美国国家公共电台 NPR--Maine volunteers welcome Ukrainian refugees

Maine volunteers welcome Ukrainian refugees

Transcript¹

Across the U.S., volunteers are stepping up to resettle Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion. In Maine, one Ukrainian man has taken in 11 people and plans to welcome more.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Some of the Ukrainians who fled Russia's invasion have found shelter here in the U.S. Ari Snider from Maine Public Radio met with a Ukrainian-born resident of the central part of the state who's already taken in 11 refugees and plans to welcome more.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Ukrainian).

(LAUGHTER)

ARI SNIDER, BYLINE²: On a warm spring afternoon, Halyna and Petro Terzi are stepping into their new apartment in Auburn, Maine, for the first time. A small group of fellow Ukrainians is there to greet them. Carrying blue and yellow balloons and a bouquet³ of flowers wrapped in plastic, the couple walks into their sunny bedroom overlooking the backyard. They'll be sharing this apartment with another Ukrainian family who arrived several weeks ago. With a tired-looking smile on his face, Petro lowers himself into a soft armchair next to the bed. His daughter, Alina Terzi, who's lived in Maine for several years, translates.

PETRO TERZI: (Speaking Ukrainian).

ALINA TERZI: They are so happy. They're like, praise the Lord. We've arrived.

SNIDER: The Terzis are from Odesa. They fled their home in late February, several days into the Russian invasion. They went first to Moldova, then to Poland, where they were taken in by a family. The official refugee resettlement process can take up to two years, but thousands of Ukrainians have already arrived in the U.S. Arriving without the help of a refugee resettlement agency means many Ukrainians rely on family members or volunteers to secure basic needs, including housing. That's the case for the Terzis. They came on tourist visas and are moving into a nondescript two-unit rental⁴ property in Auburn that's become an unlikely hub of a DIY resettlement operation.

(LAUGHTER, CROSSTALK)

SNIDER: Oleg Opalnyk is the person holding this operation together. Opalnyk is also from Ukraine and has lived in Maine since 2001. He runs a construction business and invests in rental properties. Opalnyk says that after seeing the destruction the Russian army was inflicting⁵ on his home country, he wanted to go back.

OLEG OPALNYK: When the war started, I wanted to go to fight.

SNIDER: But he talked himself out of that idea, realizing that he could be of assistance on this side of the Atlantic.

OPALNYK: And I made this decision that I would probably help more people, to protect and give them a head start here in the U.S. rather than going and fighting.

SNIDER: In mid-April, he gave that head start to a family of five who already had a relative living in Maine. He paid for their airfare and is housing them for free. Soon after, he welcomed a second family, Olha and Yurii Kutniak, along with their 11-year-old son. They're the ones sharing the apartment with Halyna and Petro Terzi. After fleeing Ukraine, the Kutniaks originally planned on going to Missouri, where they had a connection through their church community. But when they arrived in the U.S. after crossing the southern border, those plans changed.

OLHA KUTNIAK: (Speaking Russian).

SNIDER: Speaking in Russian, Kutniak says a volunteer at the border suggested they consider Maine instead and told them to call Opalnyk.

KUTNIAK: (Speaking Russian, laughter).

SNIDER: Kutniak says the phone call went so well that they changed their plans on the spot. They arrived in Maine on April 21. Kutniak's 11-year-old son is starting school, and she and her husband are focused on getting their work permits with guidance from Opalnyk. With support from his family and his Seventh Day Adventist church, Opalnyk has also helped the families with everything from furnishing the apartments to enrolling⁶ the kids in school. He says it's a full-time⁷ job but a job he's happy to be doing.

OPALNYK: It's overwhelming, you know, from time to time. But at the same time, you know, it's - I'm very thankful that I have this ability to help.

SNIDER: Including the Terzis, Opalnyk is now supporting 11 Ukrainian evacuees⁸, and he's already preparing to welcome two more families.

For NPR News, I'm Ari Snider in Auburn, Maine.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

4 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

5 inflicting   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。
• It's impossible to do research without inflicting some pain on animals. 搞研究不让动物遭点罪是不可能的。

6 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

7 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

8 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网