a Kind of Refugee

Home
Archive
About
NewTopDiscussion
This morning I made refugee coffee. The kind you can make anywhere when you’ve got finely ground coffee, a mug and a way to boil water. Two heaping…
Larissa Babij
1
Thinking about resilience and recovery feels good. Western civilization is confident about overcoming adversity: think positive, pick yourself up by…
Larissa Babij
2
Anka sighs and says, “I wish I could get an injection of energy.” She’s tired, the intensity of last year has given way to a different, more sluggish…
Larissa Babij
MAR 1 My mind these days is a jumble of what I’ve done, who I owe, what needs to be addressed, and what is going on right now. My body is in Kyiv. My…
Larissa Babij
3

February 2023

Sorry for the long silence. Silence has meaning when it falls between two events. Without a frame, it is just a lack of information. How could you know…
Larissa Babij
4
The need for translation these days is overwhelming: international instructors training members of the UAF before deployment; a documentary theater…
Larissa Babij
4

January 2023

Don’t be fooled by the increase in hours with electricity in Kyiv. It’s tempting to think this is an opportunity to live “as before” but everything has…
Larissa Babij
2
Kyiv is gray. Still Sunday strollers are out in the neighborhood. Earlier this week Sasha asked, “Have you noticed there are less people around?” Yes, I…
Larissa Babij
3
I went to Lviv for a change of scenery, greedy for warmth and uninterrupted electricity, and to recharge and recalibrate, to come back to myself. I went…
Larissa Babij
9
I am on vacation in Lviv. Doing nothing is the challenge and privilege I’ve taken on, knowing that—like anything in wartime—you have to do it now…
Larissa Babij
12

December 2022

Drinking coffee in Kyiv, my friend the physical therapist says we all have PTSD. I’ve never been a fan of diagnoses. This is both a gift and a fault…
Larissa Babij
29
Wake up, flick the lamp switch: no power. Under three blankets it’s toasty warm. The air in the room is 12 C. Generators stutter outside every other…
Larissa Babij
© 2023 Larissa Babij
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing