We are posting a series of articles with stories from our employees in Ukraine in their own words. Below is one of those stories; if you'd like to read more, click here.
Madison
As a head of technical support at Software MacKiev, I usually start my day by making myself a big cup of coffee and checking on my work messages. However, February 24th changed the morning routine of my whole country. Instead of the smell of coffee, we woke up to the loud sound of rocket explosions outside. I will never forget the sound of that day in my life. That morning I started by making sure that each member of my team is alright. I called my friends to let them know what was going on and I felt like I was the messenger of the bad news, since they were peacefully asleep and didn’t see hundreds of people outside running with their kids and animals to seek a safer place. Hardly did we know then that in the meantime most of the country would become an unsafe place to be. Of course, I wasn’t an exception and had to move to a safer district of Ukraine, so me and my partner took some basic things with us and the one we won’t ever leave behind— our dog. It was horrifying to see burnt cars on the highway — those who didn’t make it in the rush of the first-day evacuation.
I should say that working days and time spent with my dog were crucial for me to distract from the scary news about my country that arrived 24/7 and left no place for a smile in our lives. I should also mention that our support team is the best in the world. They were such before the war, and they have not lost this title during it. Guys kept taking chats non-stop even in the bomb shelters during the air sirens. So yes, I can definitely say that Software MacKiev’s technical support is the most courageous and devoted in the world! Moreover, Software MacKiev achieved the almost impossible: to evacuate employees who were in danger and provide them with the conditions for a safe life and work. I should say that this support and care mean the world to us. Our customers have been enquiring and asking how they can help, some were even proposing we come to them if we needed a shelter. My heart melts to know that there are such wonderful and kind people.
I am personally extremely lucky and happy that my family, friends, and my team (who are my second family) are all safe and sound (even though we need to sleep in the corridor behind two walls). Even though the war has stolen our life in the way we used to know it, we try to move on with whatever the news brings us every day. The real truth that we all have discovered here is that one doesn’t need much to be happy, so we gladly donate money and share everything we can with those who need help at these times. I miss normal peaceful life a lot and I hope soon we will meet at the RootsTech conference under the peaceful sky! All the best!
Update:
Even though it's a year of war already here we keep donating funds and things every day to the army, people affected by war and to those who are in the biggest need now. Our normal day includes routine like going to the gym and hiding in the shelter during air siren, working and then watching the news to see what they bring us. We got used to rockets in our sky but it doesn’t mean we will stop fighting this appalling cruelty that doesn’t fit into the modern civilised world. People in my country might not see all the joy of everyday pleasures that are available to most of the world right now, but they still see the light at the end of the tunnel that will lead us to the victory even though we might not see the light in our homes because of rocket attacks!