On one of the students’ WhatsApp groups, Farha, an Egyptian student studying at Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, Ukraine, wrote, “I have returned from Ukraine, please pray for my friends, there are still many female students who do not know how to act. Bombing is everywhere, and it is required Some of them go alone to Poland or Romania."
As if she was on the war front, trying to provide assistance in any way possible, Farha continued to broadcast the news there, asking for prayers at times and assistance in transmitting the correct news at other times.
Al Jazeera Net contacted this student who was worried about her classmates once and her future several times, to ask her about how she left Ukraine a few hours before the start of the war, and about the condition of her colleagues there, her plan to end the school year and the available alternatives if the war continues there.
Farha Ahmed, 19, a first-year student, traveled to Ukraine for the first time in November 2021 to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, which was suddenly postponed due to Russia's war on Ukraine.
Farha Ahmed, an Egyptian student returning from Ukraine (Al-Jazeera)
Why did you choose Ukraine to study?
Although Ukraine did not exist in its plan before.
Farha wanted to study medicine in the first place and chose Egypt or Germany as her two destinations, but she did not qualify to study medicine in Egypt because of coordination, and it was difficult for her to master the German language, which is the qualifying condition for entering German universities.
Studying in Ukraine was the most appropriate alternative in terms of tuition fees, grades and the subjects you studied at the British IGCSE.
In addition to having some friends who are already studying in Ukraine, which encouraged her to take this step without fear.
How did you find life there as an Arab student?
At first, I had some difficulties, as adapting to living in a western country with different customs and traditions is a big challenge.
Such as obtaining halal food and the necessity of checking during the purchase of any food items to know the ingredients for fear that they contain alcohol, for example.
The second challenge was the language, as most of the Ukrainian people do not speak English, and therefore dealing with people anywhere requires learning the Ukrainian language, which I have already started.
How did the students in Ukraine receive the news of the escalation of the war?
Are you ready to leave?
None of the expatriate students really expected a war, the Ukrainian street and the professors at the university were reassuring everyone.
University professors used to tell us that you are wasting your time watching the news, focus on your studies and your exams.
As for the Ukrainians, they were assuring us that their country is no longer weak and that America and the West stand with it, and that Russia will not colonize its lands as it did before in 2014.
With the increased tension and news of the war, why did the students not leave Ukraine and what we saw of congestion occurred on the borders with other countries?
At the university we were divided into two groups, one group convinced that war was coming and they were very few new students, and another group that was almost certain that war would not happen and they were the majority.
This reassurance is the reason why no one thought of leaving.
Another reason why some students were not in a hurry to leave is that the study was going on face to face and not from a distance, and therefore it was difficult to obtain permission to travel or leave, and the university administration was assuring everyone that the war would not happen.
Some other circumstances prevented students from leaving, such as not receiving their residency in the country yet, and if they leave the country without it, they will not be able to return easily again.
When did you leave Ukraine?
Was it easy to get used to quickly in these difficult circumstances?
The truth is that I left Ukraine with my brother and sister who were studying with me in Ukraine, and although I left before the war began, it was not easy at all.
We did not find a reservation easily, the prices for tickets to leave Ukraine have multiplied 4 and 5 times at once.
Also, many flights were canceled at the last minute.
When did you make the decision to leave Ukraine?
For me, I did not make the decision to travel because I was very reassured like most people in the Ukrainian street, but my parents became very worried, so my parents booked a flight on February 15th and it was canceled due to the relatively calm escalation.
With the escalation of the escalation again, my father did not find a solution to the detention quickly this time and persuaded me to return for only two weeks until things calmed down. On February 23, I returned to my family residing in Qatar, less than 20 hours before the start of the war.
Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, Ukraine (Al Jazeera)
What is the condition of your colleagues whom you left in Ukraine?
For the students who were not able to leave before the start of the war, the situation was very difficult for them and their families.
Some of the female students I know have taken shelter in shelters, afraid they don't know where to go.
It is also difficult to communicate with them at times while they are in the shelters because there is no network.
Many of the mothers of my friends reach out to me crying and asking about the condition of their daughters and how they were when I left them.
I was reassuring them especially that I never stopped communicating with everyone I knew there.
For the mothers, the situation was bad, some of them stopped eating and others had health complications.
But things are better now that almost everyone I know has arrived at the Polish border on their way home.
What were the situations that affected you the most during this experience?
The most touching moment for me is the solidarity of young people and their willingness to help all the time.
Some of them went to great lengths to protect the students and to secure transportation for them to reach the border safely.
One young Egyptian, for example, drove his sister and all her friends in his private car to the Polish border.
Others have organized buses and provided travel costs for those who do not currently own them.
Also, Arab youth in Poland and Romania provided food, water and housing to students from Ukraine as soon as they arrived.
This is an unforgettable experience for everyone.
Are you worried about your academic future in Ukraine under the current situation?
The university postponed classes only for two weeks until things became clear, but we are very worried about our future and afraid that we will miss the school year.
And worst of all, we don't know when we'll go back to school again.
Waiting is annoying and confusing.
We did not get the opportunity to study in Ukraine easily, and perhaps we will have to start over and think of an alternative.
I hope that our country will help us to overcome this crisis.
If the war stops, will you go back to Ukraine again?
I don't know if I will go back to Ukraine again, but if things improve, I find it a suitable country to study.