Anastasia Kantemyr 15, female from Kharkiv

Hello! My name is Anastasia, I’m fifteen years old, and I live in Derhachi, a town near Kharkiv—one of the largest cities in Ukraine. The war changed my life and caused a lot of damage in my town, including to homes and infrastructure. Despite the ongoing shelling, people are doing their best to rebuild. I try not to be sad and focus on the things I enjoy.

My favorite hobbies are reading and building Legos. I love fiction, especially fantasy—it feels like stepping into a fairytale. My top three books are The Cruel Prince, A Touch of Darkness, and A Dream of Us. I also enjoy creating with Legos, especially mini and 3D sets, and I’m collecting Lego flowers.

There are five people in my family. My parents grow flowers like roses and tulips, along with vegetables. My dad is a farmer, and we have many animals. Even though my parents work a lot, we spend fun evenings together and love going to rivers and forests. My parents are my peace.

I have two sisters: Ilona, who is 21 and studies at university, and Karina, who is 9. Ilona and I go shopping or walk around the city when she has free time—I can share all my secrets with her. Karina is smart and playful. We cook sweets, watch cartoons, and play games. After watching Mufasa: The Lion King, she pretended to be a lion chasing me—it turned into a fun game of tag!

We also have many pets: a cat named Murchyk, a dog named Pixel, two parrots (Molly and Motty), a hamster named Lisa, and my guinea pig, Bomba. Each pet belongs to someone in the family. Pixel is 11 and has trouble with his paws, but we all love him—so do the neighborhood kids. Murchyk is lazy but sometimes runs around the house and plays with the curtains. Bomba is a bit lazy too, but he often lies on my legs while I do homework.

Thank you for reading about me and my family. I’m happy I could share a piece of my world with you!