It was a balancing act between two worlds, the safe, secure life in Germany on the one hand and the magical attraction of a foreign country on the other. With time, for the German journalist and author, Brigitte Schulze, Ukraine became a second home. She lived and worked there for more than twenty-five years. Kiev, Odessa, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk were some of the stations of her life in Ukraine, a life that was not always without personal risks. Courageously she met all challenges and implemented professional projects together with partners from Germany, Ukraine, and the countries of the European Union as well as of the United States. When the war in East Ukraine began, she was appointed as an observer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).Then came the first thoughts of leaving her beloved Ukraine. What had happened? What was the last straw? With her Ukrainian friends she found warmth and support but the social and bureaucratic structures of the country wore her continually down. Corruption and resentment had replaced the ideal of a common prosperity. At the same time, she had to see the people in eastern Ukraine suffer the effects of a dramatic conflict. The hope to bring about peace could not be realized.The story contained in this book can be read like a novel. But it is the true story of the German author Brigitte Schulze who's life is full of every new adventures. It is a unique insider view to Ukraine and a wonderful love story with priceless background information about Ukraine.

The Author Brigitte Schulze was professionally active in Ukraine for more than twenty-five years. She began in Kiev as a freelance ­correspondent for numerous German media. Then, as a consultant for media ­policies, she promoted the ­professional development of ­journalists in Ukraine. In ­Odessa, she served several years as an advisor for ­cultural ­promotion and tourism. For her dedicated commitment to the presenta­tion of an authentic picture of Ukraine to the rest of the world, in her travel guides and other publications, the ­Council for ­Tourism and Health Resorts in Kiev awarded her the title of ­Ambassador for ­Ukrainian ­Tourism. Repeatedly in the past, she had plans to leave ­Ukraine but a new, interesting project always ­detained her. When the ­conflict in East Ukraine began, she was in action again, this time as an ­observer with the ­Organization for ­Security and ­Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Her precise observations and, in particular, her numerous personal ­contacts with the people in Ukraine give her a profound ­understanding of the country. In her travel books she describes ­her encounters with the Ukrainian people and country with ­sensitivity and empathy. Now, in this book, she presents a very personal view of her life and ­experiences in Ukraine. She intensively experienced the development of ­Ukraine during the years before and since ­independence in 1991. This makes her anecdotes and reports about this country so authentic.