Border crossing

Scenes from the Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland

Passport control into Ukraine.

A group of us went to the Ukrainian border yesterday in Medyka, Poland. It’s about about eight miles from Przemysl, but at about mile 7, the line of trucks headed to Ukraine begins. The line is not moving. It might take a few days to cross.

We drive through this small, bucolic village until we arrive at a muddy field to park. We walk for a few hundred feet until we approach a walkway to passport control. That walkway has morphed into a tent city, for lack of a better word. Relief agencies from around the world have set up shop, offering everything from food and clothing to temporary shelter and baby strollers.

The tent city in Medyka, Poland.

We caught up with our World Central Kitchen cohorts manning two different tents — one for some of the hot food we cooked earlier that day…..

WCK’s hot meal tent.

…and another grab-and-go tent with those ham and cheese sandwiches I wrote about here.

WCK volunteers Cesar and Christian, both from the Boston area, manning the sandwich and snack tent.

We cooks, who have been holed up in a warehouse, were able to see the food we had prepared actively being distributed, giving much-needed context to why we are here in the first place.

I leave you today with this final vignette.

As we make our way back to the car, I lock eyes with a babushka with piercing blue eyes and a hair coming out of her chin. I place my hands on her shoulders. She is taken aback.

“Valentir?” she asks. [Volunteer?]

I nod yes.

She points her finger at her chest.

“Ukraine.”

I do the same.

“America.”

“Dyakuyu,” she says. [thank you]

I give her a bear hug.

While my eyes flood with tears, Peter and Michelle take my place and give her more hugs.

I can hardly see straight.