Goodbye my Ukrainian Friends

I am typing this on my phone, on a night train to Poland. I think we should l reach the border soon. This is not a piece of journalism - I'll have one of those out tomorrow, and another next week.

I am leaving a war zone. I can do that because of the color of my passport. The guy who said goodbye to his girlfriend at the station can't.

But I am not just leaving behind a war.
I am leaving behind a city, rich in culture I have only begun to scratch the surface of. A city that has been through so much, yet in my 6 weeks here has met me with nothing but openness. Not a single time have I felt unwelcome as a foreigner. Me not speaking Ukrainian has only ever produced interested smiles,

I am leaving behind new friends. You let me sleep on your couches, showed me your city, told me your stories and jokes, and you warned me from going to Aroma Kava.

My friends, you deeply impressed me. Faced with an incredibly fucked-up situation, your very existence under attack by an inhumane evil that nobody can claim to fully comprehend, you have kept your humanity. May you never lose it as you navigate the big unknown that is your future.

Chances are, we'll meet again. I'm looking forward to that day. Take care.