My name is Anastasia Bukhanenko, and I have an 8-year-old named Arina. I am a manager in international tourism and sociocultural activities, but I am not working in my field. It’s a bit of a tough time for tourism: COVID-19, the war. Things didn’t go as planned. 

I come here to the Chernihiv Central City Library three times a week to study English. Additionally, I bring my child here for English lessons. I really like it. We have a very good teacher. She explains everything clearly and interacts well with children, teaching them in a playful way. It’s really great. I leave here in high spirits because we have a friendly group and good interactions. 

Mostly we take children’s books because I don’t have much time to read for myself. But for my child, we read fairy tales and other stories before bed. 

I can’t borrow books in English yet, but I hope to. I would like to read modern literature in English. And classics like Shakespeare and other authors we studied in translation in world literature classes. It would be wonderful to read the original once I learn English. I’d really enjoy that. 

My child prefers something more modern, like stories about girls her age. Her favourite book is Judy Moody. It’s about a third-grade girl who has mood swings, just like my daughter. She also loves poems. 

The library really helps distract us from the war. It’s like entering a peaceful corner. You learn something new and worry less about the war.  

Of course, we wish none of this were happening and that we could live peacefully and come to the library. Because during alerts, you can’t come here either. But we try. For adults, English lessons are held only if there’s no heightened alert warning us drones or missiles are flying over.  

But children’s lessons are always cancelled even during lower level alerts that tell us of drones and missiles flying nearby. There were several times when the alert went on just as we were on our way to the library, and we had to return home. 

I’d like to say this is a great initiative when donors sponsor programs. It allows us to have English classes and access English-language literature that we can read. It’s amazing and wonderful. 

Find more about PEN Ukraine’s Unbreakable Libraries programme. All images (c) SKozliuk2024