I remember the day our family got confirmation for our green cards. I was applying for a scholarship, and needed to ask my dad about my immigrant status for one of the required fields. He was in the backyard, setting up the grill. When I received the answer that I was a permanent resident, it took me a moment to realize that I now have my green card.
A tidal wave of disbelief and amazement flooded my mind, and I couldn’t hold back my excitement. We had been waiting for this moment for five years, and now the entire world was open to us. It was amazing how life could change with no warning, like when I entered a different world by moving to the US in the summer of 2017.
After the initial excitement wore off, I started imagining all of the different possibilities. Not only could we finally go to Ukraine, I could go to a university outside of America or visit some of my bucket list places, like New Zealand or the Netherlands. But it didn’t take long for me to really consider that I am going to return to my home country and fully face war staring at me.
Lviv, my home city, sits near the Polish border, but remains a major Russian target and occasionally experiences air raid attacks. As much as I long to finally see my family and all of the places I grew up in, I also feel guilty that while my country was weary from war, I was living a peaceful and privileged life on the other side of the globe.
The journey to Lviv is no small feat. Plane flights to Ukraine are closed for safety purposes, so after my family and I arrive in Amsterdam on June 2 (nine-hour flight), we will then take a flight to Krakow (another two hours) and from there a 24-hour bus to Lviv. After spending two months in Ukraine, we would take the same way back.
I don’t know what will happen when I return to Ukraine. I don’t know if going back would change me or when the war will end. But I do know that I am beyond grateful to go back to my country and see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers and friends. And I know that one day, I will return to a peaceful, thriving and victorious Ukraine.
*Editor’s note: Yaryna Zakharko is a student writer. All views expressed in the commentary are her own and are independent of the district, Rouse High School and the publication.