Home is where my Love is

Four women who moved to Poland and Germany were interviewed after the beginning of the war, and talk about the meaning of the word “home”. Community, conflictive feelings for the language, social life, fears and the emerging pride of being Ukrainian. They are portrayed in their new homes with a previously selected object that connects them with their homeland. A keyboard, dates, a sunflower and a bag, remind them of their lives before the war and encourage them to share special details of their experiences in Ukraine. Almost empty rooms, decorated with a few personal items, express their personality, passion and longing for freedom while they have to find their new place in life. All of them are sure that they will return to Ukraine someday, not necessarily after the end of the war. Irina uses her business skills in collaboration with Airbnb.com to offer free temporary accommodation to Ukrainian refugees in Berlin. She misses the fields she passed through every time she traveled between her two Ukrainian homes. Vitalina emphasizes how important it is for her to build social ties in Berlin, and how essential the community she had in Kiev is. She thinks about the time she spent with her friend when they ate dates, drank tea and talked for hours. Valeria continues to play music, focusing on the therapeutic effect it can have. She organizes concerts with children from the refugee shelter in Urle, Poland, where she now lives. Starting this September, she will work as a teacher at a music school. Anna used to make music with her boyfriend Sasha and misses that they were a close team in life, as well as in art. As a producer, she struggles with the lack of expensive equipment she had to leave at home. Photos: Lucy Szuli Text: Julia CH