What’s Difficult is Easy, What’s Simple is Hard

Unexpected Joys and Pitfalls of Moving (back) to Ukraine

It started on Sunday night as I left Krakow for the last time as a resident. Some friends and I had loaded up our van with everything we had come to Krakow with two and a half years ago when the war escalated. Everything we had acquired in the meantime barely filled up a quarter of the available space. It still seems like a lot of stuff. When we came, it was with a couple of suitcases all packed into (and onto) our RAV4.

I’m traveling with my dog, and my wife, child, and mother-in-law will join me in four days, coming in by train. The van doesn’t have seats for more than two adults at the moment. I like driving at night, so I don’t mind rolling out at nine o’clock with a quick stop to drop off a few things at a friend’s house. Turn the radio up, stop for coffee, and whenever I get lonely, there’s a little ball of fur who is happy to keep me company. Doctor (that’s my dog’s name) sits up straight in the passenger seat most of the time, keeping a careful eye out for… stray cats? threatening dogs? Or maybe he likes traffic. Occasionally, I roll the window down, and he sticks his head out.

I imagine that sticking one's dog snout into a headwind is rather like watching a fireworks show for humans. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell, and they are getting it full blast at fifty kilometers per hour. Any faster, and he pulls his head in—sensory overload.