Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML

[Jumper1]

Thanks, I’ll try.

Good Luck John, prayers for you and yours

[ML]

Don't mean to trivialize the sad situation for Ukraine, and the world, but a small point of brightness.

Today's Fox News Sunday host was again Shannon Bream.
They seem to be trying out dozens of people to replace Chris Wallace.

OMG she is such a beauty to look at in her face, even as I am not normally a face man.  Probably has a knockout body also, but that was hidden.

I can't find a URL to show of her program today.
Can someone help and post such ?

[John Gaunt]

Good Luck John, prayers for you and yours

Thanks, Jumper.

[John Gaunt]

God speed. If you are able and willing, updates are welcomed.

Don’t want to Hijack ML’s thread but just a quick update.

My family members crossed into Hungary. The border crossing is Zahony. No huge crowds there so it may be a better option to cross if anyone wants to avoid Poland as the situation there is quite grim. Not as easy to get to as from Lviv is a more direct route.
Another downside is language as Magyar is incomprehensible to all while in Poland there is enough similarity between Polish and Ukrainian to be understandable.

[ML]

Not as easy to get to as from Lviv is a more direct route.

I don't understand this comment.

[ML]

The border crossing is Zahony. No huge crowds there so it may be a better option to cross if anyone wants to avoid Poland as the situation there is quite grim.

What is grim about Poland situation?
You mean just the long lines, or something else.

Wife's family and friends changed their plans and are going through Poland rather than Romania as I told earlier.

They already bought flights on RyanAir direct Warsaw to Dublin for 20 euro each.

The flight is not until Friday, but they found friends to stay with in Poland.

[John Gaunt]

I don't understand this comment.

Getting to the Polish border from Lviv is easier, either by train/bus/car. The problem was the volume of vehicles on the road to the border crossing which was causing the tailbacks.
The Hungarian border is a bit further away so not as accessible as it ( the border) is from Lviv.

[John Gaunt]

What is grim about Poland situation?
You mean just the long lines, or something else.

Wife's family and friends changed their plans and are going through Poland rather than Romania as I told earlier.

They already bought flights on RyanAir direct Warsaw to Dublin for 20 euro each.

The flight is not until Friday, but they found friends to stay with in Poland.

Only because of the sheer numbers of people who have already entered Poland and seeking refuge there. For your wife’s family it shouldn’t be an issue as they are not staying in Poland.

[JohnDearGreen]

wait times for cars at Polish border crossings, 4-35 hours.
2 day wait at Korczowa crossing if not in car.

http://pl.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/March-6-1600.pdf

[ML]

wait times for cars at Polish border crossings, 4-35 hours.
2 day wait at Korczowa crossing if not in car.

http://pl.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/March-6-1600.pdf

Why a longer wait if on foot than if in a car ?

[JohnDearGreen]

I would think more come by train than by car.

"Thousands of people fleeing Ukraine wait in line at the border for processing as they attempt to enter Korczowa, Poland on March 4, 2022. Officials say border crossing time could be two days at this specific location. Women waiting with children as young a two months old holding their children as they inched closer to the border. Millions more are expected to flee in the coming days and weeks as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine. Russian military forces continue to shell major cities around Ukraine, forcing people to flee the country by train and car."

http://www.vcstar.com/picture-gallery/news/world/2022/02/25/ukrainians-flee-neighboring-countries-following-russian-attack/6940808001/

[JohnDearGreen]

Here is an interactive map for wait times at all border crossings.

http://cydefops.com/ukraine-border-wait-times

[ML]

Five Ukrainian Women (UW) and escape from Russian terrorist invaders.

UW1 lives in USA.
UW2 is married to close relative of UW1
UW3 and UW4 are cousins of UW2
UW5 is married to another close relative of UW1 and lives in Ireland

UW2 is driven by her father from major Ukrainian city to a small town quite some distance from the major city in the first days of terrorist Russian attacks on Ukraine. 
There they stay with relatives of father.
UW2 has been provided with substantial sum of funds from UW1 several weeks ago.
They are soon joined by UW3 and UW4.

Father of UW2 drives her UW3, and UW4 to small town very near Polish border where they stay with friend of father's.

UW3 has Ukrainian boyfriend.  This man has a friend in Poland who has a special pass to go between Ukraine and Poland on a regular basis to deliver humanitarian items.  He drives across border into Ukraine and picks up UW2, UW3 and UW4.  He then delivers them to Warsaw.

In Warsaw they stay with Polish friend of UW4.

UW1 buys airline tickets for them to fly to Ireland.

One hitch.  In haste to leave home, UW2 picks up her husband's International Passport instead of her own.  She does have her 'so called' Domestic Passport.

A call to airline indicates she will have no trouble boarding plane to Ireland with the Domestic Passport.

But as second check, UW2 today was able to visit Irish Embassy in Warsaw and verified she can gain entry to Ireland with only Domestic Passport.

The entire group will stay with UW5 in Ireland.  UW5 has already evidenced interest in introducing UW4 to a male Ukrainian friend of her and her husband who lives near them in Ireland.

UW1 owns a townhouse in Ireland near her relative which is now leased out until this fall.  After that, the visitors can live there, if they are unable to return to Ukraine before.  Meanwhile her male relative in Ireland will be in a house with 4 women (along with assorted children).  After some time, he may volunteer to go back to Ukraine !!

