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The teens were told to quickly pack their bags for their escape to America, uprooted from everything they knew in their beloved homeland of Ukraine.

Soon they were traveling alone, leaving behind family, friends, homes and schools, fleeing Russia鈥檚 deadly invasion of cities like Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv.

One sat for hours at the border with his father stalling his departure for as long as they could. The parents of another took just 30 minutes to decide to send her to America. She called home once she had landed in New York, to be reassured family was all right, only to hear bombing in the background. 

They are all safe now, all students at St. George Academy in New York City鈥檚 Little Ukraine neighborhood in the East Village. They feel comforted to hear a language they know, customs they cherish, grateful to have a future.

Still they yearn for home.

鈥淢y whole life is left in Ukraine,鈥� said Victoria Luchkevych, 16. 鈥淥h my God my heart is crashing because of Ukraine.鈥�

But their lives move forward and even as they sort through their fears and try to focus on their studies, they must adjust to a new, faster paced life. 

鈥淭here is nothing like New York City in Ukraine,鈥� said St. George Academy鈥檚 principal Andrew Stasiw, 鈥渙ther than Kyiv, and Kyiv is like a quarter of what New York City is.鈥�

蜜桃影视 asked three of St. George Academy鈥檚 newest students to talk about their experiences of living through war and leaving their lives in Ukraine earlier this year:

Maksym Kosar

Maksym Kosar considers himself 鈥渓ucky.鈥� 

Because he had family in the U.S., money and papers, the 17-year-old could escape his war-ravaged town, Ivano-Frankivsk, in Western Ukraine. 

But coming to 鈥渢he safe place,鈥� America, wasn鈥檛 without heartbreak.

On the last day of February, Maksym reunited with his mother in New York, but days before he said goodbye to his home and his father, who drove him to the border of Poland. 

There, they parked and stalled his departure for hours 鈥� talking and rearranging Maksym鈥檚 small suitcase, editing which essentials would be coming with him.

鈥淚 just packed winter clothes for about three days and my electronics and chargers,鈥� Maksym said.

With reassurance from his father, Maksym boarded a small bus driven by a Ukrainian firefighter and began his journey.

鈥淸My father] just told me 鈥榶ou鈥檙e going to be good, safe. Call me whenever you can,鈥� and that鈥檚 it,鈥� Maksym said quietly, carefully reciting the facts of their farewell, uncertain if he will ever have a return to Ukraine, to his father.

鈥淚 was more worried, not about myself,鈥� Maksym said, 鈥渂ut the people who stayed behind me.鈥�

He calls his dad when he can, although the time difference makes it hard. He鈥檚 also been able to keep up with friends, some of whom have been juggling constant chaos with online school and volunteering for the army. 

鈥淭heir minds get crazy because of the sirens,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 get enough sleep. The conditions are pretty harsh.鈥�

Victoria Luchkevych

Just a few weeks ago, Victoria Luchkevych was anxiously bracing for the relentless barrage of sirens in Ternopil, a small village-like city in Western Ukraine when her parents deliberated, in just 30 minutes, to send her to America.

She packed just two backpacks with clothes, books, her phone and headphones, and said goodbye to her parents, sister and brothers who didn鈥檛 have the documents to leave. Now, she鈥檚 in a country she doesn’t know and left as an infant, 4,500 miles from everything that matters to her.

鈥淢y whole life [is] left in Ukraine,鈥� said Victoria. 鈥淢y heart is left in Ukraine. Oh my God my heart is crashing because of Ukraine.鈥�

Now, Victoria lives her life moving between her uncle鈥檚 apartment in Brooklyn and her cousin鈥檚 in Queens.

In Ukraine, her mom made her breakfast and drove her down the road to school each morning. Now she fends for herself each morning.

鈥淚t’s really hard because my uncle is busy, and so is my cousin, so I鈥檓 trying to cook for myself.鈥� Victoria said. 鈥淎nd then it takes like an hour to get to school.鈥�

Between her new schedule, immersing herself in her studies and the different time zones, there鈥檚 little time to talk to her family. But when she does, they paint a picture that all is fine 鈥� something Stasiw, the school principal, has noticed many Ukrainian family members doing. 

鈥淲hen my wife calls her family in Ukraine they鈥檙e all very cheerful. They鈥檙e all very light because they don鈥檛 want her to worry,鈥� Stasiw said.

鈥淒ad usually just wants to know how my grades are,鈥� Victoria said.

But often, it鈥檚 impossible for families to shield their kids from the truth. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard not to be stressed because two days ago I talked to my dad and while I was talking to him they bombed my city.鈥� said Victoria. 鈥淚 heard the explosions in the background.鈥� 

Marta Slaba

Marta Slaba, the youngest of the group at just 13, has lived through war and escaped to a new country 鈥� alone.

鈥淚t all happened so fast,鈥� said the teenager from Western Ukraine鈥檚 largest city, Lviv. 鈥淚 never traveled on my own and I never thought I鈥檇 do it so soon. It was very nerve wracking for me.鈥�

Her dad stayed in Ukraine, even though, because he is over 60, he could have left. 鈥淏ecause he has two companies he doesn’t want to leave,鈥� Marta said.

The two have a typically rocky relationship for a young teen and her father, but the circumstances of her departure, the war, not knowing when she will see him again, makes things even harder. 

鈥淚 hope I can see him soon,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 still my dad and I鈥檝e had very good times with him.鈥�

Her mother is staying in Germany, because it 鈥渨ould be too much money鈥� to come with her to America.

Living now in her grandmother鈥檚 Little Ukraine apartment, Marta said her life is 鈥減retty OK鈥� and she鈥檚 鈥渢rying to keep it together.鈥� But she longs for her family and friends who are now scattered across the world. 

When she does evade tricky time zone conflicts and gets her friends on the phone, they mostly talk about 鈥渘ormal things鈥� like 鈥渨hat we鈥檝e been watching.鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 really talk about the war,鈥� Marta said. 鈥淚t brings on negative energy and we don鈥檛 like that.鈥�

She mused about home and what so many are wondering.

鈥淚 do wonder if somehow,鈥� said Marta, 鈥渟omeday everything will stop in Ukraine and I can return.鈥�

Someday, perhaps, their hearts will stop crashing because of Ukraine.

Videos edited by 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Jim Fields

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