Viola, Nikolaev

I learned about the war, like many people: I woke up around 5 a.m. from explosions. I called my father, he calmed me down but did not immediately believe that these were really explosions. And around 6 a.m. I logged into social networks and learned the terrible thing — the war began.

The first days passed in a blur. At first, I waited for my parents. How they got from Western Ukraine to Mykolaiv is a separate story. Regularly ran to hide in the cellar at any sounds. Barely ate. She drank very little. Then the parents arrived, and it became a little calmer. I feel that I will get PTSD after the war, and I already have mental health problems. I have nightmares about the war every night.

All of the relatives and relatives are still alive. Many have left.

What is impossible to get used to is explosions. Every time fear paralyzes. And one day there was a battle, and shells flew right over our roof. When our dog ran away, I looked out the window and saw how the Grads were launched towards the city. It’s all like a terrible dream that won’t end in any way. Which clearly divided my life into “before” and “after”.

Why not leave? And where will we go with two dogs (a German Shepherd and a husky) and two cats? We absolutely do not want to abandon animals.

There are also good things, I learned to enjoy the little things: birdsong in the morning when you can’t hear the artillery, delicious food, clean clothes, light, water, gas. I completely forgot to say that we spent more than a week without electricity and gas, and even now the light is regularly turned off.

We are living. And we will definitely survive.