Return to Reality by Sasha

June 15th seems like a lifetime ago, in so many ways it is. Having gone back to Ukraine I can no longer say I am disconnected or removed from a country that could have been my only motherland. Meeting the Dnepro Hillel peers I can now say I have friends in Ukraine and there is so much promise and possibility there.
My memories, although so recent, flitter between various instances. From the first encounter with grinning guys who would rather carry my luggage than roll it, to authentic Russian Banya, to the night promenade walks, and to the wheat fields of yellow and sky of blue the represent the Ukrainian flag. I was born in Ukraine and now I can say I have seen only a snippet of its vastness. The true respect I have is for the people who volunteer their time and abilities to help those in need, the elderly and the children. My respect goes to those who see possibilities without end or how Elessya said "who dream impossible, insane dreams." Because, like she said, within the insanity of impossibility there lie the possibilities of incredible things.
To say truthfully, I cannot predict (with the time spent in Ukraine) how the communities we visited will develop. There is still so much movement, change, and even immigration. What I can say is that I've made friendships that I truly treasure with people I had never known existed; with an extended family that I see will push forward for progress and has the determination to succeed.