I can confidently say—to both you and myself—that the summer camp at MPW in London was one of the brightest memories of my entire life. I cannot describe the emotions I felt when I heard that I had received a place at this camp. This kind of news is usually announced on Zoom, so without any second thoughts I joined the link that Daria had sent. There were four of us in the online room: me, Nastia—my Svitlo classmate—Daria, and Yuliia. They casually asked us about how we were doing and how school was going, and then joyfully announced the news. I couldn’t hold back my emotions, so I remember crying for a long time and talking about how badly I had wanted to go to London.
So, after getting my visa, scrolling through countless posts about London and England in general, and packing our suitcases, we set off on our journey. Our first obstacle appeared already in Krakow. We planned to spend the time before the flight walking around the city, but things didn’t go as expected: it rained all day, and we couldn’t find a single place to leave our luggage. As a result, we spent 16 hours at the airport. At times it was difficult—we hadn’t thought to buy food and it was cold at night—but despite everything, the girls and I still managed to have a good time together.
It was my very first flight, so it added a strong emotional layer to the whole trip. I remember looking down at the first English lands from above and simply not believing that this was really happening to me. As soon as I got off the plane, I heard English—the language that already felt so familiar—and it felt as if I had stepped into a fairy tale. On the way to the camp, we tried to start a conversation with the taxi driver and immediately immerse ourselves in the English-speaking environment.
At the camp, we were welcomed very warmly and given a tour of the dormitory. Everyone had their own room, which became a cozy and safe space for each student. I quickly got to know everyone and completely forgot about my fears, deciding to simply enjoy the experience to the fullest.
On the second day of our stay in London, we had excursions planned. That was when we first used the London Underground. I remember walking out of the station and suddenly seeing the London Eye right in front of me. I was absolutely speechless—I couldn’t believe my eyes. Then Nastia told me to turn my head, and at that very moment I saw the iconic Big Ben. The same Big Ben that appears in every English textbook, the one everyone thinks of as soon as England is mentioned. I think that was the day I truly bonded with the girls with whom I later spent all my time at the camp. It was something completely new, because the girls were from different countries: Turkey, China, Latvia, and Germany. Every day I even had the chance to practice Chinese, which strongly motivated me to continue learning the language.
For two weeks, I also studied on a business course. At first, it was difficult because I didn’t know much of the vocabulary and specific terms, but every day I studied in my free time. By the end of the course, I could communicate freely and discuss various topics with confidence.
On our free day, the girls and I decided to visit Big Ben and its surroundings once again. We even took photos next to the famous red telephone booth. We walked through St James’s Park, where wild pelicans and squirrels roam freely and are not afraid of people at all. I also managed to meet Yuliia and her family. It was incredibly sweet to see our little Svitlo star—Yuliia’s daughter, Nina. We had a heartfelt conversation, although I was sad that we had so little time together. I was truly happy to meet the person from whom the Svitlo journey began—the attempt to change our lives and show us that we are capable of so much more.
I also cannot help but mention our teacher Kate, whom we had the opportunity to meet as well. Our conversation felt like a warm chat between a grandmother and her granddaughters. Kate treated us to coffee at a café, and we went for a short walk together. It’s funny that we brought gifts for her, but we were so absorbed in the conversation that we only remembered them on our way back to the dormitory. I hope that next year I will have the chance to give her my gift in person.
It is sad that these two weeks passed so quickly, but I am happy that they were so full and meaningful. As Yuliia said, “Don’t be sad that it is over, be happy that it happened.” I was truly surprised by the mentality—people are completely different, very friendly, and always ready to help. The driver who took us to the airport asked us about Ukraine and our time in London, helped us with our luggage and passport control, and then gave Nastia and me £10, telling us to buy something for ourselves. At that moment, I burst into tears, and later I cried together with my other Svitlo classmates for two days in a row while we were on our way home.
I am sincerely grateful to Svitlo for this experience. I am sure it was the first, but not the last. I still cannot believe that all of this happened to me. Svitlo gives me—and I am confident many other Ukrainian teenagers—hope and a chance for a better future. Love you, my family:)
