“Some women and children walked this 25 km on foot. Each child had their backpack and a stuffed animal in hand”

The morning of February 24, 2022 was to be as usual… I woke up earlier than usual, made coffee and sat on the sofa. My little children were still sleeping. The phone rang but I didn’t read the message, not ready to let them into my new day. I opened the curtains, it was a gray morning and outside I saw, as usual, a man feeding the pigeons with breadcrumbs and a woman sweeping the streets. This day we planned to go and take blood tests on the children, then preschool, school and my job. Two days before, we had received a message from both the school and the preschool that the children must wear a visible badge with information about blood type and contacts for the parents. Even then I did not think about the war, although there were many rumors that it could start at any moment. Very often it was talked about those who visited Troskavets (it is a holiday town located 10 km from my hometown Drogobych). I didn’t believe it, or didn’t allow myself to believe it, even though for the last few months there was something heavy in the air. I think everyone felt it. Like something dark and black surrounded us. Only now have I understood that we instinctively, like dogs, felt that it was approaching. When it all started, I found out from social media and television. The children were still sleeping. I panicked and didn’t want to believe it was true because everything was as usual outside my window, the man was still feeding his pigeons and the woman was sweeping the street.
The silence was broken by low flying military planes, I didn’t know who they were. We ran out with the children, there were airplane alarms outside and I didn’t understand where the sound was coming from. My car was outside the house, in the yard there were strangers and cars from other regions of Ukraine. Our reality had changed. We decided to go to the country and my parents. There were huge queues at gas stations and in shops. We spent one night in the country, we were scared and I couldn’t sleep because I understood that if something happens we have nowhere to go. In the morning I decided to go to Sweden. My brother works there and my husband has also worked there before. My children have heard of this country before. I said we are going on holiday to their uncle.
The journey was very difficult, before the border to Poland we stood in a 25 km long queue for three days. The food, clean clothes and gas were about to run out. Thank God the local population offered us tea and hot food. We were friendly and united like never before. It is not easy when four children, me and my sister-in-law share an old car but then I felt no fear, cold, hunger or fatigue.
Some women and children walked this 25 km on foot. Each child had their backpack and a stuffed animal in hand; usually a rabbit, teddy bear or cat. Along the road were discarded suitcases that were probably too heavy to carry. Then you realize that other things are more important than what you thought before. What can you take with you from all that you have acquired in the past year? Only children. It was chaos on the border, lots of people. Women with children said goodbye to their husbands, they got behind the wheel and drove on, while the men returned to Ukraine.
We didn’t know where there was a safe place in Ukraine. If we had known, I would never have left the country. I have never lived abroad, never planned or imagined this. The children were stressed as was I as I was not ready for such events. The hardest thing is to be strong. During the day I tried to smile, communicate and play with the children. In the evenings after the children fell asleep, it was hard to stop the tears. A new morning, a new morning coffee but not at home. The children have woken up and I rush to them as they are my everything right now and I have to be strong.