(essay)

For the fifth year now, our lives have been turned upside down. A complete change in our daily routine and familiar things up to this point. Why the fifth year? Let’s remember how it all started in 2020 when, on March 11, the entire world was struck by a terrible coronavirus epidemic. And that was the first word in the new paragraph of our lives.

And then came the day when we received the message that everyone was switching to remote work — the worldwide quarantine began. Going outside only with a mask, only those with identification were allowed on public transport, only a limited number of people were allowed in stores, and the streets were empty, like a desert. And then people immersed themselves in the world of IT technologies, with a multitude of programs created for remote work and education.

A year passed, and everyone got used to masks, social distancing in queues, and hand sanitizers. And then the vaccine was introduced, with the need for further vaccinations! There was no escape; vaccination points opened at every corner, everyone discussed facts about the disease, while others feared injections.

We survived, it seemed like it had calmed down, borders to other countries reopened, masks became easier to wear, but we had gotten used to them. We began making new plans, slowly implementing them, and the New Year approached, the Year of the Water Tiger. Oh, it was just announced that it was perfect for life updates, but no one expected such changes after the New Year’s bells.

Well, the new year 2022 arrived, and the holidays and vacations began. Some went to Bukovel, some to Egypt, and some to the village to visit relatives. January passed pleasantly, and February arrived. We awaited Valentine’s Day; everyone exchanged valentines, chocolates, and gifts, and love and dreams filled the atmosphere! But happiness and joy did not last long…

A quiet winter night, the alarm set for 7 a.m., everyone is sound asleep. Suddenly, explosions ring out, all of Ukraine wakes up, jolted by loud gunfire, rockets, helicopters flying overhead, and sirens wailing. On February 24 at 5:30 a.m., the President of Ukraine declares that the war has begun, Russia has invaded our land. Life comes to a halt. You don’t know where to run, what to do, what to take. You put on the first socks you find, some pants, a sweater, and a coat. You dress the children, grab the dog by the leash, and run outside. Where to flee? What to do? You run to the metro, an underground station, or a shed. A bomb shelter! Have you heard where it is, do you know? You try to come to your senses, go to social media, read news feeds and just can’t believe your eyes. We are facing what they call a “special operation.” And you sit on the cold floor in the basement of a building, unable to imagine what will happen next. Where to go, flee, or just how to survive…

TV channels unite into one common news marathon that runs 24/7. Morning comes, and they start publishing footage of tanks entering courtyards, people being shot in the streets. People rush to ATMs, withdraw all their savings, run to stores, and buy everything they see. Everyone hiding wants food, because no one thought about it while gathering their things at night. Outside, there are explosions, and you can’t get to a store or an apartment. Those who can, start leaving cities or the country by car. For some, it’s quiet, but the emotional burden makes it even worse. Volunteers begin working actively; you send your last funds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for green corridors, and help for temporarily displaced persons. You try to help in any way you can, but what you most want at that moment is to let the whole world know that we are being annihilated! This is a real bloody, cruel, and unjust war!

Spring flies by. We barely notice the first snowdrops, how the snow melts, how the sun begins to shine warmly, and how birds return to Ukraine, despite everything. Every day brings only sirens, news, new large-scale tragedies, genocide, and tears. But we stand, support the army, the economy, and those who can still think positively and keep a cool head. Every day we pray and ask for this horror to end soon, that all those who have sacrificed their lives for us, for Ukraine, find peace, and that all who have lost find healing. Summer will pass just as quickly and unnoticed, with hope for the end of this chaos, that the entire rotten nation will cease to exist and that the Russians will get what they deserve, because life is a boomerang, and everything comes back!

We will rebuild our country; we will show the world that everything is possible, that independence and freedom are essential to our nation, as they have always been and always will be with us! Let us not grieve, but rather do everything to be useful to the state and our descendants! We believe in Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes!