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"I am grateful to Czechia and the Silesian University," says Tetiana Konieva

"I am grateful to Czechia and the Silesian University," says Tetiana Konieva

  • David Jančar
  • 28.12.2023
Since the very beginning of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, our faculty has been intensively involved in helping people affected by the war. We try to lend a helping hand, for example, by providing material assistance, but we also try to be a support to students and academic staff coming from Ukraine and their families.

Tetiana lived in Mykolaiv, a large city in the south of Ukraine, which was founded in 1789. Mykolaiv is located in the southern steppe zone of Ukraine on a peninsula washed by the waters of the South Bug and Ingul rivers, which join to form the Dnieper Liman. It takes about an hour by car for residents to reach the Black Sea. The area of the city is 260 km² and the population is around 470 thousand. In the past, the city was referred to as a city of shipbuilders, as there were three large shipyards here, as well as other factories involved in shipbuilding.

She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business (2001), a Master's degree in Finance (2003) and a PhD in Economics (Economic Theory and History of Economic Concepts) in 2009. In 2011 she was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor (Department of Finance, Accounting and Audit) by the Attestation Council of the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine. She has been working at the Department of Finance and Credit of the Black Sea National University named after Petr Mohil (Mykolaiv, Ukraine) since 2004. She then served as Head of the Research Department at this University from September 2020 to April 2022.

We did not hesitate to include our colleague Tetiana, who has worked for a long time at a Ukrainian university, into the team and activities of our faculty, especially the Department of Finance and Accounting, where Tetiana works. When she arrived in Karviná in the spring of 2022, it looked like providing a temporary refuge for a few months. However, in reality, Tetiana has been here for the second year already and is fully involved in teaching and research activities. In the Christmas time, we decided to approach Tetiana and ask her about her experiences and insights from life in Karviná and working at our faculty.

What was your story that brought you to Czechia and our university?

The reason for the relocation to Czechia was the war that was beginning. All Ukrainians woke up on the morning of February 24, 2022, because of the explosions. At first, no one could believe it. But according to the news, we knew something was happening, already at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. But we could not imagine what kind of catastrophe awaited us. The first rule that all Ukrainians learned at that time was the double-wall rule. At the beginning of the war, in order to protect myself from glass shards in an explosion, I slept on the floor in the corridor. When there was heavy shelling of the city, people gathered in the common corridors of the apartment building during the day and night to hide behind as many walls as possible. Even such precautions can help when a missile or drone is flying directly at your house. Last year, the Russian army fired 30 different missiles and drones at our city every day. When you hide from them, you forget your name and feel only fear. In the morning, when you wake up, you find out what has been demolished and destroyed. Our town was badly damaged: houses, apartment blocks, shops and the House of Culture, even my university came under extensive rocket fire three times.
Fortunately, our soldiers managed to prevent the occupation of Mykolayiv by the Russian invaders. I watched these battles on my balcony, because I live on the outskirts of the city. During these attacks and the repeated sniping of the town, we said goodbye to our lives several times in our thoughts. There is a saying in our country: not even the enemy would wish that. No words of mine can fully describe what really happened and what continues to happen in my city and throughout Ukraine. Almost every town and district has experienced attacks or shelling. It is horrible to watch young children react to the sirens. They do not even cry at the siren anymore, they quickly get dressed and run to a more or less safe place in the apartment where they curl up in a ball, as their parents taught them. I always thought we would survive this with my family, I never wanted to leave. The final straw for me was the damage to the infrastructure when our great city was left completely without water. I guess that was the moment I started looking for opportunities to leave. We had no relatives or friends abroad, so it was clear that this trip would be at our own risk, responsibility, but also full of fear.
I purposely sought out a teaching job, and purposely sought out a job in the finance department at a university abroad. My potential departure was a journey into the unknown, so I made a deliberate effort to seek out professionally related departments. I wanted to pursue a job based on my education. I wrote several letters to different universities. I had no hope at all and decided to put everything in the hands of my destiny. If I hadn't found such an opportunity, I certainly wouldn't have left. Literally a moment after sending my letters, I had a reply from the Dean of the School of Business Administration in Karviná, Silesian University in Opava, Prof. Daniel Stavárek. There have been very few miracles in my life, so I immediately grabbed this opportunity. I had a video interview with the dean and when asked: "When can you come?" I replied with precision and certainty, "Tomorrow!" A few days after the interview I was already in Karviná. When I left Mykolaiv, I was accompanied by the sounds of explosions "for a happy journey".
I drove to Czechia through Slovakia at night, and it was interesting that at one point, due to the time difference, it was May 1 in Ukraine and still April 31 in Europe. Figuratively, this meant to me that I was exactly between my ending past and my beginning future. Early the next morning, Irena Szarowská and her husband were waiting for me at the train station in Karvina. They escorted me to my apartment and gave me a bag of food. That's when I understood that I would definitely not die of hunger in Czechia (I'm joking, but I thank Irena and her husband very much).

