It’s been a year since the escalation of war in Ukraine and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Millions of people are trying to pick up the pieces and recover. But with the attacks still in full force, they cannot help but wonder: how does one begin to move forward against the backdrop of pain and anguish?

Bucharest, 20 February 2023 – Anastasia* thought she was fine – until she wasn’t. She has been waiting at the bus station in downtown Iași, in northeastern Romania, for well over an hour. The 30-minute journey on Bus 6 now represents her daily commute between the city centre and the collective centre where she has been staying since the war started last year.

The 60-year-old had worked as an accountant for over 30 years, managing 13 different bank branches across Ukraine. Over the years, she became a widely respected figure among her peers, while a myriad of subordinates religiously followed her instructions.

Today, each time a bus pulls into the station, she looks up at the number but doesn’t recognize it anymore. She knows the numbers and she knows that she knows them. She has seen them many times before, and yet, they seem strange.

It’s not embarrassing to ask someone to explain something to you when you don’t know the language, she thinks. It’s not awkward to request support when you have a visual impairment, she knows. This, however, feels different.

Her bus comes and goes several times until she finally musters the courage to ask for help to identify the right bus. Having dealt with figures her entire life, the realization that her brain can’t tell a six from a seven has been a frightening one for Anastasia.