FINLAND – Malin Ahlbeck was on vacation in Egypt when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and counts herself lucky that she hasn’t seen the war close up.
“So at least I don’t have that war trauma,” she said in an interview from Turku, Finland after being displaced from her home in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“But I have left everything. I have a house, a car, a boat. I have relatives who wanted to stay in Ukraine. I’m watching the news morning to night.”
Ahlbeck was born in Finland and has lived in Kyiv, Ukraine for the past 23 years with her husband Sergiy and their sons Milan, 14, and Tim, 18.
Folks with long memories may remember Ahlbeck, who spent a year at Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) as a foreign exchange student during the 1990/91 school year.
In an interview with the Advertiser on March 13, Ahlbeck talked about her time in Centre Wellington, her time in Ukraine, and what has happened in her world since the war began.
“My family was in Egypt on vacation when the war broke out,” she said, adding that while some countries had started evacuating their citizens from Ukraine in December and January, “to be honest not too many people thought anything would happen, and if it did, it would be in eastern Ukraine.
Stuck in Egypt
“And then it did happen and we got stuck in Egypt. We came a week ago to Finland. We came with only our summer clothes.”
She continued, “Luckily I have family here and we have a flat here. It’s been alright for us.”
Ahlbeck said 10 other family members recently arrived in Finland from Ukraine and she and her husband have spent some time finding accommodation for them. It’s given them some peace of mind, but their worries are not over.
Ahlbeck works for an international clothing retailer and oversees nine stores in Ukraine. She checks in on her employees every day, she said, and has managed to get some out and resettled in Poland.
She was also contacted by a volunteer organization in Finland and is helping them collect money and items to bring to the Poland/Ukraine border to help those escaping. The organization is also helping refugees settle in Finland.
Malin Ahlbeck in Kyiv, Ukraine. Submitted photo
“Not all refugees want to come to Finland – it’s far from Ukraine,” she said.
“Most want to stay close by, usually in Poland. It all depends on what happens next.
“We are just taking one day at a time, solving practical problems. Long-term? I just don’t know.”
Until the war began, Ahlbeck said she thought the pandemic was the worst thing that could happen.
The vaccine was not available in Ukraine until last summer. She herself has had COVID-19 twice and her company was working on getting employees vaccinated.
She said in better times, Ukraine “was a country trying to find its path, trying to build a European identity. Now it’s a nightmare.
“I’ve heard stories – people in bomb shelters, food is getting scarce, electricity is out. People are hiding for their lives.
“Putin managed to break almost all the human rights and war crimes, apart from biological weapons. And that might be coming, too,” she said.
It was Frank Corning, who taught English and urban studies at CWDHS, who connected the Advertiser with Ahlbeck.
Corning said there was a strong foreign exchange program at the school and he has kept in touch with many of the students, even though he’s long retired.
Different perspective
He remembered Ahlbeck being “a really great tangential thinker and friendly classroom provocateur,” he said.
“With the events that have been happening, I’ve been thinking about her.”
Corning said the international students brought a different perspective to his urban studies classes that was beneficial to all the students.
“It helped our [local] students realize we are part of a big world,” he said.
Ahlbeck also has fond memories of her time in Centre Wellington. She’s only been back to Canada once since then, although she has travelled the world and lived in many different countries, including Russia.
“That year in Canada was life-changing for me,” she said.
“It was my first time with true independence. And Mr. Corning was so wonderful. He had full trust in us and treated us as responsible adults. That was unique. Not so many grown-ups would do that,” she said.
“My warmest regards to everyone in that wonderful county.”
Ahlbeck was emotional to hear that so many fundraising efforts are happening in Canada for Ukraine. She said the best thing to do is give funds to NGOs, who will know where and how best to spend it.
And if Ukrainian refugees do come to Canada, they will need places to live, jobs and support as they get to know their new country.
“There’s nothing anybody can say,” she said.
“None of us thought this would be possible. Now we wait, and hope.
“We are all waiting to return home.”
