Mary: 

Okay. So you’ve been there two years now in, in cave. 

Nick: 

Yes. 

Mary: 

Can you please tell me what life was like the month before the invasion? What were you thinking? What were you planning? 

Nick:

I feel I had feelings that something bad happens because I live in the center of in downtown and just near my house. There was like a, maybe 10, 15 minutes from my home airport, central airport in the center. And here <inaudible> big complaints, which goes under my house and it was not cereal airplanes, like military airplanes and I, something, something strange happens because a lot of military our plans and so something I was prepared And so I had feeling, but from both sides relief, like general life, I had plans for, for vacation plans for maybe moving to another apartment because we wanted some bigger apartment and we can plan in like in general life when I had some feelings that something can happen, but no one will when, 

Mary: 

Yeah. You had to hold the possibility of dread and horrible outcome and keep living your life. What role did doxy.me play in how you thought about the situation? 

Nick: 

You know, it’s, maybe it’s a dust company. It’s to first company in my year carrier, I here I’ve dropped it a lot on different companies and different top management and so on. But it’s the first company which really worried about employees and I had such great support from them so that it’s not, it’s amazing. It’s incredible. So before I, I don’t remember maybe two weeks before or three weeks before our management created some plans for, for different bad situation, emergency plan and describe some steps. What we will do want to be neat and rented the apartment in leaf. And like, and so it was that almost the plan, if something happens and there’s a company and people. So we understand that if, if ever something happens, we, we use that. We, we had support from the company and Brandon said a lot of times that guys don’t worry, we’ll support everyone. 

Nick: 

We will not a fire you because you cannot work or something else. Everything will be good. Just keep, keep your family safe and everything will be great 

Mary: 

I’m so glad that you have felt that security and support. So on February 24th, were you still in Kiev? 

Nick:

So we, my wife’s at legal, so we feel everything’s getting worse, worse, worse, and we decided to move to Czech   Prague for several weeks. Just, just make small, small, like vacation plus remote work, just visit, take some time and see what, what will be happens in our country. And our plan was moved to Prague, leave key 24 February. But yes, yes, it was our plan early morning. But so I was ready months before to leave. Give. So I feel like I hear said a lot of times to my family, we need some go. Just any, any country, maybe Mexico, maybe you rap, just, just go and work remotelyMarTech, some who go to school. And it’s a little bit difficult to take him from school process and philosophy. It’s easy because we are darker, but four walls And 23rd of February, my wife said, let’s move today. So he was planning 24, but we decided 23 because as there was information that Ukraine is, emergency and this regime to make some, some activities for people. And, and to me that our governments and going to make this on GM and we decided let’s move 23, let’s move to leave and Zen to Czech Republic next day. So 23rd of February at, I don’t remember maybe 6:00 PM. We started from queue and we arrived to leave at 3:00 AM at night, middle light. Yes. And before we go to hotel, before we check in, I decided, I don’t know why, but I decided I need to

Nick: 

In my car, it’s not enough guess. So I, I feel it a full tank of gas in my car, but it’s free. I am at night, so I won’t sleep, but I want to go to the station and Mike, I don’t know why, but I did this <inaudible> I go to sleep. And in two or three hours, my wife, big company and scribes, Couple of I just wake up and I decide to the border Just, just into some more. So we get our, so again, ever since I moved to car and run to, to the border. And so it’s, it’s all really fast. I decided to, to do this, I dunno, maybe in two minutes, just, just moved to some border. So I know that to be more far, far away from everything, my bike, it was our signalization. It’s like siren, it’s here. Yes. Sorry. And when we drive by vehicles are, was siren. And, but I don’t stop. I just press stop and move very fast from the rear. And so it’s a chicken pool and two visible free borders. It’s a nearest, it’s a Poland as a second one in Slovenia. And most far from LV, it’s hungry. And I, I don’t know why it’s, it’s some, some things which saved our life safe are, are from Edison because I decided to move to the Tuesday, Hungary months in Europe, checkpoints, but too far away, I don’t know why, but I wanted to go Hungary. 

Nick: 

And so was like, first Phoenix is really great because my car was full. I had full time cook, like a lot of gas to go to the border and more because when we moved from a lot of cars, go to the gas station and center will say a lot. B plan may be hundreds of mentors may be kilometers near your every guest station. So everyone go to the station to, but I kept them. And then we moved to, to the hungry chicken, one to, to go door, not so many people on this border contacted my colleagues who went to Poland. And almost everyone ran from, from Lviv. They moved to Poland to try to move the poem. And there was a lot of people by two acro cross border with Poland, but the move to More far, far away from Lviv. 

