It was hard to realise that the war had begun. At first, I didn't even believe it. Together with Mom and my Stepfather, we immediately went to the underground parking lot, where all the locals gathered. Those days were scary and strange; I felt uncertain and didn't understand what was happening up there.
Everything became the same, days and nights mixed up,
and we constantly heard the explosions and reacted to every little sound.
I kept in touch with my Dad and feared what might happen to him. On February 25, we called each other every half an hour, but the connection with him got lost at some point. Later, we learned that together with Grandma, he tried to leave for Kyiv, but on their way there, they saw a tank with Russians inside and drove off into the forest. They were shot right in their car. They were found only a month later.
One day, a chance arose for us to get out of the city. Despite the fear and risk, we quickly packed our belongings and left for the west of Ukraine. During our entire trip, I tried not to look out the window, and when I finally dared to, I saw a Russian being shot for stealing a car. I didn't look up ever again until we got close to Ivano-Frankivsk. Then, I leaned against the window – it was dark, we were driving through the forest, and every car we encountered seemed to be an enemy. And only in the city did I finally feel relieved, although we could hear the air raid sirens there too.
The next day, Mom decided to take me abroad. The volunteers gave us a bag with humanitarian aid and a beanie. I was 12 years old at the time, and that beanie, red with a pom-pom, looked childish and funny. But while we were walking for two hours, it warmed me up. We constantly joked and laughed at my appearance, which helped us distract ourselves. That thing became an important artifact for us.
We spent three months abroad and then came back to organise three funerals: Dad's, Grandpa's, and Grandma's.
Besides, in my heart, I longed for home.
While we were sitting in the basement, I wrote down my thoughts so that I would feel better and those events wouldn't be forgotten. I don't remember that period well, but on paper, it will stay forever. All of us changed during that time, we became stronger, adapted to the military environment, and began to value life much more.
I do not doubt that the victory will be ours. And in the meantime, we have returned to our everyday life despite the war. I’m thankful to our military for the opportunity to continue living peacefully. Many things will change when the war is over, but my gratitude will always stay the same.
