Stories

Anastasiia Bobkova & Tatiana Rumilets

Ukraine

Because our country is living through a full-scale war, we think about peace more than ever. Although we now live in different cities, we spent hours on the phone discussing our flag and remembering our student days together.

We both looked at the sky. Here, freely flying birds are simply birds. Back home, a plane or drone can mean danger.

We chose the stork because it always returns to its nest in spring. It symbolises family, care and the hope that one day we, too, will be able to return home.

Peace is walking outside without fearing that today could be your last day. It is making plans and following your dreams. It is collecting money for a friend's birthday rather than military equipment. It is looking at planes and imagining distant journeys - and seeing birds without fearing they are coming to destroy your home.