GIVING BACK: BAHDASAR'S INCREDIBLE STORY OF RESILIENCE
February 23, 2022 will forever remain in Bahdasar’s memory.
On that day, Bahdasar was returning to his boarding school in Kherson, Ukraine, when he noticed something was wrong. “I saw cars pulling artillery machines,” he says. “That evening, while doing homework, I kept hearing loud, heavy noises” The next morning, he realized something was drastically wrong. “I went downstairs and saw the security lady crying. On the TV, I heard a Russian official say they were taking over our region.”
Overnight, Bahdasar went from studying for exams to fighting for survival. Russia had invaded Ukraine.
SURVIVING THE UNTHINKABLE
“I called my parents and my dad came to get me,” Bahdasar recalls. “All of the gas stations we passed were on fire. We saw a military patrol get bombed just up the road and I didn’t know if we were in the line of fire. It was horrible.” When they finally reached home, the adrenaline began to fade. “I felt the gravity of it all,” he says. “I just started crying.”
In the months that followed, Bahdasar and his family endured Russian occupation and checks, the loss of loved ones, and, in Bahdasar’s words, “days of shelling.” In April, two full months later, they finally escaped—arriving in Poland as refugees after a harrowing 16-hour journey. In July 2022, they were approved through the Canadian refugee program and arrived in BC for the chance of life outside of war.
"On the TV, I heard a Russian official say they were taking over our region."
AN IMPORTANT WELCOME
That October, Bahdasar began attending Burnett Secondary School in Richmond, trying to learn about life in a new country while grappling with why he was there at all. “I didn’t really talk to anyone,” he says. “It was just a cycle; wake up, school, go home.” Certain things, like loud noises and planes, triggered alarms in his nervous system. The transition was overwhelming, but Bahdasar knew he had been given a rare opportunity. “I really wanted to make the most of it,” he says.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to do it alone. Help arrived when, on one school field trip, Bahdasar connected with YU Richmond Area Director Tombert Chen. “I always want to welcome people in,” says Tombert. “And I thought he needed some welcoming.” That day, Tombert invited Bahdasar to a weekly volunteer opportunity handing out hot chocolate. “Sure—why not?” Bahdasar responded. Soon he was volunteering regularly alongside Tombert and a group of guys from his school. Before long, they became his community. “I didn’t know any of them before,” says Bahdasar. “Now, they’re the people I feel closest to.”
A COMMUNITY WITH PURPOSE
For Tombert, these volunteer opportunities are a key form of creating connections with students like Bahdasar. “So often, students are in their own little bubbles,” he says. “And this is a way to help them connect with others. We get to ask the question, ‘how can we help those around us?.’ And right from the start, Bahdasar was all in, even with what he’d experienced. It was awesome.”
Over the past three years, Bahdasar and his friends have spent hundreds of hours volunteering. Some of their most meaningful experiences have been at Camp Stillwood, where they’ve gone on 11 work trips, repairing facilities and supporting upkeep. “Most of us have something to deal with - we’ve all got hardships,” says Bahdasar, “but by doing these things together, we’ve built friendships and grown as people. Now, we’re even going and working on projects by ourselves. I got a second chance at life, and I don’t want to waste it.”
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Today, Bahdasar is a first-year teaching student at SFU while working towards Canadian Citizenship. Canada now feels like home—in no small part due to people like Tombert. “Before Tombert, my day-to-day was tough,” Bahdasar says. “He helped me out tremendously. Learning from him helps me be less overwhelmed. It feels safe with him.” And Tombert’s thoughts on where Bahdasar’s heading? “He’s a lovely dork and a tremendous young man. I’m proud of him.”
"I got a second chance at life, and I don't want to waste it."
The success of Bahdasar and his peers is hugely rewarding for Tombert. “We’ve built so much more than just things,” he says. “We’ve built friendships, resolve, and character. In the midst of hard things, there are these amazing wins. It makes it all worth it.”
