Teacher at Ukrainian school eager to return home
BBCA Ukrainian teacher living in Surrey has said she hopes she and her family will one day return to their war-torn homeland.
Hanna, who founded a Ukrainian school in Guildford, said she and her two children would like to return to Ukraine when it is safe to do so.
She said they had a "really happy life" in Ukraine prior to Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Her husband, who is fighting in Ukraine, urged her to leave to "save the lives" of their children, she added.
'The world changed me'
Hanna told BBC Radio Surrey she started the school to prepare local Ukrainian children for their eventual return by teaching them their native language and history.
She said it was "very difficult" when her family first arrived in the UK, but they had found lots of friends and settled in well.
Her 16-year-old son, Yelisei, said he initially thought they would stay in the UK for a fortnight.
"We weren't expecting it will take so long to finish the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
Despite not speaking English well when he arrived in the country, Yelisei said the school had helped them build a "big community".
"The world changed me a lot," he added. "In the UK, I'm the only man in our family now. I have to support everyone.
"I'm just waiting, becoming better in UK so I can come back to Ukraine and make my country great."
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