Driving to Poland

Fastlane Ukraine still needs drivers who can transport aid goods to Poland and bring people from Ukraine back to a safe place in the Netherlands. To give an impression of the work of Fastlane Ukraine I would like to share the experience of my first trip to Poland.

It was a spontaneous decision of mine to replace Katharina's co-driver, who could not come at the last moment. Katharina picked me up with a van loaded with canned food, baby gear, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper and medicine. It was our first meeting on a snowy morning, but we knew we would get to know each other very well during the drive. 

On the first day we tried to drive as far as possible towards our first meeting point in Rzeszów, the south of Poland. We were touched by the amount of vehicles we met on the road with a similar mission. All passing vans with Ukrainian flags give each other a big smile and a wave, thumbs up, or honk the horn. With this positive vibe and 2,5 liter of energy drink we drove all the way to Rzeszów. 

The next morning, we picked up our first passenger from the train station in Rzeszów. In the middle of the parking spot Alla had to say goodbye to her daughter, who didn’t want to travel any further from Ukraine with a baby. Alla wrote on Google Translate that it was the first time in her life she traveled this far and she was fighting her tears. It was heartbreaking to realize that this loving lady was leaving everything behind, going to Holland all by herself without knowing where she was going. 

With Alla next to us in the front of the van we drove to an industrial area close to Przemyśl to drop off the cargo. Roman was so grateful and explained how hard the cargo is needed in his hometown Chernihiv in Ukraine. The people in this destroyed city have lived without electricity for weeks and ran out of basic goods. 

From Rzeszów we drove to a shelter in Medyka next to the border of Ukraine to pick up Oleksandr and his dog Masha. When I asked him where exactly in Medyka he was, he sent me a picture of a brown bench in front of a cafe and asked me if this photo was clear enough for us to find him. Okay… This is going to be a challenge. After some failed attempts to explain to Oleksandr how he could send his location, I started doing some research myself and googled cafe’s in Medyka. It was the bench that matched with a picture I found on Google and turned out to be the final key to figure out where Oleksandr was. We were so happy Oleksandr took this picture and even more happy to make a picture of this bench afterwards with Masha the dog sitting on it. 

It was nice to see that Alla and Oleksandr started talking immediately while Masha was lying on a seat in the middle. We drove north to Hrubieszów where we picked up Julia, Katya, Julia and Liuba. The young girls (between 24 and 33) were very nervous. They had planned to leave Ukraine a month before, but didn’t know how and what to expect in terms of safety so they didn’t dare to go immediately. They were aware of the horror stories related to human trafficking and received messages from men that wanted to help. On social media they were ? in contact with Fastlane Ukraine and decided to leave. 

It was a special moment when the four girls, our last passengers, got into the bus. To see the girls’ relief  while they told their relatives  that they were safe on the phone. The dog Masha that connected the group from the first minute. The eye contact Katharina and I had, being relieved and emotional at the same time that everyone made it to the pick-up locations. We were nervous about that since some of them had to cross the border on that same day. At night we stayed in a hotel close to the German border. We had some food and drinks at the  hotel restaurant and got a nice rest.

On the third day we drove the last part of the trip. And of course, as soon as we crossed the Dutch border it started raining. First we brought Alla to the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. This is an emergency shelter where Ukrainians can register and stay one or two nights before they get temporary housing. It was a very emotional moment for the whole group to say goodbye to Alla since everyone got close during the trip. Although everything was so well arranged and the volunteers were amazing, it was really hard to leave her behind all alone in that enormous hall. 

After Oleksandr stayed at Katharina’s place for one night and enjoyed the old parts of Leiden, he took the train to Middelburg where a couple picked him up and brought him and Masha to their new room. Oleksandr wrote me on WhatsApp that he is very happy with his own place, he enjoys the Noordzee a lot and Masha has her own Dutch passport!

Julia, Katya, Julia and Liuba (two sisters, the wife of their brother and their neece) stayed with me for two nights before they could go to their new home in Middelburg. I didn’t believe the amount of food that came out of their small suitcases, there was no way I was allowed to do groceries. They are the sweetest girls who told me about their dreams and plans for the coming year, like getting married and buying a house. It all felt so far away now. 

At moments we laughed a lot, talked about things we love to do while we drank a glass of wine and listened to the new Ukrainian Songfestival song. But most of the time they were in contact with home. Receiving horrible stories and pictures on Telegram. Being on Facetime with their mom hiding in the basement, or with their partners from who one of them almost got hit by a bomb shard. Almost every hour an alarm went off on their phone from an application that warns for possible attacks. Then we knew their families would be moving to the basements. It’s just surreal. 

After two days they took the train to Middelburg (now they’re neighbors with Oleksandr) where they were picked up by Viktoria, a Dutch-Ukranian woman with her own temporary employment company, who arranged work for them. They sent me photos and videos of their new home and work and said they enjoy it there. I can’t believe how positive, strong and brave these girls are. And so thankful. We made a deal with them. When the war is over, we will bring the girls back home. 

Sadly enough there’s still so much transport needed from Poland to Holland. For people like Alla, Oleksandr, Julia, Katya, Julia and Liuba. So if you’re interested in driving yourself, please read all about it on the website of Fastlane Ukraine. And donations make these rides possible, much appreciated too!

Lots of love to the Fastlane crew and all the sweet people in our van!

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