We meet one of the first Ukrainian families to arrive in the U.S.

We meet one of the first Ukrainian families to arrive in the U.S.

Transcript¹

A few hundred Ukrainian refugees³ have made it to the U.S. A family in Arlington, Va., has been hosting a Ukrainian refugee² and her two children since March 8.

Sponsor⁴ Message

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

More than 4 1/2 million Ukrainians are now refugees. Most have fled the fighting to neighboring European countries. President Biden has pledged⁵ the U.S. will welcome a hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees. So far, though, only about 500 have navigated⁶ the long journey and the paperwork and arrived in America. Over the weekend, I met a Ukrainian family that made the trek⁷.

(CROSSTALK)

MART?NEZ: On a sunny Saturday afternoon, their American hosts, Susan Thompson-Gaines and her husband, David, are serving pastries⁸ in their backyard in Alexandria, Va. There are cinnamon buns and a cake from a local bakery. Susan was told it was a traditional Ukrainian dessert.

SUSAN THOMPSON-GAINES: It's called a Kyiv cake. And a neighbor brought one saying, I have a Kyiv cake. They will be so happy. It's their cake.

MART?NEZ: But it didn't look like any Kyiv cake that Eka Koliubaieva had ever seen.

EKA KOLIUBAIEVA: It's a cake.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Laughter).

E KOLIUBAIEVA: Ukrainian cake (laughter).

MART?NEZ: Eka is a 42-year-old jewelry⁹ designer and mother of two from Kyiv. And while the cake looked a little odd¹⁰, she said it tasted better than the Kyiv cake she grew up with.

E KOLIUBAIEVA: Here, is chocolate. I love chocolate. It's better because in Kyiv, the cake (non-English language spoken).

ERIKA KOLIUBAIEVA: Is no chocolate. It's just cream and some - I don't know how to say that. But it's not good.

MART?NEZ: That's her daughter Erika. She just turned 16. She also liked the American Kyiv cake. But her favorite American food is hamburgers.

ERIKA: Yeah, burgers.

THOMPSON-GAINES: David made burgers one night and brought them down, and Erika was excited.

ERIKA: And I can't say no to the burgers (laughter).

MART?NEZ: Erika's sister, Amira, sits quietly in a chair. She's 11 years old. She stares down at her phone. Her hair covers her face. She's not sure what to make of our microphones¹².

Eka, Erika and Amira arrived in the U.S. in March and found their American hosts through social media. Late last Wednesday, a surprise guest knocked on the front door. The whole family speaks English, but for this part of their story, they needed the help of our translator.

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: They couldn't figure out who it was. They didn't expect anyone to come.

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Laughter) Then (non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: Then just comes in and says, I'm Artem. And I stared back. It was totally unexpected¹³.

MART?NEZ: The surprise guest was Eka's husband and the girls' father. Artem Koliubaiev is 34 years old. He's a filmmaker. He was able to use his filmmaker's visa to leave Ukraine temporarily to come to America to celebrate Erika's 16th birthday.

ARTEM KOLIUBAIEV: So I have the same map in Google with my daughter...

ERIKA: So, yeah, he's got the...

A KOLIUBAIEV: ...So it was easy to find.

(LAUGHTER)

MART?NEZ: How difficult was it for you not to just tell them what you were about to...

A KOLIUBAIEV: It was difficult. But I want to make the surprise because if I tell them that I have a flight for them, they will be worried about - they will counting the time. So they leave their life here, and then I just, like, appears.

MART?NEZ: While his family was safe in America, Artem has been working back home with volunteers from the Ukrainian film industry. They've been delivering medical supplies, clothing, diapers and other necessities¹⁴ throughout the country. Artem says the family had not planned to leave Kyiv, but then the fighting broke out.

A KOLIUBAIEV: It was Wednesday, 23 of February. It was late night. And then we go sleep, and we just woke up because our friends was calling us because they was close to where was the first bombs. And then we say, just, oh, no.

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) At 5 a.m., I got a phone call from a friend and she said the war began. I didn't want to believe that. Our first desire was to stay, not to go. But the next day, there were explosions¹⁵ all around, and our windows were shaking. Our furniture was shaking. And we realized we have to go.

