We’ve been lucky enough to get Dima into an internship at Wera. He is here twice a week and has proved to be a good resource. In Ukraine, Dima worked in an advertising agency and specializes in marketing and advertising. Dima left Ukraine one day before the war broke out. If he had waited, he would have had to fight and carry weapons. He was smart and he was lucky – I had been thinking about it for a while. There is a lot of corruption and times are unstable in Ukraine. I have an education and a job and I believed that I could make it somewhere else in the world. I initially thought about Australia, but ended up going for either Ireland or Norway. Norway it was. Before the war, Dima made sure he always had a full tank of gas in his car and food for several days ahead – in case something happened. And then the day came when he had to act – “Suddenly I got a call from a friend in Belarus. He knew that I was planning to leave sooner or later and advised me to go. “If you’re going to go, you have to go today, tomorrow the war will break out,” he said. It was the morning of February 23 – I packed six bottles of wine, some food and clothes. I left the same evening and drove to a friend across the border. I knew the war would come, but still – it’s not easy when you suddenly have to decide. He bought insurance for 12 months and drove across the border to Belarus.

Dima now lives in Skien and is enjoying her internship with Wera – “It’s a miracle. I’ve been so well received and people are friendly. I’m a guest in this country and I have to be humble. I know that it’s not me privately receiving money, but the municipality making an investment in me so that I can contribute. And there’s nothing else I’d rather do,” says Dima. For Wera, having Dima here is a win-win situation. Dima is knowledgeable and shows that he wants to contribute. He is a resource for both Wera and his Ukrainian and Russian acquaintances. We wish Dima a warm welcome to Wera!