By Emma Emeozor
She was not worried by the initial rumours of impending war between Ukraine and Russia as reports at the time indicated that the dispute will not escalate to arms conflict. Moreover, for six years, her university had held uninterrupted lectures. Also, the authorities had assured that the university programmes will end as scheduled, a tradition that has been sustained over the years. Thus, she was confident that she will graduate in June, 2022, being the year her course will end. But Emmanuella Ihuoma Iheagwam was wrong. On a day she thought all was well, the crackles of bullets flying across neighbouring cities sent her and the university community a clear message: the war has started.
In this chat with Daily Sun, Iheagwam, a final year student of Ternopil National Medical University, Ukraine, narrates how the Ukraine-Russia conflict dashed her dreams of graduating this year.
How was your journey to Nigeria?
It wasn’t a pleasant journey at all, it was really hectic, we had a lot of stress on the way as we had to walk quite a long distance (about 40 KM) before heading to the Romania border. But in all, it was an experience. When I left Ternopil city where I study, I and my colleagues had about three hours drive to the border with Romania. There we waited for about 12 hours because we were not allowed in, probably because there was no standing instruction that students were coming to cross the border, though prior to that time, there was instruction that some will be crossing the border. There was lack of order as the area was very crowded with people fleeing Ukraine.
How long were you in Romania?
We were in Romania for about three days before departing for Nigeria. In Romania, the officials of the Nigerian Embassy welcome us and paid for our accommodation. We had a nice experience in Romania because the people were quite hospitable. I cannot confirm if the Federal Government paid the bill for all Nigerians who arrived in Romania because we were arriving in batches. I have some friends who paid for their accommodation. But I can confirm that the government paid for our batch.
How many years have you spent in Ukraine?
I have been in Ukraine for six years and I’m studying medicine at the Ternopil National Medical University. I am in my final year and I’m expected to graduate in June, this year. On the number of Nigerian students studying in the university, it is the leaders of the student union that can confirm the number. But we are approximately 5,000 Nigerians in Ukrainian universities.
How do you compare the university system in Ukraine with that of Nigeria?
Though I have never attended any university in Nigeria … I only attended primary and secondary schools in Nigeria … I will say in the area of education, Ukraine is like a home to foreign students. They are quite welcoming. From my theoretical and practical experience, I can say it is a good country to study, especially in the field of medicine. I’m satisfied with the facilities in the university. I can add that the plus there is the absence of industrial actions (strikes) as is the case with lecturers in Nigerian universities. But I can’t comment on the quality of the teachings in Nigerian universities … like I said, I have never attended any of the Nigerian universities before leaving for Ukraine.
Are you satisfied with the facilities in your university?
Yes, I am satisfied.
How did you feel after the war eventually break out and what are your plans?
I didn’t feel good, it wasn’t a good experience. On my plans, I don’t have any yet, we are waiting for the university officials to give us situation report, then we proceed from there. Because we were told that we were going a short vacation for two weeks to enable us to leave the campus until normalcy is restored. But with the fighting still on, there are things we can do, we can have our classes online, we have received official information that we will be having online classes.
Let me take you back. What came to your mind when it became clear that war was imminent?
At the time we were hearing that there was a threat, we were told that it will not escalate to war level. Of course, I wasn’t really expecting a war between Ukraine and Russia. I thought the disagreement over issues would end in a peaceful resolution, of course. But after when the war started, I became worried because I had friends in the first city, Kyiv, that was bombed. But I later got information that the bombing took place far from residential areas. So, I concluded that the fighting was not going to spread to other places.
Are you saying you were not scared?
I wasn’t scared. But I contacted my parents. My parents also thought the situation will not escalate to a war level. Even then, they and my relatives, everybody, was worried about my safety, it wasn’t a good news for them. And that was when I decided to leave the country for Nigeria.
When you called your parents, what was their response?
Like I said, they were hopeful that there wasn’t going to be a war. They advised me to be calm.
What was the action of your student union?
I don’t know if the student union’s officials reached out to the Nigerian government in Abuja. But we had meetings with specific organisations as well as some Zoom and Twitter calls among ourselves.
Was the response of the Nigerian Embassy timely?
I was part of the students’ in-charge of Nigerian students entering Romania. We were able to communicate with some staff of the Embassy. When we called them we got response. Though it was not an officially scheduled event before our arrived, the Embassy responded by sending its officials to meet us. They came and evacuated us.
How has the relationship between Nigerian students and the Nigerian Embassy been before the war started?
The relationship was good (okay). Like I said, we always reach out to some of the staff of the Embassy when the need arises and they always response.
Reports say that Romania has offered to absorb some Ukrainian student affected by the conflict. Would you accept to go to Romania?
It depends on the terms and condition. Because like I said I am in my final year, I have barely two months to write my final exams. So, I’m not in a very good position to make very fast decisions. But if I got such an offer, I will have to find out if I am going to spend an extra year to graduate. Of course, it will not be an easy task.
Can you compare the fees paid in your university to what students pay here in Nigeria?
The school fees in Ukraine are fair. Like I said, I have not attended any university in Nigeria, so I cannot really make a comparison between the two countries. But I can comment on the issue of strike actions by Nigerian university lecturers and other unions. Strike is an uncomfortable experience for students. In this respect, I will advise any prospective student who can afford it to go to Ukraine, yes, it is a good option because in Nigeria, a student has to wait for longer time to graduate. For the six years I have been in Ukraine, the university has not been shut down for whatever reason. This is to say no sector of the university had gone on strike to paralyse academic activities. Besides the problem of frequent strikes, the school system in Nigeria is good from my primary and secondary school experience. I was not a bad student anyway. So, if a foreign student wants to come to Nigeria, yes, I will encourage him or her because I love my country but I will have to advise them to be prepared to face the agony of strikes.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a foreign student?
My challenges are purely academic. We have to be on top of our studies. Before the COVID-19, we had to prepare for exams physically, we didn’t have online classes. The university trained us have to be smart and hardworking … we are kept very business all the time.
But things became different due to the COVID-19 crisis as we started to have online classes. Even then, the stress was not reduced because we still attended classes and work as usual within the same framework. We covered a lot of work within a short time.
… And the environmental impact on you?
Though the Ukrainians are hospitable and they have good food, home is home. We are Africans and we love our traditional foods, I always miss home food and delicacies like suya. Yes, we have challenge with food because their ‘junk’ is not like ours. I don’t really have problem with the environment, except the cold weather. We experience both cold and hot weather. On social life, we have social gatherings from time to time under the umbrella of the student union. The university authorities also organises social events for us, during which the international students showcase their culture, dancing, singing, etc.
How is the accommodation for students, particularly the foreign students?
We live in hostels, the hostels are comfortable and we are about 200 students in a hostel. They are big hostels having two rooms, three rooms, and other facilities.
What are your feelings for Ukraine facing war?
I feel very bad for the country because it has been my home for six years, it is like my second home, a home away from home, it is sad, it is actually really sad. Every day, I have this feeling of nostalgia. I and my colleagues are missing Ukraine, we have to go to different homes, so, now we are scattered and Ukrainians have to flee their own country, it is really sad.
After graduating, are you planning to remain in Ukraine or to return to Nigeria?
For now, I can’t really say because what I am looking forward to for now is my graduation. On whether my parents are ready to allow me return to Ukraine if the war is over, we have not discussed it but I think they will because I am almost done with my studies.