MART?NEZ: You said you were shocked. You were surprised. I was in Kyiv, and everyone that I spoke¹¹ to was not concerned, it seemed, about Russia. Why weren't you worried? Why weren't you afraid of what was going on with Russia at the border?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) It was unthinkable to imagine that in the 21st century, somebody would come and bomb a European city. That was impossible to accept.

MART?NEZ: They all hustled¹⁶ to pack their car and drove hundreds of miles to the Hungarian border. When they arrived, they were behind a long line of cars attempting to get through a checkpoint. When they were two cars away from crossing the border, they realized that Artem would have to stay behind. The Ukrainian government requires men under 60 to stay and fight, and the family knew they would have to split¹⁷ up.

A KOLIUBAIEV: We understand that it's no way to cross the border. And I understand there's no way to stay in Ukraine for the girls. And I said, this is the only way. I know that they are (non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Strong.

A KOLIUBAIEV: They are strong. They could do with themselves.

MART?NEZ: Eka, what about for you, when you said goodbye to him without guarantees that you'd see him again?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) There wasn't much time for parting and leave-taking. This was a column¹⁸ (ph) of cars going through the borderline checkpoint. So everything was very quick, and that's how it was. I understand you are trying to sort of pull some emotions out of me. But honestly speaking, at that moment, I was still in that shocked state and did not have any feelings at all. You have to understand that after all these experiences, I sort of pulled myself together. And it will be very difficult for you to extract¹⁹ any emotions out of me.

MART?NEZ: Why? Why would it be difficult?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) I said everything I could, and that's how it is.

MART?NEZ: Eka and Erika avoid watching the 24/7 television coverage²⁰ of the war in Ukraine. Instead, they keep up through social media and what they hear from family and friends back home. Some of the stories are gruesome. Artem told them about reports of Russian soldiers eating neighborhood dogs because the soldiers had run out of food.

You're here in the United States. You're safe. And you hear these stories about what's going on in the place that you live. Do you feel relief that you're here or any guilt²¹ that you're away from maybe family and friends that are dealing²² with this?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) I certainly don't feel any guilt for not being there now, but I can't say I feel any relief for being here either. What I do feel is just despair²³. I just want to add that if they were doing that to dogs, I don't even want to think about what they have been doing to humans. And I understand there is no return to the way it was before the invasion²⁴.

MART?NEZ: Do you see yourself going back?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: I don't know, and I am trying not to think about it for now.

E KOLIUBAIEVA: It's too difficult for me now.

MART?NEZ: Erika, what about for you? Do you see yourself going back?

ERIKA: No, I, like, didn't see myself in Kyiv, like, future at all. And with war, of course, I can't imagine myself there now. And so...

A KOLIUBAIEV: How you say this about your name?

ERIKA: Yeah. You can't spell America without Erika. So, yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

ERIKA: That's, like, a rule.

MART?NEZ: Erika plans on going to college in America. She wants to go to film school like her dad. The family is in the U.S. on a tourist visa, which means they can stay until September. But Artem is leaving the U.S. to begin the journey back to Ukraine, not just because he has to, but out of a sense of duty to his country.

A KOLIUBAIEV: I was born in Kyiv. All - my parents was born in Kyiv. The parents of my parents was born in Kyiv. So I have, like, four or five generations from Kyiv. And I like my city. But now it's not my city. You know, a lot of checkpoints all around the Kyiv. A lot of people with weapon - all the people with weapon.

MART?NEZ: As we sat in the host family's quiet backyard, Artem held his youngest daughter, Amira, in his arms and kissed her forehead. He knew in a few days he would be back in the ruins of Ukraine.

A KOLIUBAIEV: I think that everything will be a memory one day, and we need to live in the moment. I don't know what will be tomorrow. Nobody knows. We trying to stand for Ukraine. We trying to save our country. But nobody knows. As you see, nobody wants to fight with Putin except Ukraine.

MART?NEZ: Is it not even a question for you that you are going to go back?

A KOLIUBAIEV: Is not a question for me because I don't want to be a illegal man who crossed the border and hiding somewhere out of my country. No, it's not for me.

MART?NEZ: Eka, what about for you? Is - would you rather him stay?

E KOLIUBAIEVA: (Through interpreter) I certainly would love for him to stay, but I cannot force him to do what he cannot do.

MART?NEZ: Erika, what about you? Would like your dad to stay?

ERIKA: Yeah, sure. But it's something he must do, so...

MART?NEZ: You're OK with it?

ERIKA: Yeah.

