August 23 is a city day in Kharkiv, a city in Ukraine where my family is from. It's like a birthday for a city. The date is linked to Kharkiv's liberation from German occupation during World War II. As far as I remember the city celebrated this day in one way or another - fireworks, new flowers all over the city, fountains, and new sculptures. This was the date to which many construction and overall city beautification projects were tied - there is a phrase that I heard many times: "This will be finished on the 23rd".
I've been thinking about Kharkiv as it is today, about my family and friends from Kharkiv, those who still reside in it. There are so many things to tell about the spirit of the city, and how it helped it to survive so far. About people. On this day I pulled some photos from my visits over the last few years - photos that immediately say "Kharkiv" to me. And drew an old notebook that belonged to my grandfather - commemorative to Kharkiv - made in 1960. It is made of plastic and one is supposed to use pencils and then erase the pages and use them again. There are several layers of family notes and drawings in it - almost invisible yet present - it was such a tender thing to see on that day.
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