How did you learn the Czech language?

In the beginning, the Czech language was a big challenge for me. I didn't understand anything at all, I only understood individual words that were similar to Ukrainian. Approximately two weeks after my arrival, I started to learn Czech. Marcela Neničková became my Czech language guide. For me, learning was shock therapy because Marcela immediately started speaking only Czech, she never spoke English or Russian. But every time we met, Marcela always encouraged and motivated me not to be afraid to speak and to keep going despite my mistakes and obstacles. I spent the whole summer learning, and it was worth it. By the end of the summer, I started to understand what was going on around me, and I could understand absolutely everything people were saying. I salute Marcela and thank her very much. Then my special thanks go to Jan Hus, who makes me worry about Czech diacritical marks (I'm kidding).
Now practicing Czech, including the academic one, is a daily task for me, but my advantage is that I am in the middle of an environment where Czech is spoken predominantly, and that definitely helps. I was surprised that in Czech, compared to Ukrainian and Russian, some words have the opposite meaning or mean something completely different. For example, "fresh" in our language means "stale", "amazing" means "terrible", "life" means "belly". There are many such words. I also hope to understand even Slovak, because many of my colleagues, people in shops and hospitals, are Slovak.

How are you doing at the university and how have you managed to get involved in teaching and research activities at the faculty?

The Silesian University in Opava, especially the School of Business Administration in Karviná, offered me everything I needed from the beginning, i.e. help with registration and preparation of various documents, a private apartment, the opportunity to learn Czech, the opportunity to work and continue my scientific research. All this was arranged, controlled and prepared mainly by Prof. Daniel Stavárek, colleagues from the faculty and from the dormitory. I had no difficulties at all.

Since May 2022, I have been working as a teaching assistant at the Department of Finance and Accounting. Last academic year I taught in English, this year I am trying to work in Czech as well. I teach courses focused on corporate finance, corporate budgeting and taxation. As far as scientific research is concerned, universities in Ukraine have much more modest opportunities due to limited financial resources and connections with various organizations or even journals. Therefore, the opportunities offered by our faculty cannot be compared at all. What is new for me is that the lecturers in the department are divided into teams according to their research interests and then implement specific projects, for example the Institutional Support Project, which funds research activities. For me personally, this is wonderful because on the one hand we have the opportunity to exchange ideas, approaches and experiences with our Czech colleagues, and on the other hand I get funding for publications and presentations of results.

Has the Silesian University grown close to your heart?

We have a saying: there was no luck and misfortune helped. I've always had a dream to go to a foreign university for an internship, but it's expensive for Ukrainian teachers and it's connected with various organizational problems. Unfortunately, I am here now because of the war. The only positive thing is that I met a lot of nice people. Above all, I am grateful to the head of my department, Vice-Rector Daniel Stavárek, who answered my letter and in this way gave me a chance to change my life situation for the better. I would also like to thank the former Rector, the current Vice-Rector Pavel Tuleja, the Rector Tomáš Gongol and the current Dean Roman Šperka for giving me the opportunity to work and continue my development, to have all the necessities for living and security in the future. Only the Silesian University in Opava responded to my letters I sent to various universities. Few refugees, including teachers, have similar conditions available to me. I appreciate it.
Of course, the first people I met were members of the finance and accounting department. You can imagine how many questions I had and still have about everything. That's why I went to see Daniel and Irena almost all the time for the first month. Later, when I was able to explain something in Czech, I "troubled" others (I'm kidding). Everyone in the department, at the faculty or in the dormitory always gave me their time and attention, patiently answered my questions about teaching, science, everyday life, gave good advice, shared their experiences, helped and supported me. This is invaluable.

Do you like Czechia?

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the city of Karviná, Czechia and the Czech people for their help to Ukraine and Ukrainians. I know that Czechia has received the highest number of refugees per capita compared with other countries in Europe. At the same time, every Ukrainian sees and feels help from Czechia in all areas. At the same time, Czechia is also going through difficult times. Unfortunately, it is not yet safe in Ukraine. Sirens are still a common backdrop. Part of the Mykolayiv region has been occupied by the Russian army, it has not yet been completely liberated, and it is being shelled every day. This year, when the dam in Kakhovka was demolished, our area was flooded. The water level rose by more than a metre in the whole town because of the rivers. Therefore, it is impossible not to appreciate the safety and freedom that Czechia offers me, the possibility to breathe freely and not to be afraid. We don't notice these things in everyday life and understand their value until we lose it all.
During my stay in Czechia I have travelled a lot, mostly in the Moravian-Silesian region, visiting museums and enjoying theatre performances in Ostrava and Olomouc. Every Czech town, even the small ones, is historic and has something interesting to see. Being from the south of Ukraine, everything in Czechia - history, culture, language, even nature, is unusual and fascinating. The good news is that from this year onwards Ukraine has Christmas at the same time as Europe. So I want to wish Czechs, Slovaks and Ukrainians peace, prosperity, health, good luck, a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous next year!
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