I was born in a small Ukrainian town near the border with Hungary. My adult life, though, was spent in Kyiv, where I lived until recently.
I have now moved to Canada - but as I say, my body may be here, yet my mind is in Ukraine. (Yes, yes, I moved because I fell in love with a Canadian who is now my husband😉)
I still run The Big Meet in Kyiv, and go back quite often. In a way, it feels like I never really left. I’m still connected to the city, the people, and the community I’ve built there.
VIDEO: ‘How would you explain what The Big Meet is?’
Being exposed to different languages from a very early age, it probably comes as no surprise that I graduated as a language teacher (English & Hungarian).
After that, I worked with international companies and missions, mostly in communications and marketing. And, of course, there’s The Big Meet — which actually started as a side project back in 2018, but became a big part of my life.
The Big Meet is basically Kyiv’s international community all in one room, locals and expats. People come to meet, connect, have a good time, and to support good causes.
At every event, we support a different charity, and a percentage of every ticket goes to that cause. We have supported everything from children’s charities and animal protection to organisations helping veterans, people with disabilities and those affected by the war.
It’s really important to me that The Big Meet is not just about bringing people together, but also about using that community to make a difference.
You know, when we studied WWI and WWII at school, it seemed so distant and abstract - but once you are woken up by the sounds of explosions, you never forget that feeling.
It’s like the rose-tinted glasses you were wearing shattered inward.
Needless to say, it makes you rethink your values and priorities. You stop having petty problems and start asking yourself what actually matters.
Oh, it’s definitely our humour and adaptability. Ukrainians can joke about almost anything, even in the darkest times.
Somehow, there is always a joke, a meme, or a sarcastic comment ready to go.
Angelina Jolie? Ignored in a Lviv café. Boris Johnson? Practically adopted by Ukrainians. Leopards? Suddenly celebrities. I mean, what other country does this?
And I’ve realised I’m not much better, hehe. I remember meeting a friend just when an air alert started and saying, “Okay, alert… but we’re having coffee first, right?”
I know it sounds ridiculous, but somehow that is the attitude. And I think that ability to find a little normality and humour in chaos is amazing.
The war has taught me not to plan, so I honestly don’t know. What I do know that my heart is with The Big Meet.
It started as after-work drinks for expats, but only with the war did it finally find its real purpose. We had to take a break for some months just after the full-scale invasion, but we soon found our feet again. It has become a real community — one that brings amazing people together, supports good causes and gives back.
I’d love to keep building on that. Basically, I’m trying to become the Nokia of Kyiv: connecting people😉
Like everyone else, I do hope it will be soon, and in my heart, I know we will come out of it stronger. We didn’t “fall” after three days, did we?
The new “normal” won’t be what it was before the war started, that’s for sure. It just can’t be.
The memory of what’s been lost will always be with us. But I hope people will be able to rebuild what was lost and simply enjoy ordinary things again without constantly having war in the back of your mind.
I’m looking forward to the day when the biggest thing we’ll have to worry about is where to meet for dinner.
I feel like people abroad don’t realise how normal life can be even in the middle of a full-scale war. And how could they?
People go to work, start businesses, meet for drinks, have weddings, have kids, and celebrate.
VIDEO: ‘What keeps you in Kyiv?’
Life during war has not stopped, not even for a bit, but every moment is cherished as if it’s the last one. And I bet if you imagine that this is the last cup of coffee you’ll ever have, it will taste VERY different.
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