Sofia. Isle of Portland, UK
2024
I saw Sofia for the second time. She, her mother, and her younger brother moved again, this time to South Dorset. They had been forced to leave Ukraine at the beginning of the war.
I remember walking along the coast with Sofia. We talked a lot about home and our feelings. She was very honest and brave in her words, “I don’t know where my home is. My home is here now. With her smile, and then with tears, she said, “No one has ever spoken to me like this..” These words have stayed with me for a long time, as a reminder of our natural need for true connection. These tears, our sincerity, are what is real and what makes us human in the face of extremely difficult challenges.
