A girl from Ukraine has joined the theater government students. Her father, cat and grandparents stayed there, while her mother, younger sister and Diana herself were sent away before the war. Since the mother’s sister had escaped a little earlier and landed in Riga, her path also led here via Warsaw. A complete stranger picked her up in his car and brought her here. Diana studied screenwriting with a focus on television at the University of Kiev, which was located near the downed TV tower, but of course there is nothing going on there today, although the buildings are not yet damaged. It’s a strange life, Diana says – it started with Covid, with distance learning, quarantine and living on the Internet, then the Russian invasion happened and everything became even more surreal. They come from Rivne, a town in western Ukraine, so still relatively far from the fighting, but not so far from the Belarusian border, from which rockets are also fired. It is unbelievable to watch this, whereby – rather to hear than to see. The father hid the women of his family in a closet. They don’t have a bunker or at least a basement, but the father says the house is well built and the first floor is pretty safe. They often had to sit in the closet, but it’s safer where there are no missiles flying. They are in contact, at the moment everything is going as usual. Meanwhile, in Riga, Diana can meet with her peers and talk without technical gadgets, and after a few years life will return to its old form. Today is a sunny day, dense snow has fallen, a lot of light. And the aunt got a job, she works for a company that makes drones that are sent to Ukraine. This semester, students at the Academy are exploring absurdist drama.
Teātra režijas studentiem piebiedrojusies meitene no Ukrainas. Tēvs, kaķis un vecvecāki palika tur, kamēr mammu, jaunāko māsu un Diānu tika nolemts sūtīt tālāk no kara. Tā kā mammas māsa bija devusies bēgļu gaitās mazliet agrāk un nokļuvusi Rīgā, tad arī viņu ceļš caur Varšavu veda šurp. Kāds pilnīgi svešs cilvēks paņēmis savā mašīnā un atvedis. Diāna mācījās Kijevas universitātē, kas atradās netālu no sašautā televīzijas torņa, apguva tur scenāriju rakstīšanu ar akcentu uz televīziju, bet tur tagad, protams, nekas vairs nenotiek, lai gan ēkas vēl nav cietušas. Dīvaina dzīve, saka Diāna – sākās ar Covid, ar attālinātām mācībām, karantīnām un dzīvi internetā, tad Krievijas iebrukums un viss kļuva vēl nereālāk. Viņi ir no Rivnes, pilsētas Ukrainas rietumos, tātad vēl patālu no aktīvās karadarbības, taču ne tik tālu no Baltkrievijas robežas un raķetes šauj arī no turienes. Neticami, to pieredzēt, vairāk gan dzirdēt nekā redzēt. Tēvs savas ģimenes sievietes slēpa skapī. Bumbu patvertnes vai kaut pagraba viņiem nav, taču tēvs saka, ka māja ir labi uzbūvēta un pirmais stāvs esot visai drošs. Skapī nācās sēdēt bieži, bet drošāk tomēr tur, kur vispār nelido raķetes. Viņi sazinās, pagaidām tur viss pa vecam. Tikmēr Rīgā Diāna var satikt, sarunāties ar vienaudžiem bez gadžetu starpniecības, pēc vairākiem gadiem dzīve atkal tās vecajā veidolā. Šodien ir saulaina diena, uzsnidzis biezs sniegs, daudz gaismas. Un Tante ir dabūjusi darbu, strādā firmā, kas ražo dronus, kurus sūta uz Ukrainu. Šajā semestrī studenti akadēmijā apgūst absurda dramaturģiju.