The first time Maryna Altukhova marked International Women乌鸦传媒檚 Day in Canada, she was far from her home in Ukraine, having left as Russia invaded her country.

Back home, March 8 is known simply as the day when you buy gifts for women, and it乌鸦传媒檚 a day Ukrainians celebrate even more than they do for New Year乌鸦传媒檚.

乌鸦传媒淚t's beautiful when you get to the eighth of March, you smell flowers everywhere and you understand that spring is here,乌鸦传媒� Maryna said. 乌鸦传媒淢en save money for this day,乌鸦传媒� she added, because they buy gifts or flowers for all the women in their lives, even their coworkers.  

So it was a bit of a shock when she came to Canada and found no one was aware of how significant March 8 is in Ukraine. And although she tries not to attach her heart to expectations, Maryna hasn't gone without flowers since her arrival to Canada. Her first boss knew of the Ukrainian tradition, and purchased flowers for her and all her female coworkers on the first eighth of March she spent in Canada. 

Maryna came to Canada in April 2022, just a few months after the Russian invasion. She had been living in Kyiv, Ukraine乌鸦传媒檚 capital city and the home of her dreams.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a beautiful, beautiful city,乌鸦传媒� she said while remembering the good home, job and life she had in Kyiv.  

Maryna was praying in the early morning of Feb. 24, 2022 when she heard the first Russian bomb hit a neighbouring town. 

乌鸦传媒淭hey were very, very close,乌鸦传媒� Maryna said. 乌鸦传媒淲indows were shaking, it was just so loud." 

She had already prepared for this day, but there remained lots of uncertainty.  

乌鸦传媒淭he first three days you乌鸦传媒檙e trying to understand what to do, because actually you don乌鸦传媒檛 know what to do.乌鸦传媒� 

She waited to make her departure, but she knew it was time to go when the day came that there were tanks on her own street. A knowledgeable friend shared tips to help her prepare for the move, and she was lucky to have fully gassed up her vehicle ahead of time.  

乌鸦传媒淚 was so grateful that my tank was full because the next morning, all the gas stations were empty.乌鸦传媒� 

She helped another friend乌鸦传媒檚 family leave the country, and as they neared the border, it took them six days to cross the final eight kilometre stretch.

乌鸦传媒淏ecause everyone was trying to leave,乌鸦传媒� she explained, recalling how one day she only managed to advance by 100 metres towards the border. 

All the gas stations along the way had already been emptied of food and water, but people from neighbouring towns volunteered to bring food.  

乌鸦传媒淚 still remember this...how it united all people in in that moment.乌鸦传媒� 

Moving to Canada was no simple ordeal. Still today there乌鸦传媒檚 paperwork to sort out and norms to adjust to.  

乌鸦传媒淣obody planned war...we were not prepared...nobody tells us what we were going to face,乌鸦传媒� Maryna said while thinking about how difficult the transition to Canadian life was.

She talked about how all the small changes, from food, prices, environment and people, amount to one big stressful situation which you live in every day.  

乌鸦传媒淵ou think it's a terrible country, but it is not, you're just in this depression of moving, in this mode when you need to survive,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been almost three years (since) we're here; we adjusted. We may struggle...but, mostly it's easier to breathe, because time has passed.乌鸦传媒� 

After several moves within Canada, Maryna now finds herself in Williams Lake, B.C., working in car sales at Ranchland Honda.  

She has a background in managing sales teams, but car sales are new to her, and she乌鸦传媒檚 learning every day.  

乌鸦传媒淚 love communicating with people because sales is more about support, about servicing people, not only to sell, sell, sell.乌鸦传媒� 

While she wishes every day to be able to return home, she doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know if this will ever be possible.  

乌鸦传媒淚 need to realize that this is my final destination,乌鸦传媒� Maryna said. 乌鸦传媒淚t's not home yet...but I found peace here.乌鸦传媒� 

She乌鸦传媒檚 been through a lot to get to Williams Lake but said many Ukrainians experienced much worse. She had a friend based in B.C. who helped her through the move and she had savings to get the basics. She also had some knowledge of English - many, she said, had none of these advantages. 

乌鸦传媒淓veryone went through losses, losing people, losing family members, losing homes...Some people, what they went through, it was hell to get here,乌鸦传媒� Maryna said. 

She is very grateful for the support Canadians have shown to Ukrainians over the years, but adds the war isn乌鸦传媒檛 over.  

乌鸦传媒淲hen we face indifference it乌鸦传媒檚 not easy. So, just have compassion,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淧eople are still dying in Ukraine so we can乌鸦传媒檛 go back home...be patient with us even if we are not perfect here, we do our best to adjust to Canadian society.乌鸦传媒