The bombing started early, at 4:30am or 5:00am. I just remember my Mum waking me, saying: ‘Maryna, everything is happening.’ It was impossible to believe, just as it is impossible to imagine war in the UK.
People were leaving already, but our things were not packed. We went to the supermarket to get water and medicine. We saw an armed vehicle on fire passing our street. We heard shooting. We couldn’t comprehend what was going on.
We found shelter from the bombing in our apartment basement. But it wasn’t built for people – it had no facilities, no light, no sockets. After two evenings, I thought: ‘I don’t want to die here.’
We travelled west for three long days, without water or toilet, before we reached the border. Then, as men under 60 had to stay in the country, we had to leave my Dad. It was very difficult.
That’s when I heard about the opening for postgraduates here in Oxford. It was absolutely amazing to receive the offer for a place at Balliol, on the MSc in Financial Economics.
At the beginning, it felt like I was half back to normal life, but I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t cancel out everything that had happened.
I’m quite an open person, so I would share what I felt with people at Balliol. It was wonderful to have the support of people from different countries and backgrounds. I saw a genuine interest in my country, my history, and why this war had happened.
My time at Balliol gave me absolute security, stability, confidence. Coming to a new country on your own and having no community is incredibly difficult, but Balliol surpassed my expectations.
Now that I’ve graduated, I’m working in an international financial institution as an analyst, supporting important energy and railway infrastructure projects for my country. I’m applying the knowledge I’ve learned at Balliol to help Ukraine.
I want to say thank you to everyone who donated to help me come to Balliol. I feel immense gratitude, from the bottom of my heart.
Maryna Oproshchenko (2022, MSc Financial Economics)
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