Like other Ukrainian citizens, Kangina was full of sadness and anger on the day the war broke out in Ukraine. But because she traveled halfway around the world on holiday to a resort in Varadero, Cuba, she says she also felt completely lost. The 45-year-old woman was found locked up, with limited funds, surrounded by strangers and unsure of where to go, because her vacation ended in just a few days and the airspace over Ukraine was closed for commercial flights. The Diordievs lived in the same resort. “She is an unmarried woman who lives there. What is he going to do; And if [the] The next day Cuba decides to support Russia, what will happen to it? We said, “Okay, let her come to Canada,” Vladimir said. The Diordievs, originally from Moldova, which borders Ukraine, do not speak Ukrainian and Kangina speaks limited English. But they managed to find a way to communicate – everyone speaks Russian. The life-changing Diordievs offer was made as the couple and Kangina met each other drinking and dancing at the all-inclusive resort. Two weeks later, Kangina now lives in the couple’s basement in the southeastern community of Lake Sundance, looking for a job as a hairdresser. “I’m still shocked that this happened. I look at them every morning and I can not believe it happened and it still happens,” Kangina told a translator. “It’s like a dream.”
‘Big Hearts’
Vladimir says he was never worried about bringing in a foreign house.
His children have grown up and there is enough space in their home. And their friendship was like a kinship.
In addition, he remembers the way his family was received in Calgary when they moved here, and he believes this is an opportunity for them to reciprocate.
“We are people with a big heart who understand that karma is coming back,” Vladimir said.
Tatiana Kangina, pictured in blue, and Diordev quickly became friends at a resort in Varadero, Cuba. (Submitted by Vladimir Diordiev)
However, he says there have been some problems along the way, including the limited internet in Cuba and the fact that the Diordievs had already returned to Calgary by the time the Canadian government opened its borders to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
They went home on March 15 and the announcement came on March 17.
The whole process – visa, biometrics and buying a plane ticket to Kangina – took a little over a week.
Why Canada
Kangina flew to Cuba on February 17 for a 10-day vacation with a girl. Kangina says the plane was full of other Ukrainians and about 25 of them were staying at the same resort.
She says that when their vacation ended, most of the other Ukrainian travelers, including her friend, decided to fly back to Europe either to try to make their way to Ukraine or to stay in a nearby country in the hope that the war will end soon.
Kangina gets to know the family pet as she settles into her new life in Calgary at the Diordievs’ home. (Submitted by Vladimir Diordiev)
Kangina has no children and lived in Kyiv where most of her family lives.
She decided not to return to Ukraine, or even Europe, after talking to her friends who had already left Ukraine. She was warned that finding a job or a place to sleep was not easy, and that it would be better to go somewhere else if possible.
So Kangina stayed at the resort, her room being paid for by the Cuban government, in the hope that Canada would open its doors soon.
“I always knew Canada was the best country for me and I made the executive decision to take the risk and wait for the programs to open,” Kangina said.
Always Grateful
Since arriving this week, Kangina has teamed up with Calgary Catholic Immigration Services to organize English-language classes and work-related workshops, such as formatting a resume. She hopes to find a job as a hairdresser soon, and finally find a place of her own to live. “I thank God that God put me in a way to get to know these people… I do not know what I could do without meeting these people. The situation could have been completely different.” Vladimir says he would do the same for anyone else who had a problem. And in fact it is. He works to help another Ukrainian he met in Cuba come to Calgary. Vladimir says the man ended up flying to Poland, but can not find enough work or accommodation due to the number of Ukrainians who have taken refuge there. “If not me, who? What are the consequences? I will be able to live with it for the rest of my life thinking I did not,” Vladimir said.
