The Buhaichuk family arrived in East Kilbride.
Sunday 7th May
For the first week the family stayed at Lorri and Keiths home before they moved into their new accommodation to let them acclimatise to Scotland.
On the second night they decided to make a Ukrainian meal for Lorri and her family and the following night this was reciprocated. One of the funniest things that happened was when Sofia was making her meal, she disappeared upstairs for a few minutes, she returned proudly holding her food processor which she has taken all the way from Ukraine.
We took them to Rouken Glen Park, which they loved the open space and absolutely adored the ice cream. They seemed surprised at the number of dogs in the park with their owners as this is not the same in Ukraine. We all quickly discovered the importance of iPads and Google Translate to sort out the many communication issues.
When they saw the property for the first time they were delighted, there were tears and exclaimed they had never imagined they would live in such a beautiful home. A huge amount of work was done by the Property Store staff and many of our contractors to have the property ready in time for them to occupy. A big thank you to everyone of them, it wouldn't have been possible without their help.
Week beginning the 9th May
Appointments were arranged that week with various officials and the council came out to inspect the property to make sure it was safe and of a decent standard for the family to live in.
There were many new experiences for them that week. They had their first trip to Braehead Shopping centre and Ikea to get the necessary items they needed for the house. Aaron chose a bright yellow duvet cover for his new bed as it was Ukrainian Colours. Keith spent his weekend assembling childrens beds and Kallex units, whilst being fed at regular intervals by Tatiana.
Heather our lettings manager has been introducing the family to the local walks as this is something they enjoy doing. Our team leader Rachel, went on a girls shopping trip to Silverburn with Sophia on Tuesday 10th May to get some make up and clothes without Aaron which was a major treat for her to get some time on her own.
Sunday 15th May
After a week in their new home the family came round to Lorri's on the Sunday afternoon for a family dinner, Sophia enjoyed using the hot tub and drinking bubbles while Aaron played with Lorri's grandchildren. The family asked Lorri if they could watch the Eurovision song contest as they had been unable to view the previous evening but knew Ukraine had won. Being something Lorri and Keith tried to avoid they endured this torture for the sake of their guests.
If you are interested about following the rest of the Buhaichuk family story we will be uploading more blogs soon.