From Ukraine to the Hotel Albris

The Arvensaal of the Hotel Albris has become quiet. Breakfast time is over and the waitstaff are preparing the tables for dinner. Mykhailo Stetsenko is also helping out. The 35-year-old carries eight wine glasses in his right hand and places them with his left on the table setting, neatly above the knife, where they belong. Mykhailo, who comes from Ukraine, has a strong build and an attentive gaze. He has worked at the Hotel Albris for four seasons. Until now, he was part of the kitchen team, washing dishes and pans, helping to prepare vegetables, and taking care of stock.

He describes himself as a "multi-worker" who can perform a wide variety of tasks and enjoys learning new things. Accordingly, he has had many jobs in his life. He toiled as a sailor on cargo ships, sailing from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and as far as the Red Sea. He has also worked in sales, administration, and construction. Most recently, he worked as a croupier in casinos in Ukraine.

Bombs and drones
«You can tell he’s versatile,» says Stephanie Kochendörfer. «He learns quickly and has a good feel for dealing with guests. He also speaks English and some German. That’s why we decided to put Mykhailo in service for hotel guests starting this winter.» He’s looking forward to the new challenge. He already had some practice in the summer, and he enjoyed it: «I like interacting with guests, and as a waiter, I’m always nicely dressed, just like when I was a croupier.»

However, his time in the casinos wasn't entirely fond, and Mykhailo begins to tell his story: "When the war started, I was working in Kharkiv, near the Russian border. Every night I heard and saw the bombs falling. It was terrible. So I went back to Odessa, my hometown in the southwest of the country. But there, too, bombs exploded, drone attacks were commonplace, because Odessa is a strategically important port city."«

Difficult job search
Mykhailo decided to leave his country, not only because of the bombings, but also because of the recruiting troops looking for young, strong men like him. . «But I didn’t want to go to war and die.» . Together with his grandmother, mother, and brother, he fled across the nearby border to Moldova. . His family moved on to Germany, but Mykhailo wanted to go to Switzerland, as his girlfriend at the time, also Ukrainian, was already in St. Moritz. . His journey took him to the Zurich area, where he was moved from one refugee center to the next. . Mykhailo traveled alone and had to find new companions in each place. . He recounts that a fire even broke out in one of these accommodations, a bomb shelter. . In Langnau am Albis, he was finally able to register and received a temporary residence permit (permit S for those in need of protection). .

With this ID card, he is allowed to work, but finding a job was difficult. He applied unsuccessfully around Zurich and also searched job postings in the Engadine, as he wanted to be near his girlfriend. That's when Mykhailo came across an advertisement for the Hotel Albris. A kitchen employee had called in sick in the middle of the winter season. Mykhailo wrote an email and shortly afterwards received a call from Stephanie Kochendörfer.

CrossFit for balance
He likes it at the Hotel Albris. "The atmosphere is friendly and positive. I have a nice room and a good salary. I can be grateful." He also likes the mountains and the beautiful nature. He only sometimes misses having his own kitchen to cook Ukrainian specialties like borscht (soup with beetroot and white cabbage) or varenyky (a kind of ravioli with a meat filling). "The food at the Hotel Albris is also very delicious, of course," he smiles. "I can eat here every day, even on my days off."«

In his free time, Mykhailo does a lot of CrossFit; he needs it as a way to unwind. He also enjoys winter sports. He's already tried everything: skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing. "But it takes a lot of time to learn," he says. The young Ukrainian can therefore well imagine staying in Pontresina even longer. "It would be nice to serve the à la carte guests in the restaurant in the future, but for that I probably need to improve my German." His future depends not least on developments in his homeland. He can only hope that the war will soon be over.