From: Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (920th day) —It’s hard to believe today was the last day of the summer! Summer has flown so VERY fast. This is our third summer of big war. In our life before the pandemic and war, summer was a time for travel, for adventure, for vacation. The pandemic summer of 2020 was frustrating, but we still traveled to one of the few places that were open to tourists – it was Montenegro for us in 2020 – not a country from our wish list, but it ended up being really lovely, especially since there were only 7% of tourists from the usual amount! We thought complying with all the travel complications in the pandemic days of 2020 and 2021 was hard.
But war corrected our perceptions of what is hard. Dreams of vacations were replaced by dreams of Victory and of the enemy army destroyed and our land liberated. The idea of summer rest has been modified, too. It’s not about exotic destinations or new experiences/activities; it’s about having your family close and knowing they are safe. It’s watching kids play and laugh, being grateful that there is no air raid at the moment, no explosions and no thunderstorm that now are making kids run for parents in panic. It’s an extra hour(s) with electricity and hot water, being able to cook, take a shower, wash dishes, and do laundry – those are not chores anymore; they are adventures when you have most of your day in a blackout. It’s waking up in the morning grateful for another day of life after an especially loud night filled with air raids and explosions. It feels like we are living every day on the edge – because we do.
We are still grateful, hopeful, and optimistic. Yes, the winter is coming, but so is Victory!
Voice of Ukraine 