Prior to handing over I had asked Paul if he would provide us with a final update under ‘my term’. Paul and I message on a semi regular basis and I have got to know him better and to appreciate some of the challenges he faces living in Ukraine. His update contains news of a major change to his circumstances and I’m sure we would all like to wish him well.
So the rest of this post is Paul’s message, which is as ever honest, clever and insightful, and of course written in excellent English. It will be a pleasure to one day meet him at a Rats gig.
It’s been more than six months since the full-scale invasion of my country began. It probably goes without saying that life has changed a lot during this year, both for me and the rest of my country.
I feel like the war really brought us Ukrainians together. All the feuds between eastern and western Ukraine have been pushed aside, and we’re really focused on helping each other out during this time. Since coming back to Kyiv, I’ve been all over the place attending various charity gigs, participating in fundraisers and gathering humanitarian help for refugees. I’m not trying to paint myself a hero or someone who deserves praise for doing all those things, though. Because helping those who are in need is simply the right thing to do.
Life is relatively calm in Kyiv, and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s a busy time of year around here as school is starting and people are trying to make the most out of what’s left of summer break. The city centre was bustling with life around Independence Day. Seeing people outside going about their lives or celebrating just makes me very happy. We’re still here, we’re thriving, and russia can fuck right off! No matter how hard they tried to bring us down, they never got around to it. I think it’s amazing how with all the shit that has happened in the past six months we’re still celebrating and making the most out of life.
It’s not always this joyful though. On Independence Day, there was a whopping 189 air raid alarms around the whole country! Just think about it, 189!!! That’s at least 189 rockets launched our way! And that is about $567 million dollars flushed down the toilet (though I’m being nice here, considering that the prices for a single missile range from one to thirteen million dollars). Anyway, I think it should be clear by now that by this point, russia has lost A LOT during these six months. Whether it's billions worth of money, personnel, or the last few drops of respect that the international community had for this country.
Here's a little life update to explain my absence from posting and whatnot. Not so long ago I made a very important choice - I have decided to leave my old university here in Kyiv. I grew a bit tired of the management being very incompetent and sometimes straight up lying to their students, taking advantage of us during a literal war. It just feels wrong. While our defenders risk their lives on the battlefield to protect us and our country, some people think it’s okay to do all sorts of nasty shit while no one is watching. Anyway, leaving was a hard decision to take, but I’m glad I figured out what I’m going to do next. After taking some consideration, asking around here and there, and tearing most of my hair out, I came to the conclusion that moving to Dublin to continue my studies there is probably the best outcome for me. It’s a big decision, sure, but I think it has more benefits than downsides. It’s a completely new chapter in my life and I’m pretty excited to start it. So, I’ve been pretty busy getting ready to move and I already got an offer letter from my new college. It’s a little scary, but I’m very excited to start my journey to study abroad. It’s something I’ve been dreaming to do since I was a little kid.
To end this post, I just want to thank every citizen of Boomtown who showed their support for Ukraine during these past few months. I don’t think I’d keep going if it weren’t for other citizens cheering me on. Boomtown is a lovely community, and I’m very glad that I have ended up here. Living as a refugee in Chernivtsi was a very strange and sad time in my life, but being able to share my thoughts with the others here made it much more bearable. Spreading more awareness and keeping people alerted is very important during this time, and I’m glad that more people are knowledgeable about what’s going on thanks to my posts. I’m just happy to know that I could make a difference with writing my little updates. So, a big thanks to all of you for the love and support. And an especially big thanks to Pete and our lovely ex-mayor Nick for giving me this platform to share my thoughts in first place.
I’ll keep posting updates every now and then, but with the move it might be a little different from the usual posts. With all that said, have a nice day and Слава Україні!
Thank you @Major Paul for another very interesting post. I wish you all the best for your new adventure in Dublin!
Paul,I hope you continue to update us. As Nick says, you’re very eloquent and articulate in a language which isn’t your first. The first hand insight really brings it home. As it slowly fades on our TV screens, we need this. It is a real pleasure to have you here with us. I know the band loves having young fans too!
The very best of luck 2 u Paul...I'm sure you'll receive " a céad mile fàilte" wen u get here...if u dont no wat dat means In irish, it means "a hundred thousand welcomes ".. its an old Irish saying.....
thanks a lot for sharing this, Nick! you did a phenomenal job as Boomtown’s second mayor. i’m really happy to have the opportunity to work with you.