November 2025

This month ends with me in Ukraine, once again. I arrived on 20 Nov, the day I published the post A minute of silence on the daily remembrance of the lives lost due to the russian aggression. I will spend a few more days in Ukraine before going back home.

It snowed, which is fantastic for anyone who grew up with snow and moved to a country where there is, practically, no snow. It was very funny, as I mentioned in the Snowy Lviv post, that only me and a Brit were excited about the snow, while the others were unimpressed.

There are scheduled power outages. There were a few when I left in October, but now it’s worse, especially after that last attack on the region when the russians damaged 3 power stations. I have to say that people are determined to make things work. Generators are out, washing is done when the power is up, and some are annoyed that there is a consumption of electricity when it shouldn’t. The council has daily updates on the power outages, so people have the information they need.

In the picture above is my flat with a flashlight as the source of light, while in the picture below is from the volunteer kitchen, where people were working with an emergency light on. There were over 10 people working there, in the afternoon, so that’s that. I think it’s bonkers russia is trying to break the spirit by having these attacks and blackouts, it’s not working at all. Ukrainians value their freedom more than the comfort of having light 24/7.

This was taken yesterday, at the Opera, having prosecco with friends in the interval for a new ballet, during a blackout, at a sold-out event. This really shows the spirit of Ukrainians, their resilience.

In the shops the products are just as amazing as always. Look at those desserts. I’m so glad I’m vegan and these have eggs and cream, otherwise I would have bought one of each. This supermarket is in the same building as my hotel.

This houmous has an amazing story. Yofi opened a factory in Ukraine in 2010 and they are the biggest producer of houmous. They have some amazing flavours: truffle, pickles, aubergines. I loved those so much that I made it at home too. On 7 October, this year, the factory in Kyiv was hit by the russians and the production stopped. They said they will resume in a month and they did!

An important thing I did this trip was to take the 2-day course on tactical medicine. I learned how to apply a tourniquet, pack wounds, the MARCH protocol. It’s been amazing as the instructor was fab. I knew him and wanted to do this course, but usually I was back home when it was on. Dealing with the fake blood was strange, I didn’t imagine that it will be so much blood.

A fellow volunteer showed me how he is ordering online and receiving parcels with Nova Poshta, so I downloaded the app and ordered some books. I am amazed by how fast everything was and how many details are included in the app. I’ve been recommending the app to various volunteers now. So, I ordered on Monday evening the books. The shop dispatched the order on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday I picked it up from the branch that was the closest to my hotel. They are working until 7 during the weekends and 9 during weekdays.
Should I mention that the books were in transit while there was an attack on Kyiv? It’s just amazing how good this service is.

This is me picking up the parcel.

I bought a new perfume, one with a 10% donation to the Armed Forces of Ukraine [that’s what the 10% sticker means].

I’ve attended the commemorations of the Holodomor [moscow designed man-made famine in which millions of Ukrainians died, in the 1930s], there was a service and people lighted candles. The people made a nice wheat pattern. I lit mine at the window.

One of the children made this dragon for me. It was so wonderful and special. A volunteer has some boxes I might be able to use to transport the dragon safely back home. I hope it will arrive in one piece and that I will be able to display it. Getting a hug or a gift from the children is so precious.

To finish, I am sharing a few pictures from the restaurants and cafes I’ve been to.

1. Arrived back in the UK, in Edinburgh. 2. Ukrainian food for Volya, one that she likes, with tomatoes. 3. New T-shirt from Ukraine. 4. Remembrance Day display in Central library in Liverpool. 5. Food at Down at the Hatch. 6. A few hours in Otley after some volunteering-related stuff. 7. Sleeping Volya. 8. Okra and drinks. 9. Remembrance Sunday is today, these 2 poppies are on their way to Ukraine, for 2 British-born Ukrainian soldiers. 10. The artificial green wall is up. 11. Surprising Ukraine: from culture to science event. 12. Figs from the garden. 13. Surprise gift from my husband. 14. Pub crawl. 15. Checking out from De Vere Cranage Estate hotel. 16. Volya decided to nap in a bag, for unknown reasons. 17. Preparing for the next trip to Ukraine. 18. My luggage with stuff for soldiers, for Christmas. 19. Snow. 20. My flat in Lviv, during blackout. The light is from a flashlight. 21. Preparing food for soldiers with the help of the emergency lights. The kitchen was busy with both Ukrainian and foreign volunteers. 22. Remembering Holodomor. 23. Opera. 24. Standard desserts in a local supermarket in Ukraine. 25. TacMed course done. 26. 9 hours of volunteering on the day. 27. Hours of camo netting. 28. One of the children made this gift for me. I was so moved by this. 29. Ballet during blackouts. 30. More houmous.

Books in November:
The Case of the Married Woman by Antonia Fraser – 2 stars
Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania – Lonely Planet – 1 star
Private War by Eugene Slawomir Lazowski – 5 stars
A Tommy’s Sketchbook by Henry Buckle – 5 stars
Invisible University for Ukraine by Ostap Sereda – 4 stars
Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front by Serhii Plokhy