Hannah and her family arrived in Luxembourg from Ukraine in early March. Three months later, she has found employment and her kids are enjoying school.
The first Ukrainian refugees arrived around three months ago, following the start of the war. Many local families volunteered to host them during the early stage, though that was never a long term solution.
We caught up with Hannah Mozgovaya, a 35-year-old journalist from the area around Kyiv who now works at a Maison Relais in Limpertsberg.
Her life changed dramatically after the Russian invasion on 24 February. She fled her home and made it to Luxembourg in early March.
She already had experience working with children and is enjoying her new job. "It helps me not to continually check the news or spend all day on the phone contacting my family back home. I'm working with children and they help take my mind off things."
Her own children are also attending school in Luxembourg and settling in well, she says. "I was surprised, because in Ukraine they often said 'oh mum, I don't feel so well, maybe I shouldn't go'. But here, last week they were on holiday and the whole time they were going 'when does school start back up, I miss school, I like my teacher, I like school'".
Back in March, she was staying with a host family, glued to the news, following the war live and worrying about her family and friends in Ukraine. Now, they are living in their own space, though it is still a temporary solution. They found it through their host family and it is free, but by September they will have to find somewhere else.
The war is still present and she often stays awake at night thinking of her family. But she can also focus on her life here. "During the early days we were totally lost. We felt like we were in a vacuum. Now I can say, we have a life. We know what to do and that is very important." At this point they are unsure if they will return. "If the choice was between a safe Luxembourg or a safe Ukraine, it would be different. But now... armed people came into my house. It is too early to say."
But Hannah likes life in Luxembourg. The rhythm of life pleasantly surprised her when they arrived. "[In Ukraine], my husband worked three different jobs, I had two. We had no time for our family or our children, it felt like we were constantly working, working, working. Arriving here, it was like a small shock."
Language is an important factor for integration, says Hannah. She has started learning French. Once she reaches the A2 level, she will also do Luxembourgish.
Her 25-hour contract at the maison relais goes until December. Her application went through the normal channels, says site director Manola Pau. They needed people to help children arriving from Ukraine to integrate.
For now, while some uncertainty remains, Hannah and her children have settled into life in Luxembourg.
