Hello, amazing people, and welcome back to the new day of Vlogmas!
I don’t know if you believe in the Law of Attraction, but I definitely do.
And this is a small example why.
Two years ago I was on a project in Armenia and met the loveliest girl named Helena – she was Spanish, but at that point was living in Copenhagen for quite a bit.
One beautiful September day we were having coffees at a beautiful terrace café in Yerevan together because everyone else went to the Genocide Museum. So we were talking about the life and educational system in Denmark. And I clearly remember telling her that I honestly had no idea how do people live in Denmark. Not even “a single story” that I might have got from a movie or a TV-show. I could more or less imagine how people might live in France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Poland – thanks to media. But how do people actually live in Denmark?
Please, mind that it was 2015 – the year before hugge-industry started dominating the world, as well as Instagram and Pinterest. So I was trying to visualize it based on Helena’s stories, and…
What do you know? In less than 6 months I got a chance to go for a seminar in Sweden. The organizers sent me the info kit with a very clear instruction on how to get to the village where we were staying: “Fly to Copenhagen and take the train over the bridge there”. I couldn’t believe my eyes and managed to spend almost two days in Copenhagen – one on my way to Sweden and one on my way back.
Six months later I went to see opera on the screen outside of Teatro Massimo (a very normal thing to do in Palermo, as it’s usually organized on the day of a premiere, so you can watch it at the same time, but pay only one 1 euro if you want to have a seat or nothing at all if you don’t mind standing, plus it’s very close to one of the most popular gelaterias in Palermo, so you can feel even more special that people with front row seats, if you get to both listen to opera and eat ice cream).
I met a group of friends there and the newest arrival who is currently one of my very good friends – Vidjaya. So we started talking over some ice-cream and she told me that while she is from the Netherlands, she spent the last couple of years in Brussels.
And I clearly remember saying to her with no pun intended: “You know, I cannot even imagine how people live in Belgium…”.
Mid-phrase I realized what I was doing and at the same time got a very strong feeling that yeah, in less than one year I will see how people live in Belgium.
And yes, in August 2017 I moved to Brussels for 3 months.
So yes, this definitely worked for me twice. And I think it might be useful for all of you too, as long as you believe in the Law of Attraction and love to travel.
So everything is very simple - I come from the Orthodox part of Ukraine, and we celebrate Christmas according to the old calendar, so on January 7. But since this year December 25 is also considered a national holiday all over Ukraine, not only in its Western parts (where the population is mostly Catholic).
But ever since I moved to Italy, I have a great chance to celebrate two Christmases each year and I have to say, I really enjoy it)
Want to know more? Watch my video and remember to like, share and subscribe :)
... or rather CONS AND PROS, as I present them in this order.
Hello, good morning, and a great day to you!
It's raining in Palermo for a few days now, so it's the perfect time to blog a bit and come back to one of my favourite topics - European Voluntary Service. I suggest you check out also my blog posts about what is EVS and about the saddest part of this experience - goodbye parties.
* And if you are in any way interested in keeping the EVS programme alive, please sign this online petition to European Parliament - https://goo.gl/42pb6m. We cannot lose this amazing opportunity that is changing lives of so many people!
And today's post and video are dedicated to pros and cons of doing an EVS, or rather - things that can make or break your volunteering experience.
So, if you are really interested in doing an EVS, I want to present you a few of the things you really need to consider before you even start looking for a project. That's why I'm going to start with cons:
On my last weekend in Brussels I finally managed to go to Luxembourg, and now, after moving back to Palermo, I want to share some thoughts on what really impressed me about this amazing country :)
So click to watch (and please remember to like, share and subscribe, as it really helps me to move the channel forward!)
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.
Today I'm moving back to Palermo. Actually, I'm writing these words in the airport, enjoying my last Leffe Blond and waiting for boarding.
Am I sad? No.
Am I ready to go back to my beautiful Sicily? Yes.
Am I going to miss Brussels? Oh, hell, yes!
It was a great time - I managed to accomplish many amazing things, travelled a lot and was very productive. And even though I'm pretty sure I will come back to Brussels many more times, I want to remember and honour this page in my life.
So by clicking on the video below you can watch my room tour. I moved to Brussels with 2 suitcases and brought things for two different seasons and a smart casual dress code. And I was very happy with how my room turned out - I didn't invest in any decorations and opted for functionality and simplicity, and it really worked for me. So without further ado - please, watch, like, share and subscribe!
My gate was just announced. What is waiting for me on the other side of the plane flight? A wonderful new chapter of life, a new flat, new projects, my loved ones and a beautiful Sicilian winter.
Stay tuned and thank you for your attention and kind thoughts! See you!
I spent this weekend in Amsterdam and it was the second part of my this year's birthday gift - to me from me.
I've been travelling quite a lot in these past 4,5 years (raise your hand if you remember me writing that crazy post "Hey, guys! I have a big news - I kinda moved to Thailand!") and have been to many cool places, had many amazing experiences and met an impressive number of great people.
And I cannot believe that I'm saying it, but I think this trip to Amsterdam was in the top 3 of those trips. I wasn't actually expecting much - I was going by myself, only for a few days and my only plan was titled "museums, walking, going to bed early".
*Sidenote - I rented an AirBnb in Almere, which is 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal. I stayed in a place called Home by Anita - I recommend it to everyone as it was great value for the price. The owners are very friendly and welcoming, the place is very pretty and tidy, they provide a lovely breakfast and the atmosphere is really great.
Also if you are about to travel with AirBnB for the first time, you can get 25 euro of credit by registering with my link. I will also receive a small credit when you are going to complete your first trip, so everyone wins! :)
And in the retrospect, it was the best thing to do. Because in the end, my experience with Amsterdam was not touristic, but eye-opening and almost spiritual. Sometimes you are searching for a moment to reflect upon things and sometimes a moment is searching for you. So a quiet weekend in a beautiful city is what you actually need.
