Bogdana Martyn
“I was planning to sleep longer. 8:10 am I woke up from the constant beeping sound. Saw the first message “War started”. That was enough.”
Bogdana is a second year student of International Business at the Hanze University in Groningen, The Netherlands, originally from Ukraine. In the light of the war and barbaric attack on Ukraine by Russia she wrote a beautiful message to everyone of you to hear.
November 2013 - March 2014
That was the first time I understood what a true fear is. I was only 10 years old, still a kid who didn’t realise why my mom was worrying where my dad is, why my elementary school stopped working, why on the news every day I saw death reports and why people are protesting. I clearly remember that New Year’s eve. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians alongside me, my family and my friends on Maidan singing the national anthem.
January 2014, my brother was born. March 2014, my birthday. Me and my family having a walk along the main street - Maidan - in Kyiv, the place where hundreds of people of different ages from 18 years old to 70-80 died a couple weeks ago. The place where I played on the blue-and-yellow piano, which was later moved to the National Ukrainian Museum. The place, which looked nothing more than a ruin with burned stuff all over the street.
Time passed, even though the war on the East was continuing, Kyiv was renovated. Our ex-president left the country. Everything seems to get better. People didn’t die for nothing. People are still worried about the East, although it seems to be under control.
January 2022
That was the last time I have been to Ukraine and have seen my parents. Not long ago, but it feels like ages. That was the time I didn’t know what’s going to happen in 1 month. How dramatical the changes can be. We were planning a trip with my parents for my and dad’s birthday.
February 2022
I get a call from my parents. Told them how my day at uni was, everything was normal. Then I hear about possibility of war. I’m scared. Although my mom calms me down and says everything will be fine. In one week, while I was in Paris, I get a call from my dad. “mom, sister and dad are leaving Kyiv tomorrow, because in 2 days the war may start”. I’m crying. Couldn’t believe what I just heard. It all still seemed like a bad dream that lasts way too long now. All the news, every person on the street - same topic, Ukraine and Russia. What’s going to happen?
24th February 2022
I was planning to sleep longer. 8:10 am I woke up from the constant beeping sound. Saw the first message “War started”. That was enough. Called my mom. Called my dad. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. Everyone is in different parts of the world and the only thing we can do now - communicate. And believe. Believe in the best.
The whole point of the story that I never publicly shared earlier is next — you never know what is going to happen, you never know how ur life is going to turn, you build plans that may be ruined on 1 bloody day, but in the end of the day, every single one of us lives on the same planet - planet Earth. The point of this post is to share awareness and the truth of what is happening in the world, particularly in Ukraine, my home country. I will take advantage of having a lot of foreign friends, as well as Ukrainian friends back home and ask to share it to as many people as possible. Together we are defining our future. My country is strong, my country “was”, “is” and “will” be independent, my future children will speak Ukrainian and live in a free country. A country, where everything is peaceful. Ukrainian territory WILL include Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea.
There WILL be peace. And there WILL be our future. Слава Україні 🇺🇦❤️
