Meet Elena Sophya.

Sometimes it is in the darkest times that we find light and our strongest will to live. Sounds tricky, right? This is how I found myself here, in London. 

My name is Elena Sophya, I am a Ukrainian actor and scriptwriter who recently moved to the UK because of the war in my country. I remember being a 10-year-old child and writing myself letters from the future me, saying everything will be alright, I will be a famous actor and author, living in London and having a happy life doing what I love.

I told myself that no matter how hard it is, I have to carry on pursuing my dream. That I can never give up.

I remember proudly walking to my acting classes at university with an enormous golden bag with  “LONDON” in huge letters on it. I bet you could see me a mile away. 

So I always had this feeling – I have to be here. And now I am. But I never thought the price would be so unbearably big and horrifying. Even so, I have never felt the will to live so strongly and I have never wanted to do what I love as much as I do now. 

Saying that it is hard moving to another country because of the war in your homeland and starting your whole life from scratch is saying nothing. It’s constant burnout, doing more than you could imagine you are capable of, pushing yourself beyond your limits, drowning in an ocean of horrifying news, non-stop animal fear for your loved ones at home and so very much trying to hold yourself together. 

But also, it’s about being happy to be alive, that you have been given the biggest gift to just be. I am going to share my story with you and tell you about my three dreams: life before the war, the war, and my life in London. I speak of them as dreams because it’s hard to understand whether any of these are real. All I know for sure is that my will to live and to create is. 

And I hope that by sharing my story with you I will gently remind both you and myself that we must never give up on life. Because it is the most incredible gift we can ever be given.