New year, new volunteer

Here I am, the third curious volunteer in Severodonetsk, with her package of dreams, well installed in this corner of Ukraine. As probably all of the foreigners before arriving here, I thought it might be a little bit dangerous living more or less 30km from the contact line, from an unfortunate brotherly war with irreversible consequences. 

Yet, you get an entirely different feeling by arriving here. People go on with their lives – of course, with many  more hardships –, the snow falls smoothly and the challenges of the hearts beating here only push them for the best. 

In other words, I have to say I was touched by their resilience and willingness to help each other. It is basically what the organizations I volunteer for do; they have done humanitarian aid and development, as well as Human Rights projects. Hearing how different individuals suddenly decided to get involved and volunteer in their endeavors has also made me confident that I am in the right place.

Talking about the right place… I could say it is also a right one for its cultural and social richness. You really feel at ease among friendly people, by tasting great food (among which I’m definitely in for many different vareniki and salo) and interesting stories.

After a tour of Severodonetsk, you get intrigued about the tank being covered by tones of concrete, which is part of the foundation of the town’s Theater, the story of the buildings limiting the most beautiful boulevard in the city center, where the buildings are three-floored and tell the story of the architect who decided to spend his life in this ethnically diverse town some century ago.

Still, it is an industrial town, whose industry has greatly suffered due to the conflict and whose people don’t know if this mess will ever end. But by now I feel like home, and I am eager to discover more and more.