Nick: 

And is there a, not so many cars, not so many people. Lviv was in panic second place and original, just like if you drive it across CDs and no one worse thing is people will show, people’s go to <inaudible>. There is something crazy happens. We can be kind of fast, but we are driving and the different. And when we go to the border, the, and checks and the past our border, and to move to Hungary border and the sexist, when it passes every check checks. And after this, our governments opened, confirmed with military military regime in country. And, and due to this military regime, no man from 18 T 60, 60, not allowed to move the country. So I’m as a country. And in 10 minutes after this, my colleagues who goes to Poland, Golan wards, he arrived to Poland boards two hours before me, but he didn’t have enough time. So 10 minutes, he goes to the border and on customs, but I just stopped. It’s like, I don’t know. I it’s slide. I started and I move just like the kind of me started work, but I was a little bit everything. And they moved from the country. Just explain this. And it’s like miracle. 

Mary: 

It is a miracle. 

Nick: 

Yeah. 

Mary: 

Are you still in hungary? 

Nick: 

And maybe, I don’t know if English it’s used, but in sometimes we sat in, in Russel requirements, like on the edge of life and be safe. 

Nick: 

And so, sorry, it’s my salvation. No, I, I was, I arrived with Hungary. I spent a lot of times, well, a couple of days in Calgary just to go because I drive and it was a lot, it was unreal stars. My family, my G browser in the patrols, my parents in a small CT or impro patrols. So why leave everything I leave? My department is all things in my apartment. So all, all life lived in Ukraine and they, the law is this apartment it’s, is this or not? So I don’t know what Skype is, hours, hours. So, and then we moved to Portugal at the moment, time in Portugal. Yes. I wanted to go far away from Everest. So, and I was, so I understand that a lot of people will appeal, move to Poland, moved to Calgary or Romania and Czech Republic. So a lot of people will be in this RN because for Poland, it’s a really easy, it’s very teeny, a language barrier for a lot of people. And most of our Ukrainian refugee moves to Poland, Czech Republic, Romania Hungary it’s. And, but, so I understand that we can live in any places we have remote job and we can, we don’t have any problems with English and the, so we decided to move to Portugal and now try trying to start a new life here. 

Mary: 

So Nick, have you been able to work the last month Since, since you, since you left Ukraine, have you been able to work? 

Nick: 

When I arrived in Portugal and Duran fells department, I told Heath, he’s our chief CTO home. And he said to me, Nick, just solve all your things, all your problems. And then you can back to, to grow up. Don’t worry. If you need one week, two weeks, three weeks, don’t worry about this. But for me, it’s like back to work. It’s like a little bit change, focus on change. So for me, it’s like winter therapy back to content, back to some solving, some difficult issue, salaries solve, it’s like therapy and title all from, but news and back to coding. And it’s just my mind. And yeah, because it’s, it’s, it’s certainly, it’s certainly a crazy situation because when we, so when we read some articles, when we read some, watch some news from another country, for example, there was a conflict between our mania and, and they had some local conflict. We solve this like ours, it’s far away and it’s something happens. Yes. We feel that are bad. It’s bad, we support them, but it’s far away. But when, when you soul souls at places, which is this aria, where are you walking? Where are you drink coffee? Or you shopping center, where are you most Milan of times. And no average shops is, are every, and sold. These pictures totally destroyed. It’s really awful. Even, even to be far away from our scene. And it’s, it’s, it’s really awful. 

Mary: 

So Nick, I have an unusual question. The feeling you had to go get gas and then to go to the hungary border, those two kind of feelings you had about what to do. Has that happened to you on other occasions where you were, felt guided about what to do? 

Nick: 

Yeah. Sometimes. Sometimes I can feel him. It’s like maybe intuition, I don’t know. I had some plans, for example, I had some, some plans and I did some sinks to make these plans cabin, and I can feel him. No, it wouldn’t, it don’t do this. I do. And yes, it’s not up. And please plant destroyed in some crazy stuff. And like, I feel this. And sometimes I feel that thiscapital just, I dunno, it’s inside just like feeling. Yeah. It’s possible. And I did not a lot of bullies. I do very, very simple steps. Just don’t relax, you know, not worrying about everything and no problem. Yeah. It’s not often happens sometimes. Yes. 

Mary: 

I think it means you are in tune. There’s something still inside of you. So that you can receive that information. 

Nick: 

But it’d be really great if I can control this. And can we use this In some really, really rare situation and Incentivation, it’s, it’s early. It’s really, wasn’t great because it’s only safe. Everything’s safe because I don’t know donkeys. So it’s my colleagues who in leave and Z a, I R siren several times per day and they moved to, they need to hide somewhere for<inaudible>. It’s really crazy. Yeah. 

Mary: 

I think it’s the people with the families who are actually in safer situations because they left. 

Nick: 

Yeah. 

Mary: 

Yeah. Nick, is there anything you want to say before we end? 

Nick: Clip: 42:59-43:15

No. Maybe it’s like a, the finish. We need to listen our inside voice and it’s certainly, certainly can save, save life when you try to listen to this. 

Mary: 

Yes. To cultivate that stillness inside. I’m glad that you listened. 

Nick: 

Yeah. Yeah. We need to trust our inside voice. 

Mary: 

Yes. Well, I hope you find a comfortable, safe apartment and I’m glad you have a job. And I hope that your son finds a very interesting video game that he’s never found before.