#camporkila #orcasisland #summercamp #ymca #ymcacamp #war #ukraine
It has been 9 months since we live in constant fear to lose our lives through continuous shelling. I don’t know where to start. However, I will begin with a wonderful dream I just had. 12 years ago, a miracle happened to my life. I had a chance to travel to the other side of the globe and see one of the most beautiful places on Earth, it was Orcas island with its beautiful landscapes and views. It was my American dream just to see what is outside of my country, and how these Americans live. I worked in YMCA camp Orkila, we lived in a cabin with 20 international students, sharing our cultural differences and our life experience. We had people from different parts of Russia, Ukraine, England, Turkey, Australia, the Check Republic, and Romania. I do remember each of you guys and have a huge respect for the memories we have. We had love stories when people from 2 different countries eventually got married! And people who talk and support each other till nowadays. I just had a dream, about visiting the camp again after 12 years. I was able to try these exotic fruits once again and enjoy the view of the pink sunset above the Pacific Ocean. And it was like the war never was in my life. Back in that time, I dreamed of having my kids visit the camp. Despite my origin as a member of a working-class family back in the Ukrainian city of Luhansk where the average salary was hardly getting to 200 dollars a month.
I remember the articles about the war that Vanga predicted between Ukraine and Russia and remember how I was telling it to my friends, but never thought that time that it will strike me in the middle of the heart! Partly I can even tell that the conflict started in my own city! Some people from the streets captured the government building as well as the military bases. Back at that time lots of people were taken by huge propaganda spread by Russia that Ukraine was taken by Neo Nazis. And that people who took the guns are fighting for the right thing, being supervised and equipped with weapons by the Russian FSB ( CIA). That was the first time I had to leave my city because of war and start my life from scratch. It took long 5 years before I felt stable again, thanks to my American friends I was able to get a house in Russia and take my parents there. This separated families and friends and took lives of thousands of people. But luckily the active phase of the war lasted about 6-8 months and mostly the situation was stabilized but made my city as the 13th district in a famous movie Banlieue 13 about Parkour ( the discipline that took in my life a big role as well), and BTW, Luhansk is the 13th region in Ukraine as well. At the time, it was getting harder to live in Russia. The laws became crueler. I was taking some part in organizing events with drug racing and drifting in the city where I lived. We had many enthusiasts who loved and modified their cars for greater performance. But new laws were prohibiting any meetings even if you want to see a few of your friends and organize some event, like going off-road. We faced huge corruption at every point in our lives, It is a long story, but I was even taking the police department with a threat of deportation as we did not want to pay any money to become Russian citizens.
I chose to leave Russia and started my life from scratch in Ukraine. I moved to Kyiv with about 300 dollars in my pocket and started to give English lessons to people in Kyiv. I think I am a good teacher, despite the fact how badly I speak English. When I finally made enough for a living, coronavirus took 90 percent of my students. People were losing jobs as I did… I started to work at @Nextiva, American Voip Company, first as a customer support. Now as a fast-track manager. I was giving most of my salary to my parents, and eventually got a house for them back in Luhansk again, so they can start their life in the best city for them. And get over the war and suffering that my family had to go through.
And guess what? Being here, finally having my own family, our apartment, and stable life, the Russian world came to deliberate me from the life I had. Just a week ago another rocket hit the block of a Building in my district. We had no light, no heating, and no connection to the outside world. We live in constant fear of losing our lives and losing my job. Prices are tripled from the time when the war have started. 80 percent of Ukrainians lost their jobs and life they had before. I don’t when the next rocket will hit our district again when I will not be able to continue work. Russia have fired the conflict that was frozen and now despite of the fact that they all regret that they started it, every next step is just making it worse. They started to destroy civil infrastructure because they think Ukrainian people would protest and ask for peace and it just spreads anger and understanding of what the Russian government is doing to Ukrainians now.
Who stands behind the scenes: It’s we are! People who spread haltered to each other. The only way to stop this war is to negotiate, forgive and move forward. Every rocket strike provokes more hate. Every Russian Telegram war channel spreads hate against Ukrainians, every Ukrainian channel teaches us to hate Russians. We live in constant stress, and people in Ukraine cope with this being sober. Antistress pills are not popular in our country and I am happy about it as I believe it make people healthier. But every night I think about each person who had to die because of this war. It is the whole world in each Soul, each mind had dreams, and each could be a creator, musician or the whole world to other people.
The first thing that I saw after having the dream was the page of camp Orkila!
I am not happy about our government's decisions as well. Between killing someone I would prefer being dead, as I was born not to kill. I will not take part in what is happing now. But our government made our men slaves here. It is not possible to leave the country unless you are the sun of any politician, person with money, or deputy. The war might last for years, and having no light might become impossible to work and provide for the family. But we will cope! I wish piece in Every Ukrainian and Russian heart. The war has to be stopped not by nuclear strikes, but by negotiations and understanding that, nothing is more precious than one person’s life! Stop this war!
I am thankful for every encounter in my life and hope I will be able to visit every person who invited me over, I hope I will see you Lorra Moyer, Leanne Powell, Manny Dume, Lolo Exploit, and other people who invited me to the USA and other countries. I don't know how I can leave the country and if we will survive till that moment, but our planet is full of Brilliant people all over the world and we will win!
I want to dream again, I want to travel, and I want to learn and teach!. Will see you after the next blackout...
