Arctic Foxtrot. And more...

Aviation brings people together. In 2017, when Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday, aviation unites the country by bringing the technology and inspiration of airshows to the most remote areas of the country - where people have never seen anything like this in their lives. With 97 airshows North of the 60th parallel, EVERYBODY will have a chance to celebrate Canada's 150. Official website: https://caat2017.com. This is a blog of Anna Serbinenko, the only Canadian female aerobatic performer, embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
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Three years later. I have travelled, explored, discovered, dared, fell down, got up, did it again, achieved, conquered, enjoyed, loved, remembered, lived... So many experiences are just too grand to keep them to yourself. So i decided to revive and keep up this blog with sporadic postings. Subscribe to get notified about the new articles!

Day 37 - Diary of a 16-year-old Katya from Mariupol

I will post this one as is, just with a translation for my English-speaking friends. No comments.

“We were going to the bathroom, sleeping and eating the leftovers of the food in one basement. Once uncle Kolya captured a pigeon, it was probably the fifth or sixths day. We fried it, and ate it. And then it made all of us throw up.”

 


“When our neighbor died, we were not able to bring her body outside, and she started stinking. Then it became quiet, and uncle Kolya went to bring her outside, and he himself blew up on a land mine. Mom was crying a lot. After daddy’s death, uncle Kolya was the closest person.

….

Dead bodies stink. They were everywhere there. I covered my brother’s eyes with my mom’s scarf, that he doesn’t see it.”

 

“Mommy was holding to the last one, she died 3 days before the evacuation. I told my brother that she’s fast asleep, and he should not be waking her up. But I think he understood everything.“

 

“You know the feeling when it hurts? I once fell in love with a boy, but he did not fall in love with me, and I thought it was painful. It turns out, it is painful to see how your mother dies in front of your eyes. And your little brother keeps coming to her and saying “Mommy, don’t sleep, you’ll get cold”. We will never be able to visit her grave. She stayed in that dark wet basement.“

 

“I hate russia. My own uncle is there. You know what he told me today on the phone? 'Katya? What Katya? Girl, I don’t know you. What war, what Katya?' And later he wrote me from some random number 'Katya, don’t write me. It is dangerous for me and my family. You can’t bring your mother back.' I hate them! This was his own sister?! How can someone do it?“

 

“… you know, I think, I will come back to Mariupol. And will live in the same place. And will every time, on the same day, go down in the basement of a new house and bring flowers.“

 

Day 39 - “Great russian Culture”
Day 33 - My Grandmother, My Hero