A nightingale sang...



We were told that the van we were supposed to be driving broke down 20 km from its destination, Lviv. Its contents were conveyed to the orphanages by other drivers. The van,  or should I say the wreck, has has been left by the roadside; maybe someone will make use of it. 

Interestingly, there were no takers in  Lviv for transport out of Ukraine. Certainly, 
going to the UK is becoming less attractive because of delays of up to 6 weeks in issuing visas. Some Ukrainians are even choosing to return to areas of fierce fighting, such as Mariupol, according to this Observer article, and children are being trafficked during the delays:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/01/hundreds-of-ukrainian-families-halt-bids-to-reach-uk-after-visa-delays

According to the gov.uk website, as of 27 April 2022, visas issued were:
Ukraine Family Scheme: 34,900
Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 51,300

As of 25 April 2022:
Arrivals via Ukraine Family Scheme: 16,000
Arrivals via Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 11,100

Which says it all really.

It's interesting how critical we can be of our government (rightly so) without any censor. We haven't found that to be the case in our limited experience here, so far. If anything, the tussles with authorities have been more wearying than anything. However, a comment was made that it's the end result that matters. And today there was another arrival - of a young woman in Burnley, who says that she has been welcomed, settled in and looking forward to meeting other Ukrainians who have arrived in the area.

This evening we heard and saw, a nightingale in our temporary back garden. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia). Tomorrow we move to a bedsit in Krakow for our final 4 weeks. Looking forward to having a washing machine!

Comments

  1. Steve1 May 2022 at 15:23

    Wow, do you think that the visa being held back for one family member is deliberate? I hope not😡

    ReplyDelete

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