Greetings, My Name Is Iryna Klymenko and I was born on October 11, 1980. I have two sons, who are now 7 and 17 years old. Our family comes from the glorious city of Odesa. Here I received a higher education as an energy engineer. However, I am a seamstress and florist by profession. I am one of those lucky people who managed to make their hobbies not only interesting, but also profitable.
For the last 8 years, I have not worked and do household chores: I take care of the coziness and comfort of the family. I also devote time to my hobbies: knitting and gardening. I just love my garden, because it is here that I grow unique flowers: they are very beautiful and well-groomed.
My calm and well-balanced life suddenly changed on 24.02.22. I didn’t really follow the political situation, so I didn’t even watch the news in the morning. It all started unexpectedly… We, as every day, were going to school with the children, but suddenly the teacher wrote not to bring students, because the invasion began! We were confused and didn’t understand: how is it? Of course, I immediately started monitoring the internet. The news I saw was simply stunning! I will never forget when I heard the sound of the siren — it was very scary!
This is our first experience of the war, but despite the horror, we stayed at home. Of course, we took care of security: we prepared a bomb shelter and everything necessary. This may be a strange decision, but we couldn’t leave our own house, even though we were going to several times. The mind often just screams: it’s time to run away. But my heart is drawn to my native places and landscapes. So, I can’t talk myself into going!
With the outbreak of war, life became different. But most of all, our views on it and on the usual things have changed! Always friendly and sunny, the city is overgrown with trenches and structures for protection. The streets became empty because there were fewer people, and rare passers-by became less smiling. No wonder. It is very scary to see rockets in our blue sky and feel explosions. Yes, I was not mistaken — it is to feel. This vibration and shaking of the ground are very scary. And sirens also frighten, especially in the middle of the night.
I try not to lose heart. And there isn’t much time for worries. After all, I help children finish their studies. The eldest son still needs to enter a higher educational institution. I am motivated by my children, and I still have hope for our victory! I believe that Ukraine will be a free and prosperous country! Now I grow beautiful plants and flowers. I can imagine how after the victory I will give them to girls who do not have wonderful gardens left! I don’t forget about useful things. We often knit camouflage nets and, as far as possible, help migrants.
I also devote time to knitting. My mother taught me how to make the first loops when I was 14 years old. She herself learned from a labor teacher. My mother was very good at knitting. At first, I got carried away with the process, but then the needlework was forgotten for a while. When I was pregnant with my first son, I started knitting things for him. Lots of things. I didn’t let go of the knitting needles anymore!) I even expanded my own capabilities. I like to come up with something new in the design of things. I constantly develop some fresh variations of colors and loops. I knit according to my own design. Therefore, my products are always unique.
As I knit, I calm down. This is my fragrance, my way of meditating. Thanks to this skill, I seem to give a piece of my own soul to my loved ones! When I knit, my thoughts are laid out on the shelves). As I make each new loop, I think about something beautiful and nice, and I also allow myself to dream a little about a peaceful life. Probably everyone in Ukraine now has only 1 dream. I hope it will come true soon.