The Engineer’s Path to Peace

After moving from Myrnohrad to Avdiivka, Olha Smorodinova, a 66-year-old metrology engineer, found fulfillment in life’s simple pleasures. Working at the coke-chemical plant, she balanced her technical career with a passion for yoga and wellness, finding joy in gardening and regular visits to the sauna.

Her world shifted when their house was struck twice by enemy fire. “After the first hit, we knew staying was dangerous, but we hoped things would somehow improve, ” Olha recalls. When the city lost its water supply and basement shelters proved inadequate, reality forced her hand.

An evacuation train carried her to Lviv, then onward to Poland. After eighteen months in a refugee camp there, its closure brought her back to Ukraine, where she found temporary shelter in a mobile town in Irpin.

Hope arrived in an unexpected form. Having filled out an application in 2023, Olha spent a year and a half nurturing the dream of reaching Senior Chudo Village. On December 16, 2024, that dream materialized when she moved into apartment 7B.4A.

Despite kidney problems and age-related health changes, the former engineer approaches her new life with characteristic precision and optimism. “Here, everything is well-organized, with many interesting activities and events for residents, ” she notes, already looking for ways to contribute to the community through kitchen help and greenhouse care.

Her advice to younger generations reflects an engineer’s practical wisdom combined with a yogi’s compassion: “The main thing is learning to understand people around you, respect them, and support one another. And support our Armed Forces of Ukraine — thanks to our warriors, we have a chance for the future.”

To Dell Loy Hansen, she expresses profound gratitude: “When you lose everything, when you see no way out — and suddenly there’s a chance. This isn’t just help; it’s salvation. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to start a new life.”

From measuring instruments to measuring blessings, this engineer-turned-yogi has found not just shelter, but a new purpose in Chudo Village’s supportive community.