The dam

It's been a week since Russia blew up the dam at Kakhovka. The Bible study we host here is made up of mostly of people from Kherson, and last week's study was a somber evening as we met and were sad together. Even though our family hasn't felt the physical effects of the disaster, we've been so sad. This is a new low place in a long run of awfulness.

Our house and our church in Kherson are high and dry, but the dacha that we bought just before the war isn't. This video is probably somewhere over in that area. And before Kherson we lived for 5 years on the bank of the beautiful Kakhovka Reservoir, which is drying up now (before and after). It feels like we know two sides of this tragedy ourselves. There's yet another side that's even worse. On the other side of the Dnepr River, where the Russians are and were the flooding has been worst, people are suffering even more. Please keep praying for Ukraine and especially for Kherson region!

Here's an old photo of happier days, July 8, 2008, little Jaan floating in the "Kakhovka Sea":

There are more old photos here, too, and everywhere else in our family memories. That beautiful "sea," the other shore was almost too far away to see.

Last Bell

We're at the end of the school year! Kind of. The school year in this part of the world and in our family has always been pretty much the first day of September to the last day of May. Everything is different lately, but still it's Last Bell now. We're celebrating with a walk to the river and a fancy meal.

And, yes, Bogdan is finished. He's done well with 5th grade through all kinds of chaos. His online music lessons will continue throughout June; he has to make up for long gaps when he didn't have access to lessons and/or an instrument. He's loved art here in Ivano-Frankivsk: earning awards, showing up on the news, and having his work exhibited in an actual museum! I don't know if art classes will continue in summer months?

With his teacher and his work at the museum

Asya has also done really well in her 9th grade. She kept up with her music, when no one else could. Sometimes she and her teacher were on Zoom from their phones, when one or the other of them was actually traveling from one place to another, or when explosions or air raid sirens were sounding in the background. Asya has also been in a small Zoom group of AmblesideOnline kids around the world, and that was wonderful for both her and me. (I think our group started a fad; it looks like there are going to be a bunch of similar Zoom groups next year.) Asya's not quite done yet, because in high school we count a full school year by days, and she has some more to do before she gets to the end.

Zoom group in April

Raia won the Overcomer Award from HomeLife Academy, the American school she's enrolled in. She definitely deserves it. This whole year has been about overcoming war, occupation, displacement, distance from her friends, hurdles to finishing high school and getting into college, and so much more. Raia also has more days and more hard work ahead of her before she finishes 11/12th grade and graduates, but she's doing a great job and finishing well. (And you saw a photo of her and Jaan in my last post, so it's fair that I'm not adding one here.) 

I'm always so thankful for our AmblesideOnline family. Finding AO at the beginning of homeschooling and being involved there is honestly one of the biggest blessings in my life. This year especially we've needed that continuity and support, and it's been there for us constantly. 

 One more year of homeschooling is (almost) done!