Today marks one-year since Ukraine woke up from the sounds of explosions on February 24, 2022.
It happened in the early morning while people were sleeping peacefully within their homes.
It was 7am when my boyfriend woke me up to say that I needed to read the news and phone my family back in Ukraine.
Immediately, I grabbed my phone and saw messages and missed calls from relatives and friends who lived in my home city of Odesa.
"I got woken up at 5am. We have heard some explosions," said one of my friends.
For a good moment, I didn't know how to respond. There was still a sense of disbelief that it was happening.
Some people packed their bags and were ready to cross the border straight away...some didn't know what to do.
I patiently waited on everyone's response and only helped when they needed it by looking up the tickets for trains, helping to find a taxi or looking up which country provided shelters.
It is impossible to describe how you feel when you know that your loved ones are in danger and you are so far away in Scotland and unable to do anything.
I grew up in Odesa until I was 14-years-old and moved with my family to Scotland, where my dad is from.
I never expected that 10 years later I would cover stories about my home country being invaded while I am pursuing my career in journalism.
I remember visiting many cities and towns while living in Ukraine, including Kyiv and Kharkiv.
After moving to Scotland nine years ago, I would visit Odesa every time I had an opportunity as I still had my mum's side of the family and friends there.
The last time I went back to Odesa was my mum's birthday in December 2021 , just two months before the tragic events would unfold.
I remember flying there with my parents and sister to celebrate with our family and friends. We never knew that it would be our last visit for a while.
It doesn't sink in when you see pictures after the bombing, especially when you know how beautiful it looked before.
For me it is a warm childhood memory, for others it was their home which was cruelly taken from them.
Here we are lucky here to have water, electricity, food, medication and other necessities.
In the last 12 months there were times when my grandparents would not respond to my text messages for three days or sometimes a week. I wouldn't know what to think.
I was patiently waiting and trying to distract my thoughts until I heard something from them.
Hundreds of missile drones aimed at Ukraine's energy infrastructure have left millions of people without power, and my family wasn't an exception.
While the rest of the world lit up the streets with Christmas decorations, Ukrainians were using torchlights and wearing extra layers to keep them warm during a brutal winter.
Millions of people decided to stay in their homes as they have spent their whole lives there or some people wanted to stay close to their husbands, brothers and sons as they weren't able to leave the country.
I had to respect people's decisions, but it never gets easier to watch the news while you know so many people are still there.
Houses are flattened in Ukraine by bombing and each time you are horrified that ordinary families are suffering this nightmare while simply sleeping in their bed.
Some of my family and friends had to escape the war and find shelter all over the world.
I am incredibly proud that in these circumstances they found some strength to find jobs in new countries, learn new languages, embrace a new culture and just leave all their lives behind just to be safe.
My parents drove and flew to Romania multiple times to pick up our family members and friends at the borders. In the last year, they helped 14 people to find a new home in Scotland.
Imagine fleeing your home with only a few items that you can carry.
My family told me if they could they would have taken old photos, all the memories they have collected over the years, but there was no time or space for this.
People are leaving their lives behind and they don't know if they will be able to return to their homes. They constantly think if it will be destroyed by bombing.
I remember picking up our family friend from the airport and how on the way back even a loud bang from the train would trigger a memory.
It is impossible to forget immediately, even if you move to a new safe environment, the memories are still stuck with you.
Even though millions of Ukrainians found refuge in other countries and places like here in Ayrshire, it is impossible to stop thinking about their home and many are waiting to return.
I wish it was just a nightmare. I wish so many people were alive and feeling safe in their own homes but this is what we have to face in the 21st century.
Like many people, I hope to visit my hometown Odesa again.
I know that Ukrainians are determined to press on to victory and we can all hug our loved ones soon.
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