Hello!

This is not Rowena. Rowena has very kindly allowed me to use this platform to try to reach as many people as possible.

Let me start over.

Hello, friends. My name is Anna. I am a friend of Rowena’s from university. Right now, I live in Scotland, but I am originally from Kharkiv. You may have heard of it on the news lately. If not, I shall briefly explain: on the 24^th of February 2022, my home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Since then, my grandparents have been living under constant, relentless shelling. One of them has already had enough and left. The three others remain. I am in touch with them every day and I try to make each phonecall count because I do not know when it will be the last.

These last two weeks have been a particular brand of agony I do not wish upon anybody. Places I once walked among now only exist untarnished in my memory, while what remains are ruins, hollowed out by missile strikes and fires. I have had to be a rock for my mother. I have felt rage and despair the likes of which had never lived in my heart before.

At the same time, I swell with pride for my homeland. The way my country has come together to fight, how our foolish president has blossomed into a true leader, the world’s overwhelming support and response; all these things bring me joy in these dark times. The only thing I have not yet allowed myself to feel is hope. The situation is far too tenuous.

Continue reading “Guest Post: Life imitates fiction: the war in Ukraine between good and evil – Anna” →