My dear brother Jan,

First of all, I’m sorry for not responding earlier. Really. A lot of stresses, personal and from this world. How are you, how is your health and how is your life in Amsterdam? I do believe you are all right. Thank you so much for your foto. You look great! I always think about you and our friendship in different historical stages.

In April I had to go to Ukraine. My passport was about to expire and I needed to get a new one. I thought it would take a little time, but it turned out to be longer. We moved to Lviv in the western part of Ukraine to apply for the passport formalities. We had to wait for a long time. Of course, my partner Olga and I got on a train and went to Kyiv. Sister Victoria was left in Lviv for security reasons.

My son Bohdan works in Kyiv, I didn’t see him since the beginning of the war. I was very happy to meet him and I was glad that he was alive. He, of course, was glad too. I saw my son in front of me, grown up, I saw how many years he had grown older because of stress. Not only he had changed, Kyiv had changed. People have changed from the constant alarm sirens and rocket attacks. From the first night, I automatically learned to sleep dressed with a backpack containing documents, water and food, warm clothes, to sleep and wait at night, urgently go to the basement of the house when alarm siren sounds, warning approaching missiles above the city. After a couple of days, you start to get used to the fact that it is impossible to sleep at night.

In Kyiv I was most impressed by the faces of the soldiers on the street near the hospitals. It is impossible to forget their faces, especially to forget their eyes. Eyes that saw the horrors of war and the danger of dying at any moment. It is hard to convey this feeling to you. If you were in Kyiv, I am sure you would have written interesting stories.

Now we are back in Poland. My son Bogdan requested us to move out and leave Kyiv. Nobody knows for how long I shall be here in Poland. How is my life in Poland? Every next day is unknown. This war has destroyed all of my plans. But it’s good that there are no missiles and sirens here. My family needs to survive somehow. We don’t know what will happen in a month, in a day. We don’t know what will happen to Ukraine and our life in Kyiv.

Crazy war has changed this world. Please take care I hope we will be in contact more often. Thank you, Brother Jan, for our friendship and care.

Big hug
Ihor