EDITOR’S NOTE: Since posting earlier today, Former WHS foreign exchange student Olya Schenky has sent along updated information as follows:
“Ahmed and I are safe today. Russian soldiers tried to destabilize situation in the city we are in, so we spent all day hiding inside the hotel.
“It was dangerous to go out. I slept many hours, as I am very exhausted since the beginning of all of this.
“Just now spoke to parents, thank God our army is strong and they pushed Russian soldiers outside of Kharkiv. In the suburbs there is still fighting. But the crime rate became so high, and criminals destroyed the new mall which was built recently.
“Other than that, tomorrow is my birthday and for the first time, I wish nothing but to have a peaceful sky.”
Olya Schenky, Wayland High School foreign exchange student from Ukraine in the 2015-16 academic year, has escaped harm thus far in the Russian invasion of her homeland.
Connie VanHouten, her American host mother while she stayed in Wayland, expressed concern Saturday when she said she had not heard from her since Friday, received a message late Saturday night that read:
“It’s good and calm in Lviv, but the rest of Ukraine is constantly bombed. We had connection and electricity problems today throughout the day, so I couldn’t stay in touch with anyone.
“So far we are good, we are going to sleep now and in the morning we will see our options.”
Schenky also posted on Facebook on Friday, “Thank God I woke up today… (The) Russian army is directly targeting civilians, to scare us, to make us panic and to pressure. But Ukrainians are strong and our army will win.”
There have been widespread media reports from the West that have indicated the people of Ukraine have shown surprising ability in combatting the invasion efforts thus far.
VanHouten, when asked about Schenky as a person, candidly said, “She is an amazing young lady. She really taught us a lot about Muslim beliefs as we were hesitant about hosting her. Hosting her was one of the best things we have ever done and gave us the strength to host numerous other Muslim students…
“I wish we could get her, her husband, parents, sister and nieces here! We feel so bad not being able to help her.”
