Posted on Jun 2, 2022
Some Ukrainian refugees find new homes in Maine with help from a fellow expat
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https://www.npr.org/2022/06/02/ [login to see] /some-ukrainian-refugees-find-new-homes-in-maine-with-help-from-a-fellow-expat
On a warm spring afternoon, Halyna and Petro Terzi stepped into their new apartment in Auburn, Maine, for the first time. A small group of fellow Ukrainians was there to greet them.
Carrying blue and yellow balloons and a bouquet of flowers wrapped in plastic, the couple walked into their sunny bedroom overlooking the back yard. They'll be sharing this apartment with another Ukrainian family who arrived several weeks ago.
With a tired-looking smile on his face, Petro lowered himself into a soft armchair next to the bed and let out a deep sigh. His daughter, Alina Terzi, who's lived in Maine for several years, set down some of her parents' luggage.
"They are so happy they're like 'Praise the Lord we are — we've arrived,' " she said, translating her father's comments in Russian.
The Terzis are from Odessa. They fled their home in late February, several days into the Russian invasion. They went first to Moldova, then to Poland. There, volunteers with the Seventh Day Adventist church connected them with a family in Warsaw, who hosted them while the couple waited for the U.S. embassy to process their visa applications.
On a warm spring afternoon, Halyna and Petro Terzi stepped into their new apartment in Auburn, Maine, for the first time. A small group of fellow Ukrainians was there to greet them.
Carrying blue and yellow balloons and a bouquet of flowers wrapped in plastic, the couple walked into their sunny bedroom overlooking the back yard. They'll be sharing this apartment with another Ukrainian family who arrived several weeks ago.
With a tired-looking smile on his face, Petro lowered himself into a soft armchair next to the bed and let out a deep sigh. His daughter, Alina Terzi, who's lived in Maine for several years, set down some of her parents' luggage.
"They are so happy they're like 'Praise the Lord we are — we've arrived,' " she said, translating her father's comments in Russian.
The Terzis are from Odessa. They fled their home in late February, several days into the Russian invasion. They went first to Moldova, then to Poland. There, volunteers with the Seventh Day Adventist church connected them with a family in Warsaw, who hosted them while the couple waited for the U.S. embassy to process their visa applications.
Some Ukrainian refugees find new homes in Maine with help from a fellow expat
Posted from npr.org
Russia
Ukraine
State of Maine
Refugees
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The Terzis are from Odessa. They fled their home in late February, several days into the Russian invasion. They went first to Moldova, then to Poland. There, volunteers with the Seventh Day Adventist church connected them with a family in Warsaw, who hosted them while the couple waited for the U.S. embassy to process their visa applications.
Halyna Terzi, from left, with her husband Petro and their daughter Alina, eating lunch shortly after Halyna and Petro arrived in Maine.
The Terzis eventually secured tourist visas, which allow them to stay in the United States for six months. But they plan on trying to stay longer — whether by applying for asylum or by seeking family reunification with daughter Alina.
The official refugee resettlement program in the United States is overseen by the federal government and involves a lengthy application process that includes referral from the United Nations and interviews with American immigration officials. The whole process can take up to two years.
But thousands of Ukrainians have already arrived in the United States, on tourist visas, through the Biden Administration's new expedited sponsorship program, or by presenting themselves to immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arriving without the help of a refugee-resettlement agency means many Ukrainians rely on family members or volunteers to secure basic needs — including housing.
That's the case for the Terzis. They came on tourist visas and moved into a nondescript two-unit rental property in Auburn that's become an unlikely hub of a DIY resettlement operation."...
..."The Terzis are from Odessa. They fled their home in late February, several days into the Russian invasion. They went first to Moldova, then to Poland. There, volunteers with the Seventh Day Adventist church connected them with a family in Warsaw, who hosted them while the couple waited for the U.S. embassy to process their visa applications.
Halyna Terzi, from left, with her husband Petro and their daughter Alina, eating lunch shortly after Halyna and Petro arrived in Maine.
The Terzis eventually secured tourist visas, which allow them to stay in the United States for six months. But they plan on trying to stay longer — whether by applying for asylum or by seeking family reunification with daughter Alina.
The official refugee resettlement program in the United States is overseen by the federal government and involves a lengthy application process that includes referral from the United Nations and interviews with American immigration officials. The whole process can take up to two years.
But thousands of Ukrainians have already arrived in the United States, on tourist visas, through the Biden Administration's new expedited sponsorship program, or by presenting themselves to immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arriving without the help of a refugee-resettlement agency means many Ukrainians rely on family members or volunteers to secure basic needs — including housing.
That's the case for the Terzis. They came on tourist visas and moved into a nondescript two-unit rental property in Auburn that's become an unlikely hub of a DIY resettlement operation."...
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