Four years ago, Iryna Braun moved to the Portage area from Ukraine. She notes many in the city were extremely helpful as she made her transition here, including Blair Hordeski with the Ukraine social media support group. 

"He was one of those people who would meet each newcomer in Portage with open hugs and also extend his time trying to help everyone, trying to make everyone happy and feel at home. I started coming to Canada and then going back to Ukraine since 2018. But first, we lived in Alberta, in the Edmonton area. We fully moved to Canada with my family in March 2021. Now it's my fourth year in Portage, and I really like this city. I can freely name this place home for me."

She adds she hopes the rest of the world will continue to help Ukraine see an end to the war. After asking Braun if she knows of others who plan to move, she noted that those who had those plans have already made them by now, and the remainder have chosen to stay. 

"It's not easy to leave everything and to move to another country, especially if you have elderly parents to take care of or even pets," notes Braun. "You can bring pets, but it's complicated. You have a business that you have been working for 40 years and now, to quit everything and come to Canada without or knowing the language, without having a proper education that you could fit into; it's complicated."

Her opinion of Portage is that it's a very polite community with a great multicultural aspect to it. 

"There is a possibility for everyone to fit in easily," she adds. "You don't feel like you don't fit because you're different. Everyone is different which is great about it. A lot of Manitoba is forest and nature. I don't like prices anywhere in Canada, they're all high, but it's a little better here. I didn't try to live in BC. Maybe I would like it if I tried staying there, but I would like Manitoba better. My children are going to Westpark School. They really like it there. You can get some friendship within four years and this makes it better."

The Brauns have two children -- five and three years old -- and they live in the country. 

"They really enjoy it. We are planting a garden!"