Eastern Europe is a place of contrasts. For me, these regions have been both foreign and familiar, breath taking and eye opening, beautiful and painful. The scars from recent conflicts are heartbreakingly evident in both the infrastructure and the people and yet there comes symbiosis through the desire to heal and rebuild.

I've heard first hand accounts and stories from those who experienced and survived wars and I've seen the ruins of bombed buildings, walls riddled with bullet holes.

Standing in front of these stark reminders of such a dark (yet very recent) past is such a humbling experience and I am thankful that this time of peace has allowed me to visit and discover the stories and strength of those who survived and those who are rebuilding.