One year after starting my blog

As another year has passed, I have decided to give my blog a new life. At the beginning of last year I announced that I had started a blog. Ironically, this was the first and the last blog post that I wrote ever since.

Year 2022 in retrospective

War in Ukraine

Last year my home country became a focus of the news all around the globe. I wish it was because of achievements in sports or science, but unfortunately it was because of a war. Last year, on February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine. It was one of those days I wish never happened. I remember waking up from a messenger call from my parents telling us that Russian troops had crossed the border and moved towards the capital — Kyiv.

Since then, there has not been a single day that I didn’t wake up or go to bed without watching the news and supporting the Ukrainian army. I am lucky to not experience this myself as I am an expat living in Sweden. However, both my wife and I, have parents in Ukraine and we still feel strong bonds with this country. Many of my childhood friends are now at the front line in Donbass region protecting our home country from the Russian horde.

Just like millions of people in Ukraine, we had a lot of hopes and dreams at the beginning of 2022, but it all changed when the war started. Since then we have participated and organized numerous manifestations, donated money, and sent humanitarian help to Ukraine. In one month, there will be a one-year anniversary since this bloody war started. There are no illusions anymore for a quick happy ending, but I strongly believe that Ukraine will break free from the Russian occupation, and I really hope that this time next year I will write a post about it as a fact.

My 2022

Even though the war in Ukraine occupied a large chunk of my time and mental resources, there were a few important events that happened in my own life. Having worked in a few large corporate environments, I decided to try something different. Last year I found a new job at a small company in Stockholm called Helicon. This was a rather unexpected move. I knew I wanted something new, but instead of applying for open positions myself I first went through the unread messages from recruiters on LinkedIn. Most of them did not contain anything interesting, but I replied to a few. I was quite sceptical, I must say, even after I spoke to the recruiter hiring for Helicon. But he convinced me to meet the company owners. Fast-forward a few weeks, I signed a contract with my current employer.

The next big thing that happened was a move from Gothenburg to Stockholm. Global economy crisis and increasing interest rates did not necessary play in my favor. My wife and I spent quite a few evenings weighing all pros and cons of making this decision. We decided to give it a shot. We knew we wanted a change in our life and a move to a new place could be a great opportunity for the new start. It was quite stressful because we had to sell our apartment in Gothenburg and buy new one in Stockholm. It put a lot of pressure on our economy, but with careful planning we have managed to go though it.

Hopes for the new year

This year, in spite of all the obstacles and problems, I really hope to get back the dreams and hopes that were stolen by the war. It is going to be a year of change, and the change is going to be of the scale never seen before. I will continue to support our relatives in Ukraine, support and believe in the Ukrainian army.

Even more than in previous years, I am hungry for knowledge and I am going to invest time in self-education and my family. Finally, I hope that my original intention to start writing to this blog on a regular basis will come true. Let’s go!