I'm looking forward to returning home

Oksana Kotenai

Kyiv-

Prague

Oksana Kotenai image

Oksana came to the Czech Republic at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. By chance it was Prague as a friend of an acquaintance offered temporary inexpensive housing here. "We have no friends or relatives here," says Oksana, "and we didn't unpack our suitcases for half a year, hoping for a quick return."

As a child Oksana wanted to be a doctor, primarily in psychoanalysis. She started work at the age of 15 alongside school because she needed to support herself. At the age of 22, with a degree in marketing and considerable experience, Oksana became advertising director in an all-Ukrainian women's magazine.

Travelling has always been Oksana's special passion. During her life, she has already set foot in 52 countries around the world.

"I was sick for many years," says Oksana, "with no strength to work fully but not wanting to waste time, so I finally started studying my dream field of psychology with paediatric focus, to help children cope with life's difficulties." Her path to psychology was unusual, via esotericism, family beliefs, teachers in India, and training in Taoist practices in Thailand. She obtained her psychology degree in 2015 and entered the profession, founding a private practice in Kyiv before the start of the full-scale invasion.

After arriving in Prague, and to keep her sanity, Oksana volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees. Initially exhausting, it allowed her to meet new people and gather pertinent information on how to live in the Czech Republic.

"My daughter is an athlete, so we often go to professional competitions in other countries. Hence, I didn’t look for a full-time job and definitely resisted work as a cashier or a shop assistant where the employment office always coldly pushed me," says Oksana. With no appropriate direction offered, she needed to follow her own path. "Thanks to new connections with Ukrainian women in similar circumstances, we got together and started a business," says Oksana, “we set up a non-profit organisation ‘GeneraceUA’ where we implement projects that help others integrate in a new country."

As to "what's next?" Oksana says she doesn’t like to plan but tries to live in the here and now; "I think life now has taught every Ukrainian to have a plan A, B, C and even D! But plans can be overblown. I am simply looking forward to returning home with new strength and knowledge.”