By William Smith
Burlington Beacon
Kateryna Lahun and her husband moved to Burlington from the Ukraine about a year ago, escaping the war-ravaged country to make better lives for themselves.
Like other Ukrainians living in Burlington — and across the country — Lahun and her husband have no idea how long they will get to stay. Their status as immigrants remains in limbo — a decision that will be made by the U.S. government.
All they can do is keep working and keep hoping. Both of them work as dental assistants at Community Health Center, and Lahun’s English has blossomed over the past 12 months. She was a dentist in Ukraine and is delighted to pursue the same profession in America.
“I’ve been studying it (English) all my life, but I needed to speak it. I needed to have conversations,” he said. “It was mostly book English that I learned.”
Both she and her husband have family back in the Ukraine they worry about, but the area they moved from wasn’t safe either.
“It was pretty dangerous. We live in a city that was very close to the (Ukraine-Russia) border,” Lahun said.
Her journey to America marks the beginning of a dental career that Lahun has studied for over the past couple of years. She’s only 24 years old.
“I need to go to two years of dental school here to get a license,” she said.
Lahun is filling a dire need in the Iowa medical profession and hopes that her efforts count for something when it comes to her immigration status. Back at their Burlington home, Lahun and her husband have been learning to live in a brand-new culture.
They aren’t used to how much everyone around them smiles — a common refrain among Ukrainians living in the Burlington area. She is more than happy to smile back.
“I really like that there is a lot of space here,” she said. “Big houses, big fields, and I like the people a lot. They’re different from Ukrainians.”
Lahun and her husband met in dental school and have been working together for the past four years. Despite her job, Lahun describes herself as a creative type. She knew she wanted to go into medicine to help people, but she has always possessed a desire to build and craft.
Dentistry was the perfect fit. There’s more building involved than most people realize.
“I love doing (teeth) restorations,” she said.
Friendships have been born in the dental office. Lahun has been so impressed by the locals that she has started a women’s group dedicated to fellowship and shared interests.
“Everyone can support each other, where we can gather and do different things,” Lahun said.
Lahun hosted the group’s first meeting last month and is planning another meeting for Nov. 1 — this time at The Burlington Public Library.
“I started with craft things, painting, just for fun events, but I want to go deeper. I want to do something like sport challenges, because in the group it will be easier to keep a healthy body, healthy mental stability,” she said. “For example, yoga challenges, different sports activities. We can travel together. I want to invite different specialists, like psychologists who can advise people, or we can have small lectures,” she said.
Lahun would also like the group to focus on everyday survival skills, such as cooking. She noted that it has been much harder to find healthy food since moving to America.
“We can cook something and bring it home to eat for a couple of weeks, and then gather together again and cook again. It’s much easier if you do it in a group,” she said.
But the women’s group isn’t just about practicality. It’s a place for women to relax — to be themselves. Lahun noted that it is a group for all women — not just Ukrainians.
“All people have two places they go — home and work. They need a third place where you can just relax, be yourself, and do something for fun,” she said.
There is no formal name for the group right now, and Lahun is still molding the overall concept. But she’s confident the group will help her feel more at home — and she hopes that goes for everyone — even those who already are at home.
“I want to be social,” she said.
As for her future in America, Lahun can only wait to see what happens. She doesn’t dwell on the uncertain waiting.
But like any Ukrainian who has emigrated, she wants nothing more than to stay in America — her new home.
“I love it here,” she said.