VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — February 24 will be the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In Hampton Roads, the Ukrainian community has become closer, leaning on each other during these difficult times.
Olena Morozova is a Ukrainian wife and mother staying with extended family in Virginia Beach. She’s a talented pianist and composer who came to the United States in November 2022.
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Morozova’s husband and one of her two sons remain in Ukraine. Her husband is a mechanic who has helped repair vehicles for Ukrainian soldiers, said Morozova. He also helps take care of his elderly mother, she added.
For Morozova, it’s a new adventure. She said she’s never been to the United States.
"I’ve dreamt, dreamt to come here,” she said. "Of course, I didn’t want to come here due to war."
It was a difficult decision. During these past couple of years, she also lost her parents.
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But her husband told her, "Just try; try and maybe you will get some experience and maybe you will bring more benefit to Ukraine when you stay in the United States."
In fact, Morozova feels that she is making a difference. She is now giving music lessons to American students, as well as doing virtual lessons with her students in Europe. She said the blackouts in Ukraine made it difficult to do these types of lessons.
The composer is now a faculty member at The Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk and a collaborative pianist at Old Dominion University.
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She can often speak with her family and says she checks the news daily to get the latest on the war.
“You know, sometimes I cry, mostly it’s at night,” she described, “But then I pull myself together. I pull myself together because we should be strong."
Morozova isn’t sure of her next plan, but she’s grateful for the friendships she’s made in Virginia. She is also a pianist at a church in Portsmouth.
For more information on the Tidewater Ukrainian Cultural Association including how to support their efforts, click here.
