since way back in the STEEMIT days. BUt really... because you have always been a true friend, and share such positive content and energy. I hope you are having a good day today...
Love and light...
Wes...
!LUV
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Thank you Wes, you are a true friend and I always admire your positive feedback and energy that always makes me stronger...It's been a long time since we've known each other, isn't it...
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I wish I could do something to make what you are going through stop. I hope it will soon. Thanks for sharing.
I hope things will be better in the future...
Well, only India knows :D