“Every single day is a challenge, because you don’t know what might happen in the next 20 minutes, in an hour. It is devastating, mentally and physically.”
Kateryna Postrybailo, a postgraduate digital media marketing student from Kyiv, could not have imagined that her final academic semester would be riddled with so much fear, anxiety and despair.
She recounts how on the day the war erupted, falling asleep in her apartment in Toronto thousands of miles away from home where she is pursuing her passion for content creation, Postrybailo received a text from a friend simply reading: “Kyiv is being attacked by bombs.”
For years, Ukrainians were used to reports of tensions or shootings along the borders. Postrybailo recalls how even flights being cancelled or the recognition of two separatist regions days before the war broke out didn’t even set anyone off. As she had previously studied politics, Postrybailo contacted her professors to ask if an invasion was possible, to which she received a unanimous ‘no.’
To say Ukrainians at home and abroad were completely blindsided by the bombing is an understatement.
Upon confirming this development with news coverage, Postrybailo hastily reached out to friends and family, bewildered. “I went to my friend’s home and we all burst into tears immediately,” she said.
The following days were harrowing. Ukrainians were leaving their homes in droves with their families, driving and even walking anywhere they could to escape the city. And anxious, sleepless nights, scrolling through news at all hours of the day, and spending every second glued to their phones to keep in contact with those in their home country—this was the reality for many Ukrainian students.
School, of course, did not stop for any of them despite it all.
The war erupted just as Postrybailo was entering midterm exams. She managed to write them, and asked for extensions on other assignments as concern for her family and friends made it impossible to concentrate.
“You read the words, but you don’t think very deeply,” she explained. Her eyes were always drifting to her phone, or the various tabs of political channels she had open on her laptop.
Thankfully, Postrybailo’s professors have been understanding of her circumstances. She added that in the last couple of weeks, many of the professors who teach her cohort such as Su McVey, Danny Smith, and Tonie Granata “expressed their deepest concerns and support for Ukrainians.”
As time goes on however, Postrybailo reports that she is beginning to feel desensitized. Sadly, news of families rushing into bomb shelters and the broadcasting of death-related statistics is becoming a daily occurrence.
Postrybailo’s saving grace has been gathering with her Ukrainian friends here in Toronto. Sharing information amongst each other, discussing politics and feeling the rush of emotions that come with it is painful, but a way of avoiding apathy. What’s more, the group shares resources and strategies such as on how their families can obtain food in Ukraine.
The college attempted to facilitate this by hosting group support sessions on topics such as mental wellness strategies, which Postrybailo says has been very helpful.
GBC has a large population of Ukrainian students, and the current circumstances has transformed the group into a support network. Despite being from different regions, Postrybailo feels that everyone is united in facing one common problem together as the catastrophe affects all of them. And with a significant diaspora community living in Toronto, she feels that at least she isn’t in this alone.
Besides the obvious emotional toll, the number one worry of Ukrainian students at the moment is how to handle all the expenses that come with studying in Toronto, all while being cut off from their main sources of financial support.
In the initial stages of the war, GBC introduced some resources that were intended help ease the financial burden on Ukrainian students. Postrybailo says that she and her friends have applied for the emergency bursary, but have not yet received the funding.
Students were informed that it would be dispensed in approximately three to six weeks. She says that the stress of the strike deadline, as well as the sheer volume and diversity of applicants, make a delay in receiving funding understandable. However, Postrybailo is eagerly looking forward to how GBC will help support major expenses such as tuition.
In the meantime, Postrybailo is taking matters into her own hands.
She connected with former international students Lola Popova and Nazira Zhunissova through a Ukrainian friend, who are currently fundraising for students facing financial difficulties. The duo is asking for donations in order to provide affected Ukrainians with much needed support to pay for food, tuition and rent.
The campaign has currently raised enough money to distribute some of the funding obtained to students in need, including Postrybailo herself, whose food expenses will be covered for the next month. By sharing her story and advocating for the initiative on CTV, she hopes to inspire others to get involved.
Postrybailo has also been sharing links to donation pages for various families in need, stressing that even a few dollars can make a world of difference.
“It’s really being appreciated, personally by me and by all the friends that I know who have already received this help,” she remarked.
Postrybailo has also been actively involved in contributing and promoting various social media channels that post updates on the current situation in Ukraine.
“In this case, I think it’s important to reach out to media to get the biggest coverage we can because we need to raise awareness,” said Postrybailo. “The news that we receive through the [news] channels, they are accurate, but a lot of pieces are missing.”
She explains that Russian propaganda has been a dominating voice in the media industry, diminishing coverage on the damage that is currently being done in Ukraine.
Postrybailo says that GBC students who want to help those affected should do all that they can to spread accurate information. She points to Instagram and LinkedIn in particular as hot spots for Ukrainian activism.
In general, Postrybailo is positive about the amount of support that Ukrainians are currently receiving around the world, especially through social media. The need for unity at this crucial time is important not only for Ukrainians, but for other Europeans who could potentially be affected if the war continues.
Reflecting on the past several weeks, Postrybailo notes that she and her friends have undergone a massive shift in priorities. “I recognize that before, I was more concerned about relationships, about why I didn’t get a grade, those minor problems. But they were something so little, so not even worth attention,” she commented. “The basics that you have, you really treasure them when you feel like you might lose them.”
“Your values, they change. You value every single day, and every single message that you receive from your father and your mother.”
