Alona Samusenko, her husband, daughters and parents were one of the first Ukrainian families to arrive in San Diego. They fled their home in Kyiv after hearing news of the invasion and drove to Poland. The journey took them three days because of the wait at the border. From there, they traveled to San Diego, where they’ve remained ever since.
Samusenko, who works as an English teacher, has never publicly spoken about the trauma of the past 12 months, until now.
“I’m just sad for my husband,” she explained, wiping tears from her eyes. “Because for him it was harder because I moved places several times. My husband he’s lived in his village since he was born and I can see how hard it is for him to leave the place he was born”.
Samusenko’s dad, Leonid Kuziakin, escaped with them, too. He was a beekeeper back in Ukraine. After spending more than 60 years there, he has found the language barrier difficult.
Using Samusenko as an interpreter, Kuziakin said local people have welcomed his family, and he praised the U.S. government for its support of Ukraine. Talking about his old life, however, is still painful.
“There was a big garden, orchard, house, and I lived for 63 years in Ukraine,” Samusenko said. “Then I had to leave everything. It was hard.”
Eighteen-year-old Mariia Sheverun is Samusenko’s eldest daughter. She didn’t know any English when she moved here a year ago, and badly missed her boyfriend and paternal grandparents. Now she’s embracing San Diego life, and plans to go to community college in the fall.
“I like the people, I like the weather, I like school,” she said. Asked whether she wants to return to her home country in the future, her expression turned more somber. “It’s another Ukraine. It’s not the same”.
Despite everything, things are looking up for the family. Samusenko starts a new job on Monday and prays that Ukraine will be a free country one day.
“I really hope that the war will end soon," she said, “and none of the Ukrainian people will suffer anymore”.
