Bracelet of Survival

The item I chose to write about is my family’s Ukrainian bracelet. Sometimes, my dad or my mom would wear it. Even though they don’t wear it that often now, it still cherishes so many memories. And there’s something about those colors—blue and yellow—that shows peace and bravery. The blue reminds me of the beautiful skies filled with magnificent clouds in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The yellow? It reminds me of fields of wheat wind-blown and sunflowers blooming in the sunlight. Together, the colors are simple, but the bracelet holds so many memories. 

I still remember when my mother told me that the Ukrainian bracelet had a whistle. It was part of the black bracelet clip. The bracelet has a whistle because it was used for soldiers to wear in case they got lost. She also told me that the name of the bracelet is called “Bracelet of Survival”. The meaning of the survival bracelet is that the fighter always carries it with him. And this bracelet was supposed to be used when the war started between Ukraine and Russia, around the year 2014. She also told me that when my father traveled to Kyiv for a few days, he bought this bracelet to support our country. Till this day, Ukraine is still fighting—not just with weapons, but with strong spirit. 

-Alice Rybchinskiy

– AR

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant