My Wartime Diary. Day 50

This has been tough week. Cold, gloomy weather and strong wind. The temperature in the apartment has been stable for +14 for two weeks now.😟 It's been a month since I've been trying to find tourniquets for Nick (the order, which I really hoped for, never left for Ukraine).😫 The carrier company has been delivering my parcel with vitamins and medicines for almost 2 months.😠 My mother was hospitalized due to serious kidney problems.😳 The brother asks to borrow money.😯 But the worst thing is that I don't sleep at night and I have stomach pains.😨 At first I thought it was a common digestive problem. After the third sleepless night in a row, I realized that the reason may be a problem that I didn't solve because of the war. My doctor and I discussed the details of my surgery and set a date, and the next day the war began.

I called my doctor but he is out of Kyiv, and plans to return no earlier than 2 weeks. So I was happy when I found a private clinic that works.

April 13th.

I went to the clinic in the morning. There were two or three patients, and only one girl at the reception, who answered calls, made notes, accepted payment, gave out clothes in the wardrobe. But they work! And I was lucky enough to get an appointment with a good doctor, whose scheduler was all booked for a month in advance before war. And now she is the only doctor, and only a few patients.

So, I probably have to have surgery before my doctor comes back. The good news is that emergency surgeries are covered by my insurance, and that's great luck, because the services at this private clinic's hospital ... they aren't most expensive, but I don't have that kind of money right now. Also, the price includes medicine, food and everything necessary, and that's very good, because I am not sure if Nick will be able to stick with me, and no one to count on anyway.

After such news, I didn't want to go home. I sent a laptop to a colleague and topped up his bank card. Operations with cash is a trouble. Not all terminals and ATMs work stably. On the way I went to the market and bought vegetables and cottage cheese. I looked again at the area where one of the last missiles hit. Nick and I drove by on the next day, and everything looked much worse then. Utilities are constantly removing debris, glass. They work all days.

On the first floor of this building was an optician, where I repaired my glasses. Their prices were very attractive. And on the upper floors lived people. Where do they live now?

Then I went to the center, despite the wind and the mist. Trams started running in Kyiv today. I was going to go by public transport, but the intervals are still very long, about an hour, and there is no schedule.

I think I will be wearing this winter jacket forever. The last time I was here was ages ago, in peacetime. My bank branch was opened, and I came in to warm and use their ATM. There were only two staff members - the senior manager and my manager. I hugged her with joy. She and I shared our memories and experiences, and then I left.

I really want fried fish and cake with cream for two months. Fresh fish cannot be found here. Not in any supermarket, and in the market too. Who knows what had happened, probably the fish died from the explosions, or because of water pollution. Or it may be dangerous to catch, or to deliver. I don't know, it's just my assumptions. In any case, I will have to wait with fresh fish, and I can't eat the whole cake. But ... I can buy eclairs! Judging by the map, there is a coffee shop nearby where eclairs are served, and it's open.

The cafe was in the basement. The beautiful, light and clean hall was empty. I ordered herbal tea and 3 eclairs! Of course, I can only eat one, and I will take two other with me. When I sat down at the served table, I almost cried. The last time I was in a cafe in quite another life.

As soon as I sat down, the siren sounded. Back to reality. And a minute later a cute and very friendly poodle ran out of nowhere. We immediately became friends with him. The owner appeared from the kitchen, and it turned out that the poodle's name was Strudel.🙃

Nick called in the evening. I told him about the surgery, and he said that he had anxious premonitions and that I should better hurry.

April 14th.

It's sunny and a little warmer, but I feel uneasy.

Today I work from home again. As always, I try not to be distracted by the news, but I rarely succeed. Russia threatens to bomb Kyiv. I will not have time to have surgery before the weekend. Nick called again. He is also worried that the bombing will not catch me in the hospital. Not so long ago, the remains of the rocket fell right next to their building, it seems that even the hospital was slightly damaged.

And then Nika called. This is my new volunteer girlfriend, and Nika is her nickname, it suits her perfectly. I have written about her before. I was so glad to talk to her again! Remember Vlad? He needed advice on the crypt. And Nika said that they will be happy to see me. 😍

It seems that this call brought me back to life. I decided to go to the park for half an hour to see the evening sun. It was so beautiful there... I sat on the bench and listened to the birds sing. A few more photos and I need to get back to work.

And after another 2 days of negotiating and searching, I finally managed to pay for 20 tourniquets for Nick and his guys, and this is CAT for a good price. I found them in Poland, and they will be delivered to an address in Poland, where Nick's colleagues know how to get them to Kyiv faster than a delivery service. The problem was that I cannot make a payment to the bank account in Poland. But... where there is a will, there is a way!

Two completely different days...

Seems the spring conquers winter and endless cold. Hopefully, light will conquer darkness soon.