Polina, Kharkiv

Now we are still in Kharkiv, so far in a fairly quiet area. Even sometimes we go out for a bike ride, but we know that absolutely everything is not so quiet nearby, and this causes some cognitive dissonance.

I was sitting on the embankment, under the spring sun, birds were singing and people were walking. For a second it seemed that peace had already come, suddenly I wanted so badly that it was true, this is the truth! But no, we heard explosions in the distance… I found out that a friend with whom I studied was blown up by a mine in Lisichansk, her legs were torn off. She has two children. When it’s a person you know, your head goes round, the ground goes out from under your feet.
It’s like you’re that person right now. And my family was in a neighboring town and refused to leave. Thank God they are in Germany now.

I close my eyes and imagine the ball that our mayor promised us for the first time The day of Our Victory. It’s possible without the ball, but we’ll all go outside and hug. I know that for sure!