Kateryna, Odesa region 17.05.22 (author’s English translation)

Memoirs on the 24th of February, and a bit of my life.
[...] Ekateryna, 21 years old, [...], student in [...] university.
Just two days ago the street was filled with people. Now it is empty and everything is closed…
Hi, we are a family from [...]: my mom Nadiya, a history teacher; her son Matviy, a 1st grader; and me–her daughter Kateryna. We have an old dog named Knopa.
On the 24th of February, 2022, we, like everyone else, were getting ready to study and go to work because the COVID-19 quarantine was finally over. Around 5 a.m., our lives were radically changed. After the bombing (we live in the city center), my mom and I jumped out of our beds and started frantically checking social media on our phones–it is so good we have these tools now. My little brother was still asleep.
When we finally understood that all the threats and talk about an attack had become real, everyone went to make coffee and call my maternal grandmother and grandfather.
My mom got a message from the school administration about the work protocol and she spoke to other colleagues of hers. After she came back to reality, she rushed to the school to pick up my brother’s backpack, because she had to get back to online teaching again. Thanks to quarantine we have such habits.
I didn’t have classes that day, so I tried to keep my spirits up and not panic. In the evening we decided to go to bed when we could, which was when it was quiet. We had time to watch many information channels and we installed new apps on our phones for emergency communication.
The next day, on February 25th, my mom received her salary by transfer. She didn’t have any scheduled lectures that day. I had a test, but we asked for it to be postponed. After my brother’s classes, we made a list and went to the shop to buy supplies. The shelves were mostly empty.
We decided to risk it a little bit and went for a walk on [...] street, to check whether the coffee-shop where I used to work was open. [...] surprised me and I was terrified because just two days ago the street was filled with people. Now it is empty and everything is closed…
After lunch we came back home. After a long family discussion, we decided to stay in [...], but to move to another apartment where we had tenants till the 24th of February. This was largely because this apartment was in a place that had survived two wars with no major damage. Two weeks of school and university breaks passed there.
On March 13th, when school resumed, we decided to come back home. Internet connection and technical support was much better there. The tenant came back to our other apartment after a while, when different factories and businesses started working again.
All of the time, especially during the night, we talked about the news and our emotions. These talks were very helpful to me. My mom explained historical perspectives of different events. We tried and are still trying to keep calm, but it is so hard because of my younger brother.
Studies, which have begun, distract us from all the mess. We’ve had some moments of joy because we celebrated my mom’s and my brother’s birthdays at the end of March. It was very modest, but still a very emotional celebration in our small family circle.
Today is April 18th. We are learning online while I am writing this letter. We dream about victory and we believe in the UAF (Ukrainian Armed Forces)!