E015 Stasia Bartko

Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 0:00 Femininity is powerful in all its forms, exceptional women, rare girls must be appreciated in every way for their perspectives, actions, thoughts, and their unique ways of being. Such rare girls are inspiring. And this is what this podcast is all about. Hello, my name is Aziz and my guest today is Stasia Bartko. Stasia is an international law student at the Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of give. She is an extremely active and multifaceted girl with seven years of experience in dancing, and three years of athletic activity. She is a huge football fan. And she is fascinated with music in all its genres, from jazz to pop, blues to rock, and all others. Stasia How are you today? Stasia Bartko 1:20 Yeah, I'm so great to hear you. And I'm so honored to participate in this podcast. I'm fine. And you? Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 1:27 I'm feeling positive, optimistic, and honored to have you on my podcast today. Because you're a very special girl. And therefore since this podcast is about rare girls about women, let's explore what is it for you to be a woman? What is femininity as an energy compared to masculinity? Is it a behavior and energy, an attitude? Is it a look? What defines for you femininity? And do you consider yourself more feminine, or masculine or neutral? Stasia Bartko 2:10 I think actually that femininity is more about how you feel about yourself, about the confident about them, in sorts that you produced by yourself and of yourself. I think that femininity is could be all about that the woman or a woman a girl would want to, I think it's more it's more special for every person, and every person could define it by himself or herself. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 2:41 Thank you. I like that. I believe in that. And I want to explore even more about you. What things give you that energy and feeling about yourself, of femininity. How do you increase it? Stasia Bartko 2:58 Yeah, actually, the first thing is obviously the sport because I love doing sport. I have been doing sport for my whole life since I was I don't remember two maybe. And I think the sport gives you gives you the energy to feel yourself more confident. And also, I know my strong sides of my personality. And I like to explore the world. I like to news to know something new or to explore something. And I think it fulfills me like a person. And I think it's, it makes me more confident of myself and gives me a lot of energy and gives me a lot of new experience. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 3:47 I have so many questions, but I'll begin with this. You said you know your strong tides, the things about you that are special, unique, and that allow you to do sports or explore the world? What are they? Can you describe them and share? Stasia Bartko 4:09 Yeah, basically, I'm the person who love to achieve goals. So whether it's something in study, for example, if I want to learn, I don't know from chemistry to mathematics or to literature, I will do it because I like to to goals. I'm so ambitious person and I really appreciate this sides of myself because I could not know like something but I know that I would know it if I want to. I would learn it in any way possible to to achieve this goal if I want to. And I think it is my the strongest side of myself. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 4:55 I really really like that and I'm curious about you What really interests you in other people? Then? Is it that they share your values are ambitious similar to you? Is it their behavior that they're confident and sure of themselves? Is it an energy that you're like passionate people who have that sparkling eyes that are shiny? Do you love their soul? I don't know, men and women, what is the thing that you makes you think and feel? Wow, this is my person? Stasia Bartko 5:32 Yeah, actually, I asked you say, I love sparkle in the eyes, in the hearts of the people I love love the people who are confident about themselves who love love them what they are doing right now, or do I have a squall? And I think that these kind of people, this, people who just appreciate their lives, who just live the best life and doing the greatest thing, I think such people couldn't, couldn't make your think that they are not worth saying that they are not cool. They also they always cool. And I think this kind of people who just love their lives, who just find the ways to do something, some some new things, maybe to explore the world, and to maybe to participate in all kinds of things to find themselves, the old school. And I think it's my kind of people, because, for example, in my institute, there are a lot that actually, I didn't know if I want to if I just able to say that, but I think that in my institute, they're the best of the best. Because such a students, such young women and men who are just passionate about the life, they want to learn a lot, they want to study, they want to explore every single they want to participate in every new band, in every new form of activity, they are so passionate about the life. And I think it's the coolest thing. And these kinds of people could make me feel that these people are mine people. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 7:30 I really, really love your answer. And so I have to ask, why international law. Stasia Bartko 7:39 It's kind of it's funny story, actually. Because for the first time when I was really good at all, school up studies in physics and biology, in chemistry, mathematics and literature. So at the end of the 11th grade, is the final grading crane. I didn't actually know who I want to work, what I want to became. And when I enroll myself, when I enrolled the to the university, I choose the wrong speciality for Ukraine in Ukraine educational system, if you want to enroll in university, you are you have to write the number of your speciality. You have to write the number of faculty. And I, I was mistaken. And I instead of 293, I wrote 292. And I just like, Okay, it's no prob. So I want to go wanted to go I have had been over dreaming to go to the international relations. Because I love Ukraine, I wanted to represent Ukraine in all possible way into international area, in all international, non governmental and governmental organizations. I want to make my count country more respectful. And this was really my passion to have participated in international relations, to represent my country in all international bodies possible and to create the image of my country, the prestige of my country. And then I decided that international law is more gives more opportunities to do that because you could only if you could be also lawyer, international lawyer and participate in all these international governