Former Webb City exchange student remains Ukrainian refugee in Poland

Sep. 11—Over the past six months, as she has been living as a refugee in a foreign country, Sofiya Bezpala has tapped into a vein of undiscovered love and warmth for her native country of Ukraine.

"With every passing month of the war, I just have this (growing) love for my country," she said.

Back in 2017, when Bezpala, now 21, spent a year living with Amy and Kurt Krtek, of Oronogo, and attending Webb City High School through the Future Leaders Exchange Program, she often talked about traveling to and living in distant places on the other side of the globe. This was important to her.

But now?

"The only place I want to travel to is my home," she told the Globe during a recent Zoom interview from where she is living in central Europe, her voice breaking. "One thing I know for sure is if I chose one place to settle down, it's going to be in my home. I want to live here; I want people to understand how proud I am to be surrounded by (my) people. I am Ukrainian in every molecule of my blood, from the top of my head down to my toes."

Although her home country sits tantalizingly close, the fighting still raging in the northern, eastern and southern portions poses too many dangers for her or her parents to permanently move back just yet.

"I want to move closer to home, but I cannot," she said. "I now know how much freedom costs."

A refugee in Poland

Bezpala and her parents were forced to flee their hometown of Kharkiv in March following the February invasion of their country by forces directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their city of 1.4 million people has become a key battlefield due to its proximity to the Russian border, just 30 miles.

After hiding for six days inside the city — weathering occasional artillery barrages and missile strikes — the family spent another six days crossing the width of Ukraine, which is roughly the size of Texas.

Upon reaching Poland, they were among the 12 million Ukrainian citizens fleeing their homes following the Russian invasion. Within days of settling inside a refugee house in Warsaw, their lives were suddenly cratered with "unknowns and uncertainties" for the foreseeable future, Bezpala said.

But then America came calling.

During her year living with the Krtek family, Amy Krtek and Bezpala formed a special mother-daughter bond that's only grown stronger over the past six months. Bezpala proudly calls Krtek her "second mother" or her "American mom."

It was Krtek who, working diligently from her Oronogo home, raised more than $5,000 for Bezpala and her parents, wiring the money directly to Poland.

"Sofiya's in a NATO country; she's safe," Krtek said during the Zoom meeting. "One of these days I'll be able to see her again. It's just heart wrenching, here on my end, because I can't be there with her. She is going through so much trauma right now, and I just wish I could give her a hug."

Bezpala said she can't imagine where she and her family might be now without the Krteks' fundraising help.

"It would still be so difficult. All of us here were lost — my family, myself. That support kept us alive and afloat," she said. "I can't imagine my life without my American family. That one-year trip (to Southwest Missouri) just changed my life tremendously. America has come through for us again."

Grounded and centered

Despite her refugee status, Bezpala is working to ground herself once again, little by little, one day at a time.

"Right now, I would say things are a little bit easier" than they were when first arriving in Poland, Bezpala said.

She lived with her parents for four months, most of it in a private apartment supplied to them by the Polish government, before she was able to move out on her own. She now has a boyfriend, Max, who hails from the same Kharkiv district where she was living prior to the Russian invasion. Because he's able to work remotely, they've been able to travel outside Poland, and they expect to be in Croatia through the end of October.

Because Bezpala speaks fluent Polish, English and Russian, she spent many days in eastern Poland, volunteering to help displaced refugees from her country find temporary shelter.

"I love to help; I love volunteering," she said.

On several occasions, Bezpala has ventured back across the border for brief visits inside Ukraine, moving donated medical supplies from Poland to the Ukrainian soldiers and medical officials stationed in Lviv. Round-trip, it takes her about 30 hours to complete a supply run.

Krtek said she's on edge every time Bezpala visits the war-torn country. On the other hand, "I'm just so proud of her because she needed all this help but she was still helping others," she said. "Here she is, a refugee living in another country, and she's spent so much time and energy helping others, raising money and awareness. I just think it's awesome."

Bezpala continues teaching basic English to Ukrainian refugees at a Polish school. In her spare time, she's also teaching herself two new languages: Spanish and Turkish.

"I love learning languages; it is my passion and it makes me extremely happy," she said.

She and Krtek will often converse in Spanish.

"I just love her positive attitude," Krtek said. "I want everyone to be just like her."

'I'm so lucky'

Despite the upheaval, Bezpala said she has little to complain about after helping so many of her fellow refugees and listening to their stories.

"I try to think about the important things to me — the people that I have been apart from and want to hug right now, the veterans of the war that I have worked with who are no longer with us anymore," she said. "I don't want to cuss right now but ... I'm so lucky. Look, I have all four of my limbs. I have everything I could possibly ask for — everything. There is nothing else that I need other than my friends, the ability to volunteer and help, and that's it."

She prays for the day when Russian forces leave and every displaced Ukrainian can return home.

"Ukrainians are famous for their parties, so I don't know how many days we're going to be celebrating" once the war is over, "but it will be a big one," she said. Until that happens, "I am hoping and praying every day that it's going to happen soon, and Ukraine will finally be free."