It is coming up on 1 year since we woke up with the building shaking and the sounds of bomb blasts in Kyiv. We were in shock for a long time and now it just seems like some alternate reality. This evil war sometimes feels like it will never end and then there are days where we are filled with optimism and spirit. We believe Ukraine will win this war and that we will return to our home there, but we have no clue when that might be, and that is an unsettling feeling.

On a selfish and material level I sometimes think of all my stuff in our apartment in Kyiv. I am a collector and a hoarder. And everything I cherish that I have collected over my life is in Kyiv. None of this stuff has any real monetary value, but to me it means a lot. Funny and quirky stuff, a lot of nostalgic wonders, magic tricks, pranks, DVDs, LaserDiscs and VHS tapes, books, cool gadgets, and a lot lot more. I was hoping the Bunster will sit down one day and explore some of these things. I hope he will love the art of magic – he certainly could dive into a cool collection of fascinating illusions and storytelling wonder. I hope we still get that opportunity one day. Interestingly, David Copperfield is of Ukrainian origin.

Yes, I do believe we will return to The Nest in Kyiv. But what happens if WW III breaks out across Europe? What if we cannot return. Do we start again? Is that what a reset is all about? It is a thought we sometimes have. Was there any point to all that sentimental collecting? The war has shaken everyone up inside and outside of Ukraine. And it has challenged what we believe was important. Family and health are fundamental, and making a difference is what we think about everyday. Purpose.

The news online is predicting that as the 24th of this month approaches that the evil Russians are going to attack Ukraine like never before. The West said Ukraine would not survive the first week. They were wrong. And then it was said that Ukraine would not survive the winter as the evil Russians pound the electrical infrastructure. And Ukraine is still standing strong. February 24th will be behind us soon and I am confident Ukraine will still be there. And comes May, we will be there too. I can’t wait.

“I love the fact that Ukraine getting weapons that repel, localize, and derail hostile offensive actions in its territory is always an ESCALATION!!!!, and at the same time Russia’s overt campaign to bomb Ukraine into the stone age in the middle of winter is totally fine” – Illia Ponomarenko

This word “limbo” is a cool sounding word. I mean, it just rolls off the tongue and it has a fun feel about it. But it is not a nice place to be in.

This is the definition I found on Google : an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.

We have been in limbo for almost a year now. All we want to do is return to our home in Kyiv. We believe we will later this year. Ukraine will win this war and the vast majority of people who left will return home. I am confident that this is the case. Things do sound and look intense when you watch the news on TV, but when I chat with friends in Kyiv they are spirited and determined. Life is different and there is a lot of anxiety, but life goes on.

I communicate with friends and colleagues in and outside of Ukraine on a daily basis. Every week we share thoughts and stories with people in Kyiv and with those folk who moved abroad. One interesting observation is that the people I chat with in Kyiv always seem to sound a lot calmer than those who left Ukraine. I am still trying to understand why this is. I have not been to the movies in a long time, and yet in Kyiv, I have friends going to the cinema. Sometimes they have to leave the movie in the middle to get to a bomb shelter, but when the air raid siren is over, they head back to the cinema.

We are leaving SA end of April and heading to Wroclaw in Poland. There is a big Ukrainian community there and from Wroclaw we can go to Kyiv on the train. It is a long journey on the train and not something one wants to do too often. I did it last year from Krakow and it is intense, but it works well and has become the new norm for getting in and out of magical Kyiv. We will be renting a flat in Wroclaw and waiting there until we can return properly to Kyiv. Our main priority is the Bunster. We don’t want to have the little man exposed to air raid sirens and bomb shelters, so the limbo will take on a new chapter, but we have to try and be responsible here.

Wroclaw is the prettiest city in Poland and if you check out the travel videos on YouTube it looks fantastic. At least we will have a change and there will be some new adventure as we settle in. We believe we will be back at home in Kyiv by the autumn. And if this war does not end this year, then we will have to think what to do, and where to go. Not easy on the soul this, but at least we are all ok. We should not complain. There are men and women fighting everyday, risking their lives, so that people can live peacefully again in Kyiv, and all around Ukraine. God bless these brave souls.