Far from Ordinary: Odee the Warrior

WAYLAND — On Feb. 24, the world collectively held their breath as Russia invaded Ukraine.

That same morning over 5,000 miles away in Wayland, Iowa, Ukrainian foreign exchange student Oleg Shtefanchuk, more commonly known as Odee, woke up early to lift weights at WACO High School.

“I checked my phone as I woke up and every post on social media was about this stuff,” Odee said. “I just kept reading it and reading it. There was just more and more.”

Odee is a 17-year-old Junior at WACO who loves basketball, rap, peanut butter, and borscht.

His favorite teacher is currently Jen Shepherd, who teaches American government.

His host parent Steve Kaufman takes him fishing and he plays catch outside with his host brother Chance.

Odee is not ordinary.

His home is in Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

The memory of Russia invading and taking over the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 lives in his head.

“People began protesting because they wanted to be part of the European Union, but our president was friends with Russia and wanted to be in the Russian Union,” Odee said. “I was about nine. It is the moment you start becoming aware of yourself.”

Between 2014 and the latest invasion nearly, 10,000 were killed.

Odee, however, says that he grew up feeling safe.

He lived with his mom, dad, and sister, went to school, played basketball, and hung out with his friends like anyone other teenager.

A typical day included school from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. followed by a toasted ham and cheese sandwich for an after school snack.

He would take a bus to the basketball gym and practice until about 7 p.m., come home, take a shower, eat, do homework, and go to bed.

Life was normal.

“My family went on vacations a lot to see different countries in Europe,” Odee said. “That was a lot of fun.”

Albania was one of his favorite vacation spots.

“We would go in the summers,” Odee said. “It was warm, the sea was beautiful, their mountains are like in California. Rocks, but not quite as orange a bit more yellow. It was just beautiful there.”

Odee’s hometown has not suffered bomb strikes, at this point, but the dangerous atmosphere has caused his twenty year old sister’s law studies to move online and kept his dad from returning home.

Men ages 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country unless they qualify for strict exemptions.

Odee’s dad began a new job as an engineer in Italy only a few weeks before Russia’s attack and would not be allowed back out of Ukraine if he returned.

“Once you’re there, you’re not allowed to leave right now,” Odee said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges heroism for Ukraine from the male citizens who are required to stay in the country.

“By attacking, you will see our faces, not our backs, but our faces,” Zelenskiy said on Feb. 23.

Odee’s father does not have an exemption to cross the border freely, and Odee is nearly 18 without an exemption for himself.

For Odee and his father, home no longer means safety.

Instead, it holds a possibility of being drafted into the Ukrainian army.

Odee, however, lives in limbo.

His exchange program is coming to an end, but without home being a safe option Odee hopes to remain here for the next school year.

Jason Egli of Wayland walks along side Odee as he sorts out his next steps.

The first of those steps is to apply for the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) supplied through the American government for Ukrainian refugees.

“In other words, having TPS status ‘stops the clock’ on the requirement to file for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States, if the one-year clock has not already expired,” the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website says.

He misses his family, whom he speaks with two to three times a week, but is grateful for his host family.

For now, Odee is safe in America.

His dad is safe in Italy.

His mom and sister are safe in Western Ukraine.

For now.

“It’s weird,” Odee said. “You don’t know what to do. You have nothing to do. You can’t help. You just try to stay strong.”

Despite having to distance himself from the media coverage of Ukraine, Odee does not want the rest of the world to turn away.

He wants the world to see the unfair treatment of Ukraine and the large amount of need in the country.

“I just want everyone to be aware of what is happening,” Odee said. “Know who is wrong in this war.”

While he does not know what the future holds, Odee remains optimistic.

“I definitely, absolutely think people are still mostly good,” he said.

He encourages others to get involved by spreading love and donating to Ukrainian needs.

The WACO community already has the ball rolling.

Saturday, May 7, Lisa Graber helped organize a dinner fundraiser at WACO High School.

Graber and Odee bonded over a shared love of Ukrainian food.

She thought sharing a little bit of Chernivtsi with Wayland was the perfect way to show Odee support.

They served authentic Ukrainian food including Odee’s favorite Borscht with an eagerly supportive and loving community.

“We had really great support,” Graber said. “We served over 200 people. The community seemed to enjoy the time together.”

So far the WACO Foundation has raised $9,000 which will be used to fund Odee’s additional year stay, and his family will then donate the remaining funds to Ukrainians in need.

Donations can be made by check sent to the WACO Foundation at 706 North Pearl Street, Wayland, Iowa 52654 with a notation, “Odee Fundraiser,” or via Venmo @wacofoundation

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com