Blue Skies

Ukraine is gritty, it's undiscovered, it's misunderstood, and it's a hidden gem in Eastern Europe. It has its difficulties due to war, ununified identity, and complex history. Yet, it captures a traveler in its hospitality, culture, and sense of curiosity. Blue Skies is a collection of short stories that illuminates each of these elements, woven through a coming-of-age passage of a young American in Ukraine. It is not a travel guidebook that groups Ukraine with other countries in Eastern Europe, nor is it a detailed examination of Ukraine's history, language, or latest news. It is the reflections of a traveler's explorations and discoveries in cities across Ukraine, from the western city of Lviv to the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Through her own personal grief and loss, author Kat Rose explores the obstacles that travelers often face on the road: balancing work and travel, maintaining existing relationships while building new ones, and merging old beliefs with new discoveries. Blue Skies takes readers on the adventurous ride of what it's like to travel, live, and teach in Ukraine through the lens of openness towards strangers, perseverance through obstacles, and hope in the darkness.