Hello, my darlings!💖

I returned from Poland! It was quite interesting and not as scary and difficult as I thought before. I was actually very worried, because it was my first time leaving the country in a long time. The last time I went anywhere was long before a full-scale invasion, let alone outside the country, so I forgot how it happens. I was very afraid and really didn't want to go, because I already felt at home in my usual cave and I was comfortable without any changes. But then I realized how silly my fear was. In Poland, I felt like a normal person again. A few days of rest gave me the opportunity to return home with the feeling that I can endure more, I can continue to exist in this terrible reality of war and wait for our victory. I didn't even know how much I needed this little break, free of scary new, air alert and curfews, until I breathed my last.

The first day, I was startled by loud flapping sounds outside the window, which reminded me of Iranian drones. Several times I noticed a plane flying in the sky and glowing, my heart stopped and I thought of a plan of action in a second. But then I remembered that I was safe. It's just that planes fly here and that's normal. These are not planes flying to drop bombs on the surrounding houses, these are just people flying about their business. I also wouldn't mind flying in a plane someday, if I have the opportunity again. At night, I stood outside and constantly checked my watch, worried that I wouldn't make it home before curfew. And I felt very strange, trying to realize that I didn't need to rush anywhere.

Being in another country is very strange. People just go on with their lives and everything is fine. I was very impressed by how Poles love their language. They have an interesting language and I think it would be useful for me to learn it. If I ever go back there (I would be very happy to) I would like to understand the signs in the shops, talk to people, listen to the Polish radio that was playing in the car all the way when we were driving home. How they love and respect their language is something we need to learn. Unfortunately, I still hear stupid theses from the forced russification of Ukrainians that "everyone will understand anyway", "it's so convenient for me" or "I have the right to speak as I want". And so on... Poland gave me a reason to think again about how important language is.

I spent these few days in Cracow and I managed my affairs very quickly to be able to walk around a bit. The journey took a whole day, first by train, then by bus. At 9 o'clock in the evening, I got out of the station and using google maps, I went to look for my friend's friend to pick up the keys to the apartment where I was invited to spend the night. My first day was quite independent as was the trip to the visa center the next day. Usually someone is always there to point to the right place or give some hint, but my friend was very busy. She still couldn't host me for the night when I arrived, but luckily she found an alternative, so it all worked out pretty well. I spent the night with my new friend and in the morning took a taxi to the visa center. I arrived early so as not to miss anything, but everything was so fast that I left before my appointment. At the entrance I was met by a Pole, and it seems that he was the only Pole I saw there. There were quite a lot of people there and everyone spoke Ukrainian well, so I had no problems understanding the situation and my further actions. I gave the invitation, filled out the questionnaire, scanned my fingerprints and took a photo, and that's basically it. I worried and beat myself up longer than it took. Now I need to wait for the approval from Canada and after that I will send my passport with everything necessary to Warsaw by courier to officially and finally get this visa. I'm really proud of myself, I did it, now I just have to wait.

So after completing the business for which I came to Krakow, I decided to walk around a bit. I also needed to find a friend's house where I was to stay until I left. The city is very beautiful and small enough to walk comfortably. It was really cool. I saw beautiful architecture and interesting shops, and later I came across a very beautiful old cemetery. After some time, I went to the big and very beautiful cathedral and couldn't resist drawing it. It could have been better, but I got cold pretty quickly and ran to the nearest coffee shop for coffee. By the way, it is exactly this picture :) It is very nice to arrange such a small plein air. I actually love them very much and sometimes I paint from nature on the street, but I haven't done this for a long time, so it was a real pleasure and a break.

Krakow is beautiful. It is definitely worth visiting there. There are many beautiful bridges, cathedrals and buildings. I'm glad I had time to walk. And there is also a fabulous night life. At night, the girls showed me around the local party scene, so I got to know some cool bars. It turns out that there are still bars where you can smoke indoors, and I tried the best Bloody Mary in the world and ate some good pasta. We were not allowed into one of the establishments because of the "elegant dress code" hehe. But we went to another one, because there were really many establishments there. It kind of gave me back my zest for life actually. A small holiday after nervousness was useful and gave an opportunity to relax a little.

But it turned out that Poland is quite expensive compared to Ukraine. I tried to save a little and constantly checked the amounts in the currency converter, but still in 4 days I spent more than I expected. I couldn't do without souvenirs and brought with me some chocolate and a Polish vodka called Soplitsia (or liquor? I'm not sure). On the last day, I walked around the city a little more and bought some souvenirs for friends and family. Fridge magnets are my special love. Already in the evening by train, my friend and I went to another city to her mother, spent the night there and from the very morning we drove home, back to Ukraine. The road was a bit difficult, there were too many things in the car and my knees were constantly hurting, I tried to sleep to make it go faster. It was a huge surprise for me that my friend knew a famous artist from my city who went with us. I had the honor to talk with her and show some of my works. She fed me delicious sandwiches and gave me some cool painting tips. I am still amazed by this acquaintance, pleasant communication made our long journey a little easier. We crossed the border quite quickly, but it was still a long drive. We arrived home in time for the curfew and I went to sleep almost immediately. I still had to rest for a while, I always have a hard time with transportation, and I still had to meet all my friends and relatives to give gifts. So now I'm finally here and I'm fine. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this trip, it helped me a lot.

I have already started work and very soon everyone will be waiting for their commission :)

Thank you for your attention! Love you!