Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. April 23-30, 2023.

April 23-30, 2023. Days 424-431 of war.
My parents moved from one apartment to another during this week (endless moving is an inevitable part of living as refugees). It was very stressful for them but we tried to hold on to important things: talking about upcoming family birthdays, family history, and many Ukrainian words that we brought to each other to share and discuss how to use them in sentences. There will be news about new cats in this neighborhood and new routes for walking but for now - they are resting. We spoke about russian aggressors bombing apartment buildings in Uman and Dnipro. About artillery attacks on the Kharkiv region. And about what victory might look like for Ukraine. 

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. April 18-22, 2023.

April 18-22, 2023. Days 419-423 of war.
This week we spoke about many Ukrainian words. My practice now is to write down all the expressions and words that I am not sure about and (before looking them up) - discuss them with my parents. So far this is an exciting process as they laugh a lot at my mistakes but also talk a lot about where I might find that or this expression. And they mime many words to help me guess what they mean :) We spoke about their experience learning languages and how different teachers at different times had different approaches to the process. 

The weather is changing a lot and sometimes it affects their mood and health quite a bit. But of course, news from Ukraine, the war, and the status of all the family members and friends are ever present in our conversations. Kharkiv got bombed again. Artillery shelling of the suburbs continues. Tulips are coming out of the ground - and the city is planning to plant lots more in May. Chestnut trees (not far from my parent's home) are beginning to think about blooming. War or not war - the spring is in Ukraine. Mom says: we need to work to improve: the state of our physical bodies, our language, our mental state - and our souls of course. 

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. April 10-16, 2023.

April 10-16, 2023. Days 411-417 of war.
This week was filled with various important occasions in Eastern Orthodox Church - none of which we follow but some of my grand and grand-grandparents were following in their time. This started a whole chain of memories - how great-grandma would take my Mom for a walk to "look at the lights" but had to make sure not to go to church as it would create some serious problems for the careers of Mom's parents. The kinds of "Paski" (Easter bread) she was making. Colorful eggs, painted eggs. How my father's family avoided all mentioning of religion completely and how he suddenly became quiet when I asked if he remembers anything. 

We spoke about spring arriving in Kharkiv and how people are sending each other photos of flowers and the first green shoots. Many places that people usually go to during these first warm weeks (and on Easter Sunday in particular) are off-bounds. For example, many cemeteries and parks on the outskirts are still not clear from the results of bombings (many cassette bombs don't detonate until someone walks by) and mines that were left by the russian army.

This week our Ukrainian language conversations were based on me asking a bunch of questions about words that I found in literature and wanted to get a better understanding of small differences in meanings. My parents went for their walks and watched some interesting lectures that brought us conversations about viruses, time, and chronobiology.

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. April 3-9, 2023.

April 3-9, 2023. Days 403-410 of war.
This week my parents were determined to do at least one walk a day despite some crazy weather and managed to do so every day. Mom tried making a ponytail and I tried to sketch her to show it. We talked about how we name colors thinking that we all mean the same thing but in truth, we all have our own set of names for colors. I reported about our spring and some interesting outings - an art show, a nature museum, and the animals we visited. They gave me more new Ukrainian words to ponder. We talked about friends who are returning to Ukraine and the obstacles that they are facing. 

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. March 27 - April 2, 2023.

March 27 - April 2, 2023. Days 397-402 of war.
This week we marked 400 days since the beginning of the war. I know that my parents keep track of days - since the beginning of the war and since the day they left their home. But we didn't talk about those numbers much - instead, we went over all our family members and friends this week. Making sure that we exchanged news from all sides and are up to date on all of them. So so many people are not home. It is hard to grasp after 400 days yet it is a reality for so many. 

Last week Mom was trying to identify some interesting shoots that came out in their neighborhood and this week the mystery was solved - it was Plantago! Dad proudly reported that lizards are out this week and are very active, and hard to photograph :) Dad is using his stylus more - it looks like a toy in his large hand but he says it is useful. We were able to troubleshoot some software and hardware questions. 

My parents made very tasty borscht and prepared a whole bunch of Ukrainian adverbs for me to learn this week.