MART?NEZ: Considering that Russia is still Ukraine's neighbor, right next door - that life could ever, ever go back to what it used to be.

A KOLIUBAIEV: It's - no, it never come back what it used to be. But as you mentioned, they are our neighbors and they will be our neighbors years in future.

ERIKA: Yeah, we can't do anything.

A KOLIUBAIEV: You know, when I go sleep now in Ukraine, I'm hearing alarms. And it's OK for now because you know that each day could be the last day, each day is the war day. But the worst thing, when the peace will come out, the fear is not come out. You don't hear the alarm, but you hear this alarm in your heart or in your soul, you know? There's - the peace in the papers, not peace in the minds.

MART?NEZ: So is that worth staying in Ukraine once this is all over? Is it...

A KOLIUBAIEV: It's worth to fight. If we broke this regime²⁵, yeah, it will be pleasure for everybody, I hope.

MART?NEZ: That's Artem Koliubaiev and his wife, Eka, and their daughters, Erika and Amira. Artem says the next time he sees his family, it will be because something has changed for the better.

[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: A previous version²⁶ of this story reported incorrect dates for when A Martínez was in Kyiv.]

(SOUNDBITE OF PALOMO WENDEL'S "NO SHADOW WALK")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

3 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

4 sponsor   

vt.发起，主办；资助；n.发起者，资助人

参考例句：

• Sponsor stated they have no idea where he is.赞助方表示他们不知道他在哪儿。
• The sponsor has permanent ad on the website commonly.赞助商一般在网站上有永久性广告。

5 pledged   

保证，许诺，发誓( pledge的过去式和过去分词 )； 典当； 保证给予（或做）； 以誓言约束

参考例句：

• They have pledged that they will always remain faithful to each other. 他们发誓他们将永远忠诚于对方。
• The government pledged to rehouse the refugees. 政府许诺给难民提供新住房。

6 navigated   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• He navigated the plane through the clouds. 他驾驶飞机穿越云层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ship was navigated by the North Star. 那只船靠北极星来导航。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

8 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

9 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

10 odd   

adj.奇特的；临时的；奇数的；n.[pl.]机会

参考例句：

• She looks a bit odd.I wonder what has happened to her.她的神色有些异样，不知出了什么事。
• He's an odd character and no mistake!他的确是个怪人！

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 microphones   

n.扩音器，麦克风( microphone的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They descended from the plane into a forest of microphones and cameras. 他们从飞机上走下来，迎接他们的是数不清的麦克风和照相机。 来自辞典例句
• The music was amplified with microphones. 音乐声通过麦克风被放大。 来自辞典例句

13 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

14 necessities   

必要（性）( necessity的名词复数 )； （迫切）需要； 必需品； 自然规律

参考例句：

• They also supply other daily necessities to the city population. 他们也向城市居民提供其他日常必需品。
• Provide the bare necessities of life, especially food; keep away hunger. 供给生活必需品，特别是食物，以免于饥饿。

15 explosions   

爆炸( explosion的名词复数 )； 爆发； 激增； （感情，尤指愤怒的）突然爆发

参考例句：

• Soon afterwards five explosions were heard from the area. 此后不久从那个地方传来五次爆炸声。
• They were monitoring the upper air to collect evidence of atomic explosions. 他们正在检测高空空气以收集原子爆炸的证据。

16 hustled   

催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
• The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

17 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

18 column   

n.列，柱形图；专栏；圆柱；纵队

参考例句：

• I often read his column in the local paper.我经常在当地的报纸上看到他的专栏文章。
• A column of soldiers marched down the highway.一个士兵纵队沿着公路行进。

19 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

20 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

21 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

22 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

23 despair   

vi.灰心丧气，感到沮丧绝望；n.绝望，沮丧

参考例句：

• If you are in the depths of despair,you will be extremely unhappy.如果你彻底地失望，你会十分不开心。
• Don't despair;things will get better soon.不必绝望，事情不久就会好起来。

24 invasion   

n.入侵，侵略，侵犯

参考例句：

• They are ready against the possible invasion.他们防备可能的入侵。
• It is our duty to shield our country from invasion.保卫祖国不受侵犯是我们的责任。

25 regime   

n.政体，政权，制度

参考例句：

• Under the new regime in our office,no one is allowed to leave early.在新的办公制度下，谁也不能早退。
• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime.人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。

26 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？