Notes on war

 

I haven't written much lately. I could not bring myself to concentrate on the ravages of war or the effects on its displaced and tortured people. I didn't want to document what I was seeing and feeling. So many things got in the way as well. 

So let me start with a brief outline of what has happened in our lives. On the 24th of February, a date none of us will forget, Putin attacked Ukraine. The horror had begun and the madman was progressing his vision of restoring the former USSR to a new glory. But it didn't go so well. The Ukrainians did not welcome his troops, the Russians weren't always sure why they were there, and the people took up arms to defend their sovereignty and their freedom. They even got really even when they shot down the Russian ship that had taken Snake Island -- that's an iconic story reflected in the stamp which one of my Ukrainian families acquired for me. 

We always knew this day would come. The Ukrainian diaspora was prepared to fight and to support Ukrainians on the ground against the terror of Russian aggression. 

To my utter surprise, Ireland opened its doors to all Ukrainians who wanted to flee the country -- no visas required, not even passports were necessary. Just some means of proving you were coming from Ukraine. And come they did. Within days they started flooding into the country. Mostly women and children as the men were staying behind to fight. Men with medical issues and men with babies whose wives needed support could come. Some did and stayed. Some helped their families and then returned to Ukraine to fight. 

Friends who knew I was of Ukrainian decent, offered housing and other forms of support -- money, clothing, food, children's things. I started intercepting people who were asking for help and putting them together with places that were suitable for their needs. Most of the places were in Newport and Rosmoney, but we also had Galway and Westport in the mix. 

We got the early folks, before there were any systems in place. We got transport to get them out here, we organised food and clothing for those who came with nothing. We got medical cards and doctor's visits for those needing medical assistance, like insulin-dependent diabetes. We got the children into schools. We organised rides into town. 

It was an extraordinarily emotional journey. For those who had left everything behind and accepted the help of a stranger they did not know anything about and for us volunteers. My mother had always impressed upon me that we would not be here but for the kindness of strangers when my family was displaced during WWII. I took that to heart and this was coming full circle now where I could pay forward that kindness. 

I wish I had documented all the really special moments. The people of Ireland really embraced the Ukrainians into their communities. I will try to remember and frame experiences with time. I really could not at the time. My husband's mother, Meike, had had a stroke a year before. As the Ukrainians began to arrive, she suffered a second more massive stroke and never recovered. She hung on for days but finally let go of this wretched world.

So in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, we had a funeral service that was massively attended in Westport, followed by cremation in Cavan, and an overnight stay with the Moores in Monahan. We would wait and celebrate Meike's life with burial on the island in April at Easter, when more friends could attend. 

The following week, we were due to fly to the states for an Ocean Cruising Club AGM, of which I am Vice Commodore and was instrumental in orchestrating the first OCC AGM outside the UK. It was in Annapolis and we were to see the Moch family, my niece's. I hadn't seen them in almost 3 years and Alex had never met the little one, Miles. We decided to go despite reservations about Covid rearing its ugly head again. 

It was a wonderful trip. The AGM was great, the stay in Annapolis a trip through memory lane, the Moch's were in great form -- we love those guys, and we got lots of banking, licensing and business done. The day we returned home, Alex became symptomatic. I developed symptoms the following morning. We tested very positive by antigen test for Covid a day later. We had 10 days before Easter Saturday and the funeral on the island. 

We organised an island clean-up, a bagpiper, and MultiMax for the day remotely and prayed that the weather would hold and our symptoms would clear up. Alex tested negative the day before but had symptoms that persisted -- shortness of breath and tiredness. I had very mild symptoms that resolved quickly but I still tested positive the day of the burial. I wore a mask all day and as far as I know, no one got infected. It was day 10, and I was not obliged to self-isolate. 

One of my Ukrainian families came to the burial and to the reception at Ross House afterwards. It was an interesting introduction to Irish funerals for them. It wasn't really typical but not atypical either. That's when I realised that Ukrainians and Irish also share some funeral practices including an open casket tradition. I wrote a poem for the memorial card which people said reflected Meike's life perfectly. I was happy with the personal nature of it.

So that was how March and April transpired. Kirstin and I started cleaning out the house while Alex continued to manage the estate and the farm.

We launched our boat, Aleria, in May and sailed her home because we had a cruise in company coming up mid-June that Alex was organising. Two weeks of sailing from Clew Bay to Galway Bay and back with members of the Irish Cruising Club. The weather was shite as they say here, so it wasn't the nicest holiday ever. In fact, it wasn't a holiday at all, but rather too much like work. 

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians settled in and are helping us get the gardens at Ross in order, we had a heat wave upon return from sailing, and it sort of feels like we may have an okay August although we will have lots of visitors. I feel bad as I have been unable to interact with the Ukrainians as much as I'd hoped, but most seem to be settling in fine. 

More than 43,000 Ukrainians have settled in Ireland to date and more are on the way. It's very interesting that I can now walk down the street and hear Ukrainian spoken. Not only that, my Ukrainian is becoming more fluent every day. After not speaking a word of it for at least 15 years, I am quite conversational now. How interesting. Our languages have evolved differently. Mine has more English and Polish in it, theirs has more Russian. When I learned, there was no internet, no mobile phones, no technology really. So I have no words for those things, but then again, most of those are from American. Internet is eenternet. 

Meanwhile, Zelenkiy has become a world hero, his wife is doing great things for the mental health of her people, and the Ukrainians have held their ground against massive assaults which took the lives of thousands of civilians. Countless crimes against humanity have been documented and yet Putin continues his relentless attacks unchecked. Somehow, Ukraine has to win. Ukraine must prevail or the continent will suffer. Ukraine is being fast-tracked into the EU, while Norway and Sweden have applied to join NATO. 

Will WWIII break out? I hope not. 

In the meantime, the US falls deeper into the divide with the Supreme Court dismantling rights and Congress investigating the former President's role in the Jan 6 insurrection, Italy's government has fallen, Boris Johnson got kicked out, millions face starvation due to the destruction of grain in Ukraine, and the earth is baking and burning due to climate change. What more can go wrong?