October in Milan

As you already know, in the middle of October I went to Milan for 4 days - for work (mostly meeting people for my research) and pleasure (seeing friends). But interestingly, those days, full of rain, cold, sun, blue skies, endless coffees and walks, meetings with my darling friends, broken umbrellas, aperitivos at Naviglie and panzerotti by Colonne di San Lorenzo, cozy mornings at the loveliest under-roof apartment and many other cool things, managed to surprise me in the best possible way. 

You might remember that I had to take quite a weird route to get there. Normally the trip from Palermo to Milan takes about 2 hours (even less, I guess) and doesn't cost that much (at the first glance, because later Ryanair makes you pay for it with your nerve cells by constantly trying to sell you sandwiches, lottery tickets, perfumes and handmade bracelets). But this time the tickets were kind of pricey and I had no choice but to buy a ticket to Paris (well, not Paris - Beauvais), wait there for 8,5 hours and then head to Milan.

You might tell me that it's ridiculous - to travel from an Italian city to another Italian city by going to France and coming back, and I will agree with you. But who wants to pay 70 euro more? It's the price of 24 aperitivo's in Palermo (or 10 sandwiches in Copenhagen).

So on a lovely October morning, me and my #horriblypinksuitcase (check my Instagram to have an idea, but I must warn you - it is horribly pink) went on an adventure. 

#45daysofblogging 31: Venice and revelations

Day 31 - September 17

As I've mentioned before, this year I'm quite lucky with projects and travels (knock on wood!) and I really hope it to stay this way for many-many years to come. 

One of the projects I've participated in was a training course on digital storytelling for professionals that work with vulnerable groups. As I'm one of those people and I also love and do photography since I was very little, I felt like it was a perfect match for me. Also it was hold in Ljubljana, and I've never been to Slovenia (and Balkans in general) before. So yeah, of course I took the opportunity, that came with a side bonus - visiting Venice for a day. 

#45daysofblogging 16: Sicily is...

Day 16 - September 2

Sorry, I'm still struggling with internet and really hope that tomorrow the problem will be resolved, but for now I have no choice but to write all my posts in Word and then post all of them together. Oh, so much for 45daysofblogging and posting every day as a personal challenge!

I think I’ve mentioned my photo exhibition I’ve had in Palermo in the beginning of 2015 (yes, I am modest like that!). But I’m pretty sure I’ve never posted any photos, so here we go. 

I’m very aware of the fact that I have a long way to go before I will be able to call myself a photographer with confidence. I have many things to learn and many experiences to live. But this is the thing I absolutely love to do and I will not change it for the world. I was actually seriously considering doing a master’s degree in photography, but then life took me in another direction. 

#45daysofblogging 05: the new face of Milan

Day 5 - August 22

Welcome to day 5!

Today I want to tell you a bit about Milan. This year I've managed to visit it twice - on my way to Sweden and on the way back to Palermo. So you probably already saw my post on what to do in Milan is you only have a few hours.

But this post will be a bit different, as during my last time there I wanted to find the answers to the major questions, that are really torturing me and all of my foreign friends, who also live in the South of Italy - why people are either in love with Milan or hate it, and, which is the most important, why in Milan they call cornetto brioche?!

#45daysofblogging 03: beautiful Helsingborg

Day 3 - August 20

Welcome to day 3! Today I will tell you about a gloomy day in a beautiful cozy Helsingborg and show you some photos, as I made quite a few.

Helsingborg is a small city in the South of Sweden, that I already mentioned in my first post of #45daysofblogging. As we spent a week in Örkelljunga, which is very charming, but also very little, it was very nice to a bigger city and feel it's atmosphere a bit.

#45daysofblogging 01: quiet beauty of the Swedish countryside

Day 1 - August 18

So welcome to the day 1 of my crazy ambitious blogging marathon!

As I promised you a few posts ago, this post is dedicated to the Swedish village I had a chance to visit in March. I have to admit - Sweden stole my heart in the first few hours. So in this post you will find a lot of love and admiration for the aesthetics and the beauty of Swedish nature, houses and life overall. Also it's a great post to have a drinking game with - take a shot every time you see words "beauty", "beautiful" and "aesthetic"!

I went to Sweden to participate in a seminar on migration, which is my field of research and work. You already know that my first stop on the way there was in Copenhagen. From there I took a train and in a few hours was in Helsingborg (I will tell you about my visit there in a few days).

