Brussels Diaries: The Feel of A City

When you move to a new place, even for a few months, at first you feel like an overly excited tourist.

You walk around with your camera, trying our local foods (in case of Belgium - also local beers) and just look at the world through rosy shades of a city neophyte.

Then you might get into a little bit of a funk. When you already saw all the sights, learned the necessary metro stations and got into a routine, you hit that part of adaptation, when you are neither here nor there - not a tourist anymore, but still not a local.

Until THAT day comes. (Please, read also The sense of HOME)

The day when you suddenly feel like you belong, for the first time.

The day when everything around you feels very nice and familiar, like the city accepted you finally.

A suitcase review and a Life Update

Hello, people!

Today I have a quick, but important life update for you, so here we go (remember to like and subscribe if you are as excited about the future content of my blog and channel as I am):

See you around! :)

Palermo Pride 2017

Hello, people!

I've been absent for quite a bit - due to travelling, dissertation writing, intense weeks full of seminars, and then some much-needed distraction because I really wasn't in the mood to see my laptop after submitting my first chapter. 

But I'm back now! And not only I have a great content for you, but also some exciting news to share in a few weeks.

Today I'm taking you to Palermo Pride 2017. 

Since I moved to Palermo, Pride has become not only my tradition but also one of the things I absolutely look forward to every summer. I go into it a little bit more in my video, so definitely check it out (and subscribe if you like my content!)

I support equality for everyone, that's why for me it's a big deal. I work in the social field, I volunteer since I was 16, I'm writing my PhD in human rights so I would've been a complete fraud if I wasn't supporting Pride.

I love that here, in Palermo, everyone is celebrating together. I love that I always meet so many great people there. I love that together we are not only having fun but also making a statement. 

 

I love that a Pride is possible here - in this form and with this level of freedom. In Kyiv we had a total of 4 Prides or Equality marches till this point:

- in 2014 there were two times more police than the participants;

- in 2015 a horrible attack from the part of far-right assholes happened, many people were beaten and one policeman almost died;

- in 2016 and 2017, when the threats from the far-right became completely unacceptable, they actually acted out as a promotion - many people who never thought about LGBTQI+ rights as rights finally saw that if you are quietly observing discrimination and oppression without even trying to do anything, you are working with oppressors. 

If this doesn't prove that hatred and narrow-mindedness are atavisms, I don't know what does. 

So here we are. Let me know what you think)

*All the photos are made by me. On the last two of them, you can see my wonderful friends who also came to support freedom and equality.

One-day trips around Sicily: Villa Cattolica in Bagheria

Hello, beautiful souls!

Today I want to suggest one more cool destinations you can visit in one day if you ever find yourself in Sicily and in need of some paintings, photographs, vintage movie posters and killer tiles. Seriously, #tilesgoals.

Coat - Sisley | Sweater - H&M | Jeans - Zara | Boots - Bata | Bag - Pieces via Asos

So yes, if you are in Sicily, you have a free day and want all of those things, you need to visit the museum at villa Cattolica in Bagheria.

But first, chack out my video on YouTube (and remember to subscribe) and read till the end of the post to know some of my suggestions and tips. 

Projects From The Heart - Traditional Dress Fashion Show

Hey, beautiful people!

This past Friday I had a great opportunity - my wondeful friends, creators of Palermo based cultural association Flowerful Embrace, invited me to participate in a fashion show. And not just an ordinary fashion - the traditional dress fashion show.

It was the second time when they organised this type of a fashion show and both times it went great. I love the fact that it unites fashion, diversity and cultural richness and functiones as an amazing tool for social inclusion and cultural dialogue.

Three years later

Three years ago, after a lot of thought, the revolutionary winter and one of many Lufthansa strikes, I finally managed to land in Palermo. 

It was Sunday, April 6. I remember wearing a denim shirt with leather collar, searching for my suitcase for ages, missing the bus to the city and waiting for half an hour in the rays of the warmest Sicilian sun. Oddly enough I didn't have any specific expectations or worries.

It was the beginning of a new adventure, but not more than that. 

 

I had quite specific plans for when I will come back to Kyiv, that included photography, politics, and going back to Thailand for a few months to work on my book. Sicily was one of the great steps on the way to mindful and enjoyable life, but I never planned to stay here more than for 9 months of my EVS project.

Palermo Sunday - Steve McCurry and photo exhibitions of 2016

Welcome to the new series - Palermo Sunday. It's more of a youtube series, because I'm really enjoying making Sunday vlogs, but I'm in the mood to extend this habit also to my blog.

So keep reading to see my first Sunday vlog, some photos and my ode to Steve McCurry - a genius photographer I've been admiring for years.

As I already wrote on numerous occasions, photography is one of my biggest passions in life.

I've got the "photography bug" from my dad, and one of my first memories in life is of him developing his black and white photos in the red light. So every time I have an opportunity to take one more photography class or see one more photography exhibition, I'm there in no time.

2016 in pictures

Hey, guys! Happy New Year! 

One of my favourite New Year morning traditions (besides eating leftover salads with a spoon while watching old movies) is to look back at the past year. Yes, I usually don’t do it before midnight (maybe I just want to make sure that the old year actually retired and will not get offended?). 

My last year’s post you can find here – 2015 in pictures. 

So, here we go. Many things had happened in 2016, good and bad, it was quite kind to me personally. I got to travel much more than I ever did, I got great opportunities, I worked hard and I’m quite happy with myself. I also got very aware of some of my limitations and started my own personal self-education – mostly on the topics of self-love, self-respect, not putting myself down and not letting anyone else do it.

I’ve met many wonderful people and sadly parted ways with some others. So let’s look into it month by month. 

Merry Christmas #1!

Merry Christmas! Buon Natale! Щасливого Різдва! Счастливого Рождества!

* This post was supposed to go up yesterday, on a Christmas day, but I guess something went wrong and I didn't see it on time.

I absolutely love this time of year, doesn't matter which country I'm living in. And for the last three years, I really enjoy having two Christmases - Catholic and Orthodox. I always loved our Ukrainian Christmas - with all the beautiful traditions, foods and carol singers. Now I have a chance to enjoy also the Italian one - with Christmas parties, panettone, all the decorations (and all the shops closed for eternity).

My first year in Italy we celebrated Christmas in our volunteer company - we were supposed to leave right after the holidays (later I found out that I can stay for a bit) and we wanted to hang out together. It was a great evening, with homecooked Christmas dishes from out countries, Secret Santa, silly photos and the A/C working non-stop - our apartment was criminally cold.

Cardigan, sweater, skirt - H&M // Bag - Pieces // Boots - Trivict // Earrings - DIY

My second Christmas in Palermo was a quiet dinner for two in a friend's apartment, in the company of a very friendly cat.

My third Christmas here was very similar to the first one and, at the same time, very different. It was full of laughs, great foods, talks, music and unexpected gifts, because even when Secret Santa made a mistake and forgot about me (how could he? I'm unforgettable!), I still received two of the cutest and sweetest presents, and it meant the world to me.

So now I'm looking forward to many more lovely Christmases - in Palermo, in Italy, anywhere, basically. Just the two of us or in a company, that can become my family away from home. 

As long as I can wear a sweater on a sweater in December and not even be bothered by a jacket!

Merry Christmas, people! And see you soon! We still have New Years, Christmas #2 and Epifania to celebrate!

Saying goodbyes in November

Hey, guys!

I'm really sorry for my absence, but between having no internet, then cracking my laptop screen (in a very mysterious way), constantly freezing in my room and also trying to do my main job - the research - I was feeling a bit lost, disorganised and unmotivated to do anything else. 

Thankfully it didn't last that long, so now I'm back full of ideas, inspiration and more organized schedule, that hopefully will allow me to write more and better, So in the nearest future I'm planning to share some stories from my October trip to Milan, more posts about my life in Palermo and even some videos.

I'm also planning one more exciting thing for this month - I'm currently creating another blog, that will be focused on my work as a youth worker, human rights trainer, PhD researcher and an active citizen. It's still in the process of making, but I promise you - when it will go live, you will be the first ones to know.

