The night-train arrived in Mykolaiv at dawn.
I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept all night.
But as the sun rose, its golden light revealed something inescapable:
📌 War was everywhere.
📌 Bomb shelters at every corner.
📌 Buildings with their windows blown out—now hastily boarded up.
I felt an uneasiness in Mykolaiv that I hadn’t felt in Kyiv.
💬 "Kyiv has breaks from the missile attacks," a local told me. "Mykolaiv doesn’t."
And I could feel it—in the streets, in the air, in the way people moved. I was about to learn about Life and Death in Mykolaiv: A Filmmaker’s Journey.
Why Mykolaiv Is So Important to the War
During the Soviet era, Mykolaiv was a closed city—outsiders weren’t even allowed in.
📌 It was a military hub, where the Soviet Union built its warships.
📌 It sits on two major rivers, leading to the Black Sea.
📌 For Russia, it’s a strategic prize.
Because of this, the fighting here has been relentless.
The destruction is beyond comprehension.
An Invitation to Teach English—In a City Under Siege
As I walked through the ruined city, a man approached me.
💬 "Are you American?" he asked, excitedly.
I said yes.
💬 "Will you come to the Mykolaiv Library next week? We have an English class—it would mean so much to have a native speaker."
I had to explain that I wouldn’t be in Mykolaiv next week.
He looked genuinely disappointed.
It stopped me in my tracks.
💡 Here is a city that has been shelled relentlessly for over a year.
💡 And yet, people are still learning English. Still trying to build a future.
It was a reminder that life doesn’t stop—even in a war zone.
The Hotel That Felt Like a Ghost Town
That night, I stayed in a hotel that felt abandoned.
💬 "Desperate energy" is the only way I can describe it.
It felt like we were the first travelers there in a long time.
I didn’t sleep much.
📌 Air raid alarms blared through the night.
📌 Distant explosions lit up the sky—like flashes of lightning.
💡 I now knew the difference between a thunderstorm and war.
Who Stays, Who Runs, and Who Pretends Nothing Is Happening
On my final day in Mykolaiv, we ate at a small restaurant.
Then—📢 AIR RAID SIRENS.
I watched how people reacted.
There were three kinds of people:
1️⃣ Those who ran immediately to the nearest bomb shelter.
2️⃣ Those who got up slowly, paid for their meal, and then left.
3️⃣ Those who stayed, ignoring the sirens, continuing to eat.
Which one was I?
I finished my lunch. Had coffee. And then left.
Maybe that wasn’t the smart decision. But war changes your relationship with danger.
The Reality of Death—And How We Hide From It
🚀 The sirens went off again as we walked outside.
💡 Would running save me? Or would today be my day to die?
That’s the thing about war:
✔ In a place like Mykolaiv, death is always present.
✔ In a place like America, death is still present—we just pretend it isn’t.
Because whether you’re in a war zone or a peaceful country, death is always there.
The only difference?
📌 In a war zone, you’re reminded of it hourly.
📌 In a comfortable country, you forget about it.
But is it better to forget?
Why the West Hides From Death
In the West, we go to great lengths to avoid thinking about death:
📌 We hide the elderly in nursing homes.
📌 We sterilize death, making it something that happens in hospitals.
📌 We create illusions of control—thinking we can "plan" the end.
But in Ukraine?
📌 People know life is fragile.
📌 They don’t pretend otherwise.
🚀 Is that a more honest way to live?
💡 What do we lose by avoiding the reality of death?
Life and Death in Mykolaiv: A Filmmaker’s Journey. Final Thoughts: Lessons From Mykolaiv
There is nothing normal about living under constant attack.
And yet, in Mykolaiv, people:
✔ Go to work.
✔ Take English classes.
✔ Eat in restaurants—sometimes running to bomb shelters, sometimes not.
Because life doesn’t stop for war.
And whether we acknowledge it or not, life doesn’t stop for death either.
The only question is:
💡 Do we live in fear of it? Or do we accept it and keep moving forward?