- - - - - -

With some embellishment, this will make for a TV movie.
What are your suggestions?

[Bee Farmer]

Which witch is which?

Nah, you better not call it that though.

[ML]

The mother of the wife of one of our Ukrainian couples arrived in our town yesterday.

Took her quite some time to cross the border into Poland as priority given to women with children.

She has only one grandchild who lives here, of course.  She is a widow.
She has a multi entry visa to USA and has been here a couple of times before.

The wife is a USA citizen, so she could start process to get her mother a green card.

But the woman says she plans to go back to Ukraine as soon as possible.  My wife thinks she is in her mid 70s.

[ML]

English words are shown on the screen

http://www.facebook.com/watch?v=460682429136738

[ML]

Some of wife's close and more distant family have now arrived in Ireland.
They are now living with another of wife's relatives.
Soon, they will move into wife's townhouse in Ireland.

I had thought that the lease on her townhouse was not up until this fall, but actually it was up at end of January and had not been renewed yet.

So they told occupants about their need to move, and the occupants were very understanding and are looking for an alternative now.

These relatives arrived in Ireland with only carry on luggage.  Some clothes worn by woman relative in Ireland fits and they are even wearing jeans and shirts of a teenage male relative in Ireland.

But the clothes they brought are heavy for Ukraine winter and they say it is fairly warm in Ireland now.

So need to go out to buy quite a bit of new clothes, particularly for the two young children who were brought along.

These two children were already fairly well along in English studies, so won't have too much problem with starting school in Ireland.  Talks were already held with principal of local school and he said they were welcome to attend at no cost.

Some talk that Ireland will give work permits immediately to the Ukrainians arriving, but not clarified yet.

Two of the women are trained as lawyers and won't likely find any work in that area.  Probably will have to take jobs as waitresses, etc.

However, one of them is highly proficient in English and actually was currently working on obtaining certification as English teacher in Ukraine.  So perhaps she could find job as a paralegal.  Unsure about English skills of the other lawyer.

The third woman is a medical doctor and can likely find work in some area of the medical field, although she will not be allowed to practice medicine (I suppose).  Unsure about her English skills also.

[ML]

My wife reported this morning that she has now lost 12 pounds since the Russian terrorist invasion of Ukraine.

Due to stress and she has cut back substantially on intake of food.

She was actually up 20 pounds or so from her arrival weight 11 years ago.

I like the weight loss, but not the circumstance that is causing it.

[John Gaunt]

Glad to hear that your wife’s family members are safe in Ireland.

[ML]

Glad to hear that your wife’s family members are safe in Ireland.

Thanks John

[ML]

U.S. man goes to Ukraine for his daughter and grandson
Associated Press

As millions of refugees flee Ukraine, a Massachusetts man has gone to the country to help his daughter and grandson escape.
William Hubbard recently flew to Poland and crossed the border to
Ukraine on foot before joining his daughter, Aislinn, and her 8-month-old son, Seraphim, at their home near Kyiv, WCVB-TV reports.
Aislinn moved to Ukraine in 2018 at age 16 to study ballet at the prestigious Kyiv Choreographic College. She tried to leave before Russia began its invasion, but her son does not have a birth certificate or passport because he was born in a home during the coronavirus pandemic.
William previously flew to Ukraine to help arrange a DNA test to prove
Seraphim ’s U.S. citizenship, but it was unsuccessful.
Hubbard and his wife, Deborah, spent weeks trying to help from their home in Fitchburg. But as Russian forces advanced, William decided to make his way to Aislinn and Seraphim and help them flee.
“I did what any dad would do, I guess, in this situation, ” Hubbard told
WCVB- TV.
Once he was in Ukraine, Hubbard took a train to Kyiv and reunited with his daughter and grandson.
They packed their belongings and four cats and said goodbye to Aislinn’s
boyfriend, the father of Seraphim, who was not able to leave the country.
The three fled west, joining other refugees heading for neighboring countries. On Friday, the three were waiting at the border with Slovakia.
Even without a passport for his grandson, Hubbard said he was confident they will be allowed to cross the border.
“That’s what dads do,” he said. “They take care of their family."

[Lily]

I have read from a Ukrainian woman who has married in the US but her daughter and grandkid are in Ukraine. After the invasion, the mother has caught a flight to Poland, then rented a car in Poland and has crossed the border with Ukraine. Now her daughter is with her in the US.


Mothers!

[ML]

I have read from a Ukrainian woman who has married in the US but her daughter and grandkid are in Ukraine. After the invasion, the mother has caught a flight to Poland, then rented a car in Poland and has crossed the border with Ukraine. Now her daughter is with her in the US.
Mothers!

Yes, usually both Mothers and Fathers will go to any lengths to help their children.

[John Gaunt]

My FiL has escaped to Poland.
His wife is already in the US visiting with their daughter ( married to a US citizen). She had gone to visit before the war started.
He had a visa interview scheduled before Covid happened which was kicked down the road several times with the latest slot for sometime later in the year.

Unfortunately he will not be able to apply for a non immigrant visa now as he will be unable to prove he will return to Ukraine now.
His daughter could sponsor an immigrant visa but who knows how long that will take.

Between a rock and a hard place now.

[ML]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/13/dublin-welcomes-dazed-ukrainian-arrivals-with-food-buggies-and-toys