These photos actually have a special meaning, They were taken on the rooftop of Hotel Ambasciatory in Palermo city center (actually it's in the same building that was my first home in Palermo 2,5 years ago), We went there for a cup of coffee (and a beautiful view of the city) on a lovely Saturday afternoon in November. 

#45daysofblogging 41: the magic of chocolate

Day 41 - September 27

This post in going to be a chatty one again.

Yesterday we celebrated two special occasions - I finally finished everything regarding our Human Library project and my friend Anna finished performing in Madame Butterfly. 

So what is the best way to celebrate something? To bake a cake, of course. So that's what we did. She came over to my apartment, we put that famous brownie from 45daysofblogging - day 6 in the oven and just chatted on the kitchen until it was ready. Then one more friend came over and we spend the whole evening on my balcony - speaking, eating brownie and just enjoying our own company.

It was a perfect evening - it didn't take any effort or even preparation (this brownie cooks itself), but it was much more enjoyable and comforting than any big party would be. 

And once again I thought about simple joys of life... Since I first moved to Palermo, I've noticed that I forgot about my typical weekend program I tend to follow in Kyiv (normally sleeping, eating, watching TV-show and then sleeping again). In Palermo I started respecting my evenings, weekends and free mornings so much more - I always try to take the most out of them and spend more time with the people I love. And something as easy as a bar of chocolate turned into a brownie can be a great reason to see your friends and have a nice simple evening together. 

This is the magic of chocolate. Of a cup of coffee and a cornetto on a balcony on sunny weekend morning. Of cooking and eating together. Of being a tourist for a day in your own city - take a guide tour, enter the places you never had time to visit, send a postcard to your distant friends. To go out for lunch and take a walk in the sun afterwards. Invite your friends for a movie night. Make a crepe party and ask people to bring they favorite condiments. 

Just be creative and open to new ideas. Spend time with friends and loved ones. Make surprises. Take opportunities. Catch any interesting experience. Travel to the next city. And just enjoy!

See you.

#45daysofblogging 39: what is Human Library?

Day 39 - September 25

As you already know, I'm writing these posts on the daily basis, but I post them with a bit of a delay, as I still have no internet at home (I don't even want to think about it, but I'm afraid I will have to search for another apartment, if this issue will not be resolved). So yes, when you see words "today" or "yesterday", consider the date on top of the post.

#45daysofblogging 36: BookClub... but not really

Day 36 - September 22

Palermo always knows how to impress me, especially with cool new projects I've never seen before.

For example this event, that now takes place in Palermo every week, each time in a new location.

#45daysofblogging 30: Madame Butterfly

Day 30 - September 16

Going to opera is great, but going to see someone you know in the opera you like is... Well, it's better than great!

As I mentioned in my post about going up the Cattedrale, Teatro Massimo is one of the biggest attractions of Palermo. Not just because it's the biggest opera theater in Italy and the third biggest in Europe, but also because the last scenes of one of Godfather movies was shot here. 

#45daysofblogging 28: up and about

Day 28 - September 14

On a lovely day in the middle of July, right before going to Slovenia, I had a day of an absolute bliss - it got colder in Palermo. 

If you haven't lived through a very hot humid summer, you cannot even imagine, how much of a difference 7 degrees can make. Finally I was able to breath, to think, to sleep through the night, to write and do something creative by once.

What is EVS?

As I mentioned in a few of my previous posts, the first time I came to Sicily for a volunteering project. Actually, it was a complete accident, but yeah, some people call it coincidence, I call it fate.

After returning to Kyiv from Thailand, I was very happy to be back home. Well, I was very happy for about a month. After that, when all the emotions faded, all the Thai presents were gifted, all the delicious food and all the Cambodian coffee was finished the reality kicked in (even though I still have dreams about that coffee…)

I realised that I’m back to where I started from - in my room, just that now it was decorated with lovely Thai lights. And somewhere there, far-far away, the world continues to be interesting and full of adventures. Just that someone else was living it, not me.

Don’t get me wrong, it was my decision to leave Thailand and go back home. It was a great experience, but for various reasons, at this point of my life, I can’t see myself moving to Chiang Mai permanently. But the desire for adventures was already fully awakened and wanted to dance.

