Exchange student’s stay in North Dakota extended due to war in Ukraine

Beach, N.D. (KFYR) – Learning overseas is normally a a person-12 months adventure, but 1 exchange student’s excursion has been extended for a next calendar year.

The war in Ukraine has remaining 17-calendar year-previous Dima Davydenko with no property to return to.

Davydenko has mastered the artwork of using a good selfie. His cellular phone is crammed with selfies, and with other pics that all notify a story about his time as an trade university student in the United States.

His cell phone is also his link to his pals and family, and to his war-torn homeland. Davydenko’ s hometown of Velyka Novosillka in japanese Ukraine has turn out to be a Russian goal. His dad and mom and grandmother have moved to one more city.

“Everything altered substantially,” he stated.

Davydenko was supposed to return to Ukraine on June 9. As a substitute, he’s being another year in Seashore, a position he’d by no means even read of a year ago.

“When I located out that, I assumed it would have a sea or lake or ocean. There’s notbhing like that,” Davydenko recalled with a giggle.

But what he has found here on the western edge of North Dakota is a feeling of group, a refuge from war and a second dwelling.

“I’m just the American mom, but there was no way I was sending him back again to what was like minimal to practically nothing left,” stated Jill Schatz, Davydenko’s host mother claimed.

When a portion of him wishes he was property battling for his place, Davydenko is also happy to be in Seaside and to get a reward calendar year of high school. He’s on the lookout forward to incorporating a lot more images to his digicam roll, so he’ll never ever overlook this unpredicted stay in Seashore.

Davydenko is equipped to verify in with his household every day. So much, they’ve stayed safe and sound, but he suggests quite a few households in his hometown of about 5,000 men and women have been destroyed.

Davydenko states the assistance the men and women of Beach, and the entire condition, have revealed his place has been too much to handle.

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