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

Rain and sun in Copenhagen

In the end of March I participated in a great training course on migration, which is my field of work for more than two years and also one of the topics of my PhD research. It took place in a beautiful Swedish countryside (about which I will tell you a bit later, because for a week I was in my own personal aesthetic heaven), and on the way there and back I had a chance to visit also a bit of Denmark, particularly Copenhagen and Helsingør.

I know people who love Copenhagen, I know people who hate it. I honestly cannot tell you if I liked it or not. On one side - it's absolutely beautiful and doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before. On the other - as a city it gave a sense of anxiety and uneasiness. Everything is under construction now (I checked - it will be like this for at least 2-3 years), so there's a lot of dust, a lot of noise and a lot of inconvenience.

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 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

New beginnings

Hey, world!

When I stopped posting here one and a half years ago, I never thought that the break will be so long.  But well, what happens happens. My country was in the heat of revolution and the only type of blogging I was into was the social type. 

Then, one year ago, I moved to Palermo, Italy for the EVS (European Voluntary Service), because after leaving Thailand I really wanted to explore other parts of the world. I was supposed to stay here for 9 month, but I really found a new home away from home on Sicily. 

So one year later I'm still here, at so-called "Gate of Mediterranean", and hoping to stay here longer. And I really hope that you're going to stay with me to travel, explore and enjoy every moment of life. 

Stay tuned!

Koh Phangan

I still have a ton of photos from the time I lived in South East Asia, so here is something from Koh Phangan.

It's a beautiful island not far from Koh Samui, a true heaven on earth. I've spent some time there and it was amazing. I went there alone, and I had a great opportunity to relax and get some tan.

I lived in a small bungalow by the sea, explored some amazing restaurants near by, swam in the sea and lied by the pool, and by the time I had to leave for Hat Yai, I felt like a new person.

So I hope this pictures will bring some sunshine into the somewhat gloomy days we have now.

Autumn's here

We have an amazingly beautiful autumn in Kyiv this year. It's almost like a reward for me - during the time I spent in South East Asia I couldn't stop dreaming about autumn. About clear cool air, beautiful leaves and cozy scarfs-boots-coats outfits (I think everyone's going to dream about it while living in +40C temperatures).

So this weekend we went to one of my absolutely favorite spots in Kyiv and my friend took some pictures of me. And yes, I wear glasses now. It's not a fashion choice - my eyes get so tired because of constant writing/translating that this is the only possible way to help them relax a little. I'd love to still have my perfect eyesight, but we have what we have. I kinda love them, so I don't mind.

Wearing:

Jeans, coat, boots, denim shirt - thrifted

Satchel - everything5pounds

Scarf - bought it at Pratunam market in Bangkok

Bracelets - handmade, Centro and bought at Chatuchak market in Bangkok

Earrings - KUZ and borrowed from my mom
Glasses - Carl Zeiss

I'm actually holding a pumpkin tart here. I bought it from 'Baker Street' bakery and was trying not to break it.

How I wear my: Sunglasses

The loveliest Jill from Everything Just So and Adrienne from The Rich Life (on a budget) were so kind to feature me in their monthly round up "How I wear my...".

This are my favorite sunglasses and also my favorite place in Bangkok - Vertigo bar on top of the Banyan Tree skyscraper (Lumpini MRT station). The views of the sunset over Bangkok and of the night Bangkok are absolutely gorgeous!

I'm wearing:

Top - bought on Sunday walking street market in Chiang Mai

Skirt - bought on Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok

Watch locket - bought in Pai

Sunglasses - Karen Walker number one (in tortoise)

Pai

Pai is a small, but amazing village in the mountains of Nothern Thailand. It's one of the favorite destinations for people who live in Chiang Mai and also for tourists. People say that you can come there for three days and stay for three month.

Now I can confirm that it's true. The village is tiny, just a few streets, but it has a happy relaxed atmosphere that you just want to stay longer. The food is great, the accomodations are good and rather cheap, the nature is amazing!

To get to Pai you need to take a minibus from the second terminal of Arcade bus station in Chiang Mai. It'll cost 150 baht. The road is taking about three hours and has 762 (!) turns on mountain roads, so the motion sickness pills can be very usefull.

Lao P.D.R.

In the end of April my friend and I went to Laos to get new Thai visas. It was too early for me, but I wanted to see Vientianeand also I had no desire to pay 2000 THB for extending my visa for a month, when I can pay the same amount for money for a new visa that can help me to stay in Thailand for 4 month without any extra pay.