So I started researching volunteering opportunities – my newly grown sense of self was telling me that I shouldn’t even be bothered with searching for a job as I will not be happy in a corporate environment anymore.

My article about the life of Palermo

A few weeks ago I got an offer to write an article about Palermo and the way it embraces diversity for a Ukrainian cultural magazine. 

Of course I agreed. Palermo became my second home two years ago, and I have a lot of admiration for the way people here find ways to live together quite happily, even in the face of economic crisis, all types of migration and high levels of corruption. 

Sicily is one of the most diverse regions in Europe - not only due to migration, but also to comparatively low prices and developed civil society, that brings here many international volunteers, interns and Erasmus students.

So I wrote an article about all the projects I personally am involved with and the ones I know about, about block parties and Palermo Pride, about Catholic church that invites Muslim community to pray, as they currently have no mosque and works with LGBTQI organisations to organize manifestations against hate crimes, about international volunteers that make workshops on urban gardening for children from underprivileged neighborhoods and many other things that I see with my own eyes every day.

Unfortunately the article is available only in Ukrainian, but if there's any interest in this topic, I'd love to write something regarding this topic also in English. 

You can read the article by clicking on the link:

PALERMO: THE PLACE FOR EVERYONE

How I wear my... resort look

Yes, it's "How I wear my..." time of the month again! Check out other ladies' take on resort/vacation look here, over on Jill's blog.

My trusty WEARdrobe - 9 items that survived three moves between countries and continents

Growing up, I've always wanted to be a world traveler. You know, one of those people that can casually drop something like: "I bought this shawl from an old lady on the souk in Marrakesh, and used it as a blanket on my trip to Amazonian jungles". Okay, let’s just admit - I desperately wanted to be cool and mysterious. 

Now, after living in different countries, travelling around and having quite a few adventures, I feel like a giant dork, when people ask me where I bought, for example, my gray scarf. Because yes, technically I bought it in the mountains of Northern Thailand after negotiating the price via a calculator for a while. And yes, I used it as a blanket in a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, because they are always overly air-conditioned. But all this seemingly charming ambiance doesn't change the fact that I could've bought the same factory-made scarf in a mall in Kyiv. 

So this post is not about the romantic flair of travelling and finding gems in jungles. I would love it to be about rationality and sustainability, about choosing the right amount of trusty functional things that can serve you throughout many years, places and moves. 

In my opinion nothing tests the quality of clothes better than traveling or moving into a different country with it. When you are living at home, you most probably have quite a stash of clothes and your own washing machine, that doesn’t tear the holes in the fabric. But living out of a suitcase means wearing and washing everything you own three, four, five, ten times more often than before, and not many pieces will survive this.

When I moved to Thailand, I had a very, VERY limited wardrobe of 20 items (not including shoes) that occupied not more than 1/3 of my suitcase. You can see the amount of clothes I had back then if you will follow the link, but I can only describe that “WEARdrobe” as “two of each” – two pairs of shorts, two t-shirts, two skirts, two dressy tops (never worn any of them)… 

When I was moving to Italy for the first time, I was already more experienced in living out of a suitcase. But at the same time I was facing a new task. I needed to bring clothes for 9 months and every occasion – for summer and winter, for office and free time, for hiking and going to the beach. (spoiler alert – I managed!)

This time I landed on Sicily with the same trusty backpack and a standard plastic suitcase, and this time my task was even more interesting – I was packing for at least three years. And as I was unpacking in my tiny dorm room in Palermo, I realized one thing – there are items that were with me through all of these moves, came with me to Sicily for the second time and still didn’t let me down.

I counted 9 wardrobe pieces that were with me in Thailand, during my volunteering in Palermo and are still with me now, when I started my PhD experiences. So it’s time to meet my trusty friends: 

My article about life on Sicily

Some time ago I was contacted and offered to become a part of a project about Ukrainians who live abroad and write an article about my life on Sicily.

I had the best time writing, editing and looking through my photo archives, so now I'm very, very pleased with the result. Unfortunately it's only available in Russian, but I plan to translate it into English in the nearest future.

You can read the article and/or look at the photos by clicking on the link:

LIFE ON THE ISLAND