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AS of 2024, an estimated 6.5million refugees have left war-torn Ukraine after Vladimir Putin’s Russia brutally invaded their homes in 2022.

Amongst them is Iryna Horiienko, who was just 23 when she fled her hometown of Kharkiv, northeast of Ukraine, to start a new chapter in the UK.

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Iryna, whose parents have stayed behind due to a number of reasons, arrived here with nothing apart from her passport and a pillow to sleep on.

But it wasn’t just a whole new language she had to learn – Iryna, now 25, also had to adapt to the major culture shock she experienced.

Back home, in Ukraine, Iryna said, the mentality is different and you would rarely start a conversation with a stranger, such as the cashier by the tills or the bus driver.

The young woman, who now works in the advertisement business, has since also started a TikTok account, @irisssskai.

There, she shares her adventures on the UK soil – and the things which may be normal for the Brits but totally baffling for her.

”They are smiling?!”

”I’d never seen people like this. They are smiling? Why are they smiling?” she said about her first few interactions amongst British people.

”They are saying ‘Good morning’ to me? They are saying ‘Hello’ to me?

”What? Why?” Iryna couldn’t believe total strangers would acknowledge her presence randomly on the street or in the shops.

In a stark contrast to her experience growing up in Eastern Europe, Iryna found it ”strange” at first, as not every Ukrainian would chat to someone they don’t know.

The young social media content creator, who now lives with a Ukrainian friend here, also learnt the hard way that when people ask how you are they don’t expect a full life story.

”People are used to ‘How are you?’ and ‘I’m okay’.”

Thanking the driver

Another major shock, which Iryna has spoken about in a video posted on her platform, was also learning the road etiquette.

”Like, when you show a hand to the driver crossing the road – we don’t do that in Ukraine.

”It was very unusual for me at first in the UK,” she said.

Obsession with fast food

Growing up in a nation that consumes a lot of potatoes and other veggies, seeing how much Brits love a cheeky takeaway and junk food was something Iryna had to get used to.

For instance, when she first tried fish and chips – one of the nation’s all-time favourites – Iryna thought of it as ”very oily”.

Now, however, she’s managed to find a spot that does it just right and has grown to love the dish.

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The fresh fruit and vegetables here, she added, also ”don’t taste the same”; a difference she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

”But I like in the UK Scotch eggs, cauliflower cheese – I love it!” the foodie said, with the black pudding also amongst her new favourites.

Pub culture shock

Although the alcohol consumption rates remain high in Ukraine, nothing could’ve prepared Iryna to see how much Brits like to drink.

”It shocked me! I didn’t expect to see that people would drink at the pub so often,” said the 25-year-old, who added it was ”not” for her.

Part of it, she explained, is because her grandad used to be a heavy alcoholic and would often lash his anger out towards her as a child and the rest of the family, which has left a lasting scarring effect.

”I can’t judge these people, it’s their decision – and I think it’s cool that you have a special culture to go to the pub.

”I know it’s socialising and what not – it’s just my negative experience with alcohol.”

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Holiday chaos

As Brits, we love a sunny Bank Holiday weekend – but when she first moved to the UK, Iryna had absolutely no clue what they were.

Neither had she heard of Boxing Day around the festive period.

It’s not just different dates – the traditions also vary, with the Ukrainian cuisine offering a whopping 12 dishes as a Christmas feast, and for Easter, there’s even a special egg fight.

Here, she revealed, people are tapping their hard-boiled and dyed eggs against the eggs of others, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.

‘It’s complicated – but I love it here’

After moving to the UK, Iryna is grateful to not have to live in a constant state of fear because of the ongoing war.

When the war first started, Iryna recalled, you’d be standing in front of a shop four hours before the opening time to be able to get your hands on the essentials.

”Shelves were empty – no water, no food.”

Whilst the response to her videos has been mixed, Iryna appreciated ”every comment”, whether it’s good or bad.

”All my life, I’ve been working hard and when people say I’m on benefits – that hurts.”

But although Iryna is unsure about what the future has in store for her and whether she’d remain living in the UK, she thanked the public for welcoming her with open arms.

”When I moved to the UK, for the first time in my life I started to feel happy. I started to see that people were happy to see me, they smile at me, they want to help.

”It was a shock because I’m not their relative, I’m not from their culture – I’m just a stranger.

”I’m really grateful, I appreciate everything that the UK people have done, how they welcome Ukrainians.”