For many people, 2020 will go down as the worst year of their lives. But for others, it is the year that brought them some of the most defining and joyful events.
Life goes on even in a global pandemic: People get married, have babies, launch businesses and soar to new personal heights.
Here are five stories of love, dedication and happiness from Ukrainians who enjoyed 2020 against the odds.
Getting married
Valeriia and Gregory Donchyk show their wedding rings as they pose for a picture in their Kyiv apartment on Dec. 17, 2020. The couple got married on Bali in 2020. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Spending half a year in tropical Bali sounds like a dream. But getting stuck there because of the pandemic was less alluring. Yet the Kyiv-based couple of freelance PR manager Valeriia Donchyk and video editing director Gregory Donchyk, both 25, managed to turn the experience into a fairytale.
The two started off 2020 by traveling around Asia, covering Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, including the island of Bali. By that time, they had been together for six years and were certain about their compatibility.
Gregory proposed in a hotel room on the 37th floor near panoramic windows overlooking the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
“He got on his knees, asked if I would be his wife,” Valeriia says. “He said that the most important thing for him will always be to make me happy.”
Valeriia and Gregory Donchyk, who got married on Bali in 2020, speak with the Kyiv Post in their Kyiv apartment on Dec. 17, 2020. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Their flight home got canceled amid international travel bans. So the couple stayed in Bali, worked remotely and enjoyed the local lifestyle. They changed their wedding plans in Ukraine and decided to get married on the island.
“At first we thought of it as a dream, but when we arrived on the island, we realized that anything is possible,” Gregory says.
The ceremony took place on a wild beach with black sand and tropical plant decorations they crafted themselves.
The couple formalized the marriage after their return to Ukraine. Amid Kyiv’s winter chill, they recall the warmer days thanks to a little memento: Gregory’s tattoo with the time of their wedding ceremony.
Starting business
Owners of the newly-opened Alpaca restaurant Diana Vozhzhova (L) and Sasha Maslova (2nd L) pose for a picture along with other Alpaca staffers on Dec. 18, 2020. The eatery opened its doors in October, despite the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Volodymyr Petrov)
As the economic crisis forced many businesses to shut down, Diana Vozhzhova, 31, and Sasha Maslova, 27, made a risky decision to open their own restaurant. In October, Alpaca opened its doors on Kyiv’s Zhylianska Street.
“We’re like children that do something for the first time having no fear,” Vozhzhova laughs.
Alpaca has been an instant hit, offering a diverse menu of dishes from various cuisines, such as Norwegian toast with salmon, Balinese oatmeal, Dominican cheesecake and Indian butter chicken.
“We collected the dishes from those countries of the world which we are unable to visit this winter,” Vozhzhova says.
Business partners who co-own Alpaca restaurant Sasha Maslova (L) and Diana Vozhzhova pose for a picture on Dec. 18, 2020. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Alpaca also serves specialty coffee, wine, breakfasts and desserts. “We are a place for people who look for new colors, tastes and experiences in the city,” Vozhzhova says.
The owners pay attention to every detail, from design and music to welcoming service. Most importantly, they focus on the quality of the food, with fresh mango, salmon they salt themselves and sauces prepared from scratch.
“We want to make the lives of office workers on Zhylianska Street brighter,” Vozhzhova says.
Giving birth
Oleksandr Todorchuk and Maria Artemenko talk with the Kyiv Post, holding their daughter Solomiia born in September, on Dec. 20, 2020 at home in Kyiv. (Volodymyr Petrov)
PR specialists Maria Artemenko, 29, and Oleksandr Todorchuk, 32, spent most of the year expecting a baby girl, Solomiia, who was born in September. “The quarantine turned out for the best for us,” Artemenko says.
Artemenko popularizes charitable giving in Ukraine by running non-profit organizations and projects. She worked throughout her pregnancy, calling it “the coolest training in time management and flexibility.”
“When Solomiia grows up, I will definitely tell her that with her in the womb, we have helped so many people!” Artemenko says.
The two are now enjoying parenthood. Both of them are winners of the Top 30 Under 30 awards, which the Kyiv Post presents to young Ukrainian leaders annually.
“It will be great if our daughter will continue this tradition and also receive a Top 30 Under 30 Award from the Kyiv Post,” Artemenko says.
Running marathon
Maria Chernenko poses for a picture with a medal that she received for running her first marathon this year in Kyiv on Dec. 18, 2020. She made the 42-kilometer run in September, recording it via a mobile application, and received her medal by mail. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Maria Chernenko, 20, had a complicated relationship with running at first: She didn’t enjoy it much.
“Later, I figured out how to run with delight and started doing it more often,” Chernenko says.
Since then, the student of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy has been running in Kyiv’s parks and streets up to five times a week. When she finally registered for her first marathon scheduled for 2020 in Stockholm, the event moved online. But Chernenko didn’t back down.
Maria Chernenko, who completed her first marathon in 2020, runs at a stadium in Kyiv on Dec. 18, 2020. (Volodymyr Petrov)
She made the 42-kilometer run in September, finishing in 4 hours and 39 minutes.
“It’s close to a state of exaltation,” Chernenko describes the feeling at the finish line. “I have never felt such incredible joy, relief and love for everything around me before.”
Launching startup
Tanya Vasylieva, Igor Zhukovskyi, Kate Krylenko and Dan Orel pose for a picture in Kyiv’s innovation park Unit.City on Dec. 18, 2020. The four students founded the Highers startup in 2020, it connects students looking for career opportunities and top companies that search for new employees. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Four young friends launched their own startup this year.
They are Igor Zhukovskyi, 19, Tanya Vasylieva, 19, Kate Krylenko, 20, and Dan Orel, 20. All students of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the group created Highers, an online platform that connects students looking for career opportunities and top companies in search of new employees.
“Everywhere you need experience when you try to apply for a job. Where do you get this opportunity for your first work experience if you are just a student?” Krylenko says.
The core of the startup is its algorithm developed for the Telegram messaging app. It analyzes a company’s requirements and picks the best matches from applied student profiles.
The startup cooperates with 18 companies operating in Ukraine, including Deloitte and Ernst & Young. The first Highers partner to sign a student employment contract was German ProCredit Bank.
In July, Highers was included in an accelerator for startups called Nest Boot Camp, which gave them an opportunity to learn from experts in Kyiv’s innovation park Unit.City.
The name of the startup refers to higher-ranked students that the company helps, but it also proves to be a symbol of the founders’ high ambitions to become a nationwide center of student employment.
“We want to be number one in Ukraine!” Krylenko says.
