Leaving Ukraine
This teenager's face seems to capture sadness, yet with that chin lifted and her gaze into the distance, I think she's going to be fine.
(In a crowd of refugees crossing the Danube on a ferry to Romania....If you wish to give a special donation just to people in need during and following this war, put "Give2Ukraine" on your check, email or paypal donation. Below is more info.*)
Last Friday, I saw a video of a Russian Submarine, cutting through the Black Sea, close to the coast of Odessa, Ukraine: preparation for landing of soldiers by sea.
I watched videos of Russian soldiers in Kiev with the sounds of gunfire on the streets, a Russian tank crushing the automobile of a senior citizen of Ukraine, a tiny island laid waste by a Russian warship-- all 13 Ukrainian guardsmen dead. I saw crowds fleeing Kiev and citizens lining up to receive automatic weapons to defend Ukraine.
That afternoon, my brother-in-law called again.A colonel in the US Army, retired. He explained how wars steadily expand in the beginning and urged me to get out of Ukraine.
I was scheduled to leave Ukraine on March 3rd, but by 4pm, I decided it was time.
(me with Romanian college students, volunteers taking supplies to Ukrainian refugees)
On Saturday, I took a taxi to the border and a ferry to Romania. The lines were long, getting on the ferry and getting through customs.
But volunteers from Romania met me on the other side. They had free food and drinks. A man came to me and took me to the town of Galati. I thought he was a taxi driver looking for a business, but he was a volunteer; his name is Dorin. We went to his home where his wife fed us dinner. Later, he put me on the train to Bucharest. "Tell the rest of the world how the good people of Romania took care of you," was the last thing he said. I am in Bucharest now, grateful to Maria Gheorghiu and Leslie Hawke of The Alex Fund whom I have known for 15 years! Look em up.
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