So we went to Laos. I haven’t seen much of the country, only it’s capital, Vientiane. One of my new friends here, in Chiang Mai, told me, that Vientianeis her least favorite part of Lao P.D.R. and that I need to see more. I’m sure she’s right, but I actually loved Vientiane. It has that Indochina vibe that actually makes you feel like a character from an old movie.

Scroll to the end of the post to see my recommendations  on where to stay, where to eat and what to see)

DIY bracelet

Nothing to hard to do, honestly. I'm just so starved for any DIY project (and I have no oppotunity to buy many DIY supplies because I'm travelling and have no space in my suitcase)), that I'm ready to do the easiest one, just to do something.

So here is the bracelet I've made today. Super easy, but looks really cool - I went to have a quick lunch/dinner with my friend and received a few compliments on it.

Food of the day

So, here we go again) I'm not sure if it's interesting to anyone except me, but it is such a cool way to think about your nutricion so I think I'll try and continue doing it.

1. Breakfast - oatmeal with chopped banana and pineapple and a cup of coffee (not pictured)

Chiang Mai University

During my time in Asia I've been to many temples, but the funniest thing is that I've never felt so much peace and inspiration in any of them, as I felt on the campus of Chiang Mai University. 

It's a beautiful place - lots of trees, lots of flowers, lots of places to sit down and study or just relax with a cup of coffee and a good book. Also it's very close to the beautiful Doi Sutep mountain. 

I've had a nice relaxed day there and looking forward to spending some more.

How to... - pack for a long trip to Asia, part 1

Living out of your suitcase for a few month can be really hard. You can found out that all of the things you've packed are mismatched or that you're wearing few of the same things and everything else is just sitting in the closet.

I've successfully avoided this situation by carefull planning and packing simple basic things. Surelly I've brought a few pieces I haven't even worn once these past 2.5 month, but mostly I'm pretty impressed by my wardrobe choises. I'm usually much worse in this))

The key is dressing simple - me and my friend Laura at our favorite reggae bar.

So, here's what I packed:

Sister's dress, Vero moda (via Asos) stripped dress, H&M thrifted tea-dress

Two pairs of navy shorts (both two big on me now, so I had to buy a new pair), two thrifted floral skirts - one is more casual, the other one is a bit dressier), a pair of thrifted blue jeans 

Two t-shirts - self-made stripped t-shirt with zipper shoulders, Topshop button-shoulder grey t-shirt, 

Two long-sleeve shirts - H&M thifted floral shirt, white cotton&lace shirt (borrowed it from my mum, and she bought it at out favorite thrift store)

Two shirts - black thrifted cotton short-sleeve shirt, Topshop plaid shirt, 

Two dressy tops - everything5pounds.com top (my favorite, actually), black H&M top

My trusty Ostin black cardigan (you can see it at tons of my outfit photos), boohoo.com black hoodie (everyone will tell you that you don't need any warm clothes in Asia, but it's not true - if you're travelling, especially by buses and trains, you'll definitelly need a pair of jeans, a pair of warm socks and a hoodie to cover your ears. Trust me, it saved me on the trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and on the trip to Laos), a thrifted H&M military jacket/parka (never worn it here, but the rainy season is right around the corner), a pretty b.p.s. scarf , a practical thrifted belt that saved me when my fhorts started to fall off me)

Shoes - this is where I made a few mistackes. 

1. Blink gladiator sandals - they've saved me through the last three summers, walking around Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but finally died on me a week after my move here. 

2. Blink ballerinas - it appears that I can't wear them in a such a warm climat without getting blisters (though summers in Kyiv are usually super hot too)

3. everything5pounds wedge shoes - never worn them here and I don't think that I will) They are way too dressy plus I love to walk or bike everywhere.

4. New Yorker sneakers - I wore them when I left Kyiv in the cold beginning of spring. But they are too warm for this climat. I want to buy a pair of light canvas sneakers for some hiking trips.

Acessories - I've selected a few pairs of earrings and a few different bracelets (if anyone is interested, I can make a few closer pictures), three pairs of sunglasses, my favorite everything5pounds.com wallet, Asos canvas backpack, my trusty thrifted leather cross-body bag. I've aso packed two canvas tote bags to go to the market (the best decision ever))

I hope this post will be helpfull to those who go to Asia for a longer period of time.
Later I'll make a post on some essentials I've bought when I got to Thailand - mostly simple t-shirts and tank-tops, few dresses, new shoes, a skirt, new shorts, new shoes and Aladdin panth.