Preface
Hi, my name is Isabelle Bertges, I am a German- American artist based in New York City and I am the producer of the Podcast Inside the Other Side, Volunteering at the Polish-Ukrainian Border and inside the other side. I grew up in Europe which is why I have always felt a strong sense of unity, social responsibility and solidarity towards the countries around me. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th 2022, I shortly after found myself in full train cars besides some of the millions of Ukrainian refugees who poured into Europe as a result. While I was tackling a German movie tour, they were fleeing their home to stay alive. Train Stations became transit hubs for Ukranians who were sheltered in tents, everywhere you looked there was a Ukrainian flag directing people to food, shelter, childcare and information. More than once my friends and I helped mostly mothers with children, sometimes along with grandparents, carry their luggage and pet carrier through the trains and stations. I can not think of a friend who did not at least consider taking in a Ukrainian over the course of the past year and in fact, many of them did. Still today you can find people with signs standing at the train stations, offering up free space to the newcomers. More than once I placed a successful phone call to a friend during this time, asking if they could briefly take in someone from Ukraine who I either knew was coming or who I met on my travels. Europe has changed. I knew I needed to not only loudly and clearly position myself as an artist, but also become active as a fellow european. I myself have many, year long Ukrainian friends due to former activism I have participated in, so this also became quite personal for me. Some of my friends have left their country since, many stayed, and some are going back now. While having a gap between my work this summer, I took the opportunity and traveled to Poland and Ukraine to get a picture of the situation for myself, report back and most of all, to help.
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For the next eight weeks, you will be able to listen to a new episode every week. The episodes will alternate between conversations with those I met along this journey and mini episodes spoken by me.
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This Podcast is dedicated to my friends. It’s for the ones in the United States, who have been trying to understand what is going on but are too far away to fully imagine. It’s for the helpless one, who doesn't know what she can do to make real change. It’s for my Ukranian friends and their loved ones. It’s for the person who needs a guide on how to become active and involved as a volunteer. It’s for those routing for Ukraine and offering help.
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I want to thank my friends who made me feel safe during my time in eastern europe by tracking and checking in and by talking through my and their fears and worries with me, but who still let me go and take this very personal and important trip. You know who you are and I love you dearly.
Thank you also to my current University, Antioch University. I have been so inspired by my classmates and teachers who are serving as my honest, critical and supporting audience for my first ever, far from perfect but nevertheless passionate Podcast experiment.
Let’s go!
This is Vienna-Przemyśl
My bus departed in Vienna after a long, overdue visit to a dear friend, steadily heading South-east, first through Czech Republic and then all the way through Poland, to Przemyśl. I recall being quite relieved about the twelve hours it was going to take me to reach my final destination. During the busride I was mentally preparing myself. Who were these people right and left next to me? Were they going to help as well? Some spoke Ukrainian, a few spoke English, most of them Polish. For me, there was no going back now. Because I was working on a movie right up until this trip, I was not even really fully able to properly think of what I was about to do and where I really was about to head. Friends and family here and there had commented on my plans with much anxiousness and wonder in their voice, but somehow, I was able to not let it affect me too much. I really wanted to do this. This was my vacation between jobs. Some go to the beach, I headed to the border of- and later into a war-torn country. By the time I arrived hours later than expected, the blue sky had turned dark, the fields of sunflowers and wheat were no longer visible, and I knew I was not going to get a proper meal until the morning at least. Luckily though, I was picked up from the station by my host’s mother. She did not speak even a speck of English, but somehow we were still able to locate each other and got along quite well. Communicating without being able to use English would become a very common practice for me in the next few weeks. We drove through the dark streets of Przemyśl, the little polish south eastern border town nearly 20 minutes away from Ukraine that had become one of Europe's largest refugee transit points when the war broke out. Last February, the city’s negative headlines involving rising homophobia and their extremely conservative administration were washed over by international praise. The town of roughly 60.000 residents became the working ground for highly acclaimed, international media and the first pit stop on the rough journey of millions of Ukranians fleeing the war that was started by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. Much of the world is angry at Russia, and so are people in little Przemyśl. As we approached the large, golden “M” sign belonging to what my host refers to as “America Restaurant!”, she slowed down the car and presented it to me in all its glory. She proudly said: “Polska tak McDonalds, Ukraina tak Mcdonalds”..she paused and then continued: “Rosja, nie McDonalds. Nie Rosja!”. As much as she speaks English, I speak Polish. So not at all. But I still understood what she was referring to and I am sure so do you. It made me smile. Once we arrived in my little private apartment, I was taken right back to my childhood. My father used to work in Poland for a couple of years which is why I would spend many vacations visiting Poland. Back then, I remember observing the same, kind Polish hospitality I was subjected to when arriving in Przemysl. My hunger and hopelessness to eat until the morning was met with tea and cookies prepared by my host well after midnight. I remember creating my first ever Email address at the age of 9 in Poland and the severe internet connectivity hurdles that came with eagerly trying to email friends and family back then while being in eastern europe. I am astounded to report that those connectivity issues did not take long to revisit me on this dark night on the border of Ukraine. No Wifi around. After taking a quick walk on the open field separating me from Ukraine to try and maybe find a spot with cellular connection, I was able to write a quick “I have arrived safely” to my best friend before falling asleep and dreaming about the coming weeks.
Thank you for listening to Inside the Other Side. I am always happy to connect with you listeners via email or on social media @insidetheotherside.
Until next week!
Slava Ukraini!
