Dasha Vlasenko 15, female from Chernihiv

My name is Dasha. I’m 15 years old. I’m in the 9th grade and I really want to become a landscape designer, I have a lot of friends, I like to draw, walk, I used to play sports and I like to play volleyball.

My mother is in the hospital. We communicate very well. I don’t remember my birth father. I have a stepfather who is wonderful. I have two older sisters. The eldest has a son so I’m already an aunt.

I live with my grandmother and stepfather in the village but my stepfather is serving in the war.  I’ll soon move from them to my sister because of my studies. The war changed my life. It’s very scary when there’s a siren. I am under so much stress. I always cry when I see people dying. My stepfather is serving in the war and I am almost always in a depressed mood.

I imagine that when I go to America I will find friends with whom I will communicate in the future. I also imagine that I will learn English and be able to communicate freely and learn about myself and understand what I like. I have a half-sister who has become my best friend. I like to listen to music, especially in English.   I never thought that I would have the opportunity to go to America and learn to speak English more fluently.