Nastya, 11 years old

»I am from Donezk.
Six months ago, my parents and I went to Kyiv, where my older sister was already living. When the war started, we were afraid and my sister wanted us to leave Donezk and therefore we left quickly. We were very glad that we could all stay with my sister.
We also took one of my grandmothers with us, but my other grandmother was unable to leave her house and stayed in Donezk. I brought clothes, my pillow and my teddy bear, which I have had for a long time and which I take everywhere.
I attend the sixth grade in Kyiv and have at least 6 to 7 hours of school a day. After school I do my homework and then I either go dancing, something I already did in Donezk or I meet friends.
I talk to my friends about everything, but we made an agreement that we are not going to talk about the war, because it makes us sad.
I dream a lot about my future and sometimes I have a dream, in which I see nothing at all. Of course, I miss my friends from Donezk and my old playground. I wish that we live in a big house and later I want to become - like my elder sister - a software engineer. I'm trying to learning for it already.
I like it here in the center of Kyiv, it is quiet and there is no shooting. When I arrived in Kyiv, it was difficult for me because I was always frightened of new sounds. Fortunately, I can sleep well here, but sometimes in Donezk I could not sleep because of the shooting. Then there was someone who took care of me and I covered my ears with my pillow.
I don't like to talk about the war, because I always start crying and remembering our house, which burned down, and a family who has been killed.«

After talking to Nastya, she showed me a shirt on which she had written:
Улыбайся всем на зло, Чтоб сегодня повезло!
(Smiling in spite of all to find happiness today!)
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