A little over a year after Rachel Lehmann Ware and her husband, Duncan Ware, fled Ukraine, the Tasmanian teachers have now returned to Kyiv.
They were teaching at an international school in the Ukrainian capital when Russia invaded in February last year.
What followed was a dramatic, three-week escape with their three cats in tow, while bombs rained down on the country.
The couple touched down safely in Hobart in March last year, running into the embraces of family members.
However, they felt for the young students and teachers who were left behind.
"We were always determined to come back … it was just a matter of when, and when it was safe," Ms Lehmann Ware said.
The moment they crossed the border back into Ukraine in early April, Ms Lehmann Ware's heart filled with joy, she said.
"I was, I can't lie, a bit worried about coming back here," she said.
"But, coming back to Ukraine, it just feels like we've come home."
'The resilience of these kids is mind-blowing'
Driving through the west of the country, near Lviv, they saw pristine, beautiful countryside. But that scenery shifted as they headed east, approaching Kyiv.
"You could tell where the Russians had been — the distinctive footprint they left of destruction and decay," she said.
The scenes confronting them in Ukraine couldn't have been more different than when they began their teaching stint in 2021.
Buildings are scarred by shelling, military checkpoints abound, anti-tank barricades — nicknamed "hedgehogs" — remain on the streets, and a curfew from midnight until 5am is in place.
On Ms Lehmann Ware's second day back at school, the air raid sirens sounded.
Walking down the stairwell, Ms Lehmann Ware felt a wave of recognition: This was where she had sheltered during the early days of Russia's invasion.
Her year 6 students, all too familiar with the drill, descended into a bunker and their science experiment continued underground.
"There has been some very clear impact on them from this war, both emotionally, but also academically," Ms Lehmann Ware said.
She recalled one student being scared because his father worked as an engineer at one of the energy plants in Dnipro, where Russian forces have launched attacks on critical infrastructure.
"There were bombing attacks happening during school time. And he just didn't know if his dad was alive, and was clearly upset and quite traumatised," she said.
"We've had some children who have also been diagnosed with PTSD. There's been a lot of mental health issues for these children.
"We have, thankfully though, got a wonderful psychologist at our school, who helps them [and] is there for them.
"But, I must say, the resilience of these kids is mind-blowing."
The couple said they were determined to contribute to the education of Ukraine's next generation.
Helping to rebuild
Many of Ms Lehmann Ware's colleagues in Ukraine have been touched by the war: One of the school's security guards has joined the Ukrainian forces on the frontline, and a staff member's sister was in Irpin when it was under attack.
"She went through absolute hell getting out of there. Their car was shot up. They barely got out with their lives," Ms Lehmann Ware said.
Her assistant at the school has parents living in the northern city of Chernihiv, which was under siege for 39 days last year, and they were stuck without running water or electricity.
"They had to sneak out at night to get water and food, risked being shot. It was just horrendous, but they survived."
Ms Lehmann Ware said she and her husband have fundraised almost $1,500 for food and essentials to donate to families in Chernihiv.
Through humanitarian group Vans Without Borders, they connected with Oleh, a Chernihiv local, who has helped transport supplies to those in need.
And the couple will this week travel to Chernihiv with donated building supplies to help rebuild damaged homes.
"You've got mothers with kids sleeping on the floor in a friend's house, or in the cellar, still, because they just haven't got a house to go to," she said.
Escaping Ukraine was a harrowing ordeal that left them both with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — crowds of people or loud, unexpected noises, like hammering or fireworks, can trigger memories and cause anxiety.
"When you hear those sort of noises, you're just transported back all of a sudden, and you get … that sick feeling in your stomach and your heart [is] racing," she said.
The couple is grateful to the Tasmanian Department of Health for the counselling they provided, but they know it will take a long time to recover.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade "continues to advise Australians to not travel to Ukraine, due to the volatile security environment and military conflict", DFAT said in a statement.
They added the government's ability to provide consular access in Ukraine was "severely limited" and they could not evacuate Australians from Ukraine.
"Any Australians currently in Ukraine are urged to depart if it is safe to do so."
However, Ms Lehmann Ware said their return had been a healing process, too, and they would not be travelling to the east, where active battle on the frontlines continues.
"For those who think that maybe we're a bit crazy for coming back into a country that's actively in a war, I can understand … I know my own mother took a week to talk to me after I told her we were coming back," she said.
However, she said, she had been struck by the "unbelievable strength" of the Ukrainian people.
"The attempt by Putin to eradicate Ukrainian culture has had the reverse effect," she said.
"No-one speaks Russian anymore. Everyone is speaking Ukrainian. And it's just this real sense of pride in their culture.
"I think that's one of the reasons why we love it here so much, and why we have wanted to return … and be a part of rebuilding the country — in any small way we can."
