DEPO - A MISANTHROPIC SIMULATOR OR THE BEST SPOT IN TOWN?

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2019 is to initiate travel opportunities of all scales. I must admit though, I am guilty of convincing myself that the part of the discovering experience can only be acquired from traveling abroad. The irony of the latter is that we tend to be missing what's right in front of us. You see, one of the main perks of living in or close by a megapolis (in my case, Moscow) is the rhythm. The rhythm of a busy city points to a constant change, progress and renewal: old establishments close when new ones open in their place, the migration of peoples and exchange of ideas.

To my knowledge, there are a couple of food-halls spread across the districts of Moscow, to mention a few there are: Tsvetnoy Central Market, Central Market on Rozhedestvensky boulevard and Danilovsky Market. As of now, the newly opened "DEPO" is by far the biggest food-hall market in the city.

Well, the place used to be a trolley bus station, otherwise known as a depo, hence the name of the market. Unfortunately, its been closed since 2014 until its new owner renovated it into what the locals refer to as a "misanthropic simulator" (but we will come back to that).

I first heard about "DEPO" through Instagram. As you know, the active participants of social media realm don't rest and are aware of every new brick in plan. "DEPO" opened its doors to the public at the end of last month (February, 2019) and is currently accommodating 150 shops and markets, and 75 restaurants on its premisses. It is the biggest food-hall in the city by far.

The initial impression that I got from my first visit was overall a good one. I thought that the place has strategically combined the best of all worlds - the history of the building, the versatility of space - you purchase flowers, do your weekly food shop, go for a catch up with a friend or set a casual business meeting. Oh, and did I also mentioned that you can also listen to a live band playing on the weekends? You can really do it all in one place, which brings me to the next topic of discussion.

Nonetheless, the opinions of locals have divided from one extreme to other. Those on the loathing side of the camp, leave their raging warnings to the public and consequently point to the place as a

Undoubtedly, the building plan of the place has a familiar resemblance to the one of IKEA, the countless amount of turns, shining signs above almost every market stand that make them look alike and not to mention the availability of CHOICE is downright overwhelming. Forget about popping in for a lunch break if you are coming for the first time. It will take getting used to. My friend and I, for example, took two tours of the place before we settled upon our options. Of course you want to find a place where there is less of a queue but you don't want to see the yawing faces of the cooks either because that doesn't subscribe to a good impression of the food, does it?

Otherwise you are good to go!

CELEBRATING WOMEN FRIENDSHIPS

On March 8th we celebrate the International Women's Day and today I am encouraging you to take the opportunity to hug your sisters tight and recognise the influence that you brought into each other's lives, be it through an encouragement towards personal growth and development or a kick on the butt in the direction that leads you towards the gym. Everyone brings something to the table, right?

Since growing up I always looked for diversity within my friendships. The more polar opposite my spiritual friend from my "Cosmopolitan" girlfriend is, the more I was/am able to connect with people and myself. So where am I going with this? You know the habit of association that we get from role playing when we were children? From impersonating the Hogwarts trio at the playground to taking a magazine quiz of which Spice Girl you are is a stretch but so is my circle of friends. What kind of friend are you? Continue to read to find out if your circle is quite similar to mine or if you can recognise yourself in it too.

is your travel companion. She will get you out of your house when you are at your lowest and your highest because life is an adventure and your successes as well as failures should be acknowledged and celebrated. She is always taking solo trips abroad in pursuit of self discovery, she has an appetite for life that becomes contagious when you are around her.

A creative and gentle soul. She embraces the flaws and finds beauty within the imperfections of life.  She speaks with passion, intrigued by the world around her and grasps the best from every situation. Being her friend means accepting the natural cycles of growth a decay; celebrating marks that time and love leave behind.

A yoga enthusiast, a healer, the gipsy spirit. She taught me how to connect with nature and my ego. She lives in the moment, detached from the bothers of life (in a sensible way). She will teach you so much about your body and spirit, how to listen to it, how to love it and take care of it. She brings a sunshine on a rainy day.

Thank you so much for taking your time. May you celebrate your friendships every day.
Lots of love,
-S

REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

Let’s start a conversation about a period in life when moving back home after living abroad can be an emotionally distressing experience. The struggle to re-acclimate to the previously familiar surrounding that has become unfamiliar affects more people than you might realise and is also known as the REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK.  In the age of globalisation (slowly dissolving in front of our eyes), travelling or living abroad for a lengthy period of time is not an unusual occurrence. Perhaps, you are a college graduate going on a gap year in hopes of finding yourself as you dive into different cultures or you are working professional, who has been given an opportunity to learn from the leading experts in your field abroad and vice versa. One way or another, you find yourself packing your bags and leaving the familiar behind.

You will never forget the first few months it took to settle into a new place being far away from home. Once you get through that part, the foreign soil becomes the most familiar thing you have ever encountered. But, like everything else in life, eventually it will come to an end.

Psychologically speaking, moving back home can be an equally distressing experience as it is moving abroad. In any case, the longer the time is spent overseas, the greater the shock factor upon the eventual return home. I came into experience with the reverse culture shock when I moved back to Russia after living abroad for over ten years. Prior, I have already had two immigrations under my belt, first from Russia to Spain at the age of 12 and then to the UK when I was 19. To be honest with you, I thought I knew what to expect. But, in the past three months I have never felt more foreign in my life. For the longest time I could not pin a term that would describe exactly how I felt and I did not know whom to reach out to.

Another factor that may influence the magnitude of revere culture shock is the extent of the difference in cultures between the expat’s home country and the foreign country. Usually, I am quick to pick  up local habits, lifestyle and get acclimated with the norms and surroundings. However, the hardest challenge to moving your life to a different place is starting over anew. It generally narrows down to finding the best places where to get food, what bus to take, which documents to apply for, where to go, whom to ask for help when you don't know anyone in town, how to get a job interview.. it quickly becomes overwhelming.

Down below you can watch a video where I go into detail about my journey coming back, help you draw out the important steps to re-acclimatisation as an expat and more. If you have any questions or are seeking advise, leave a comment down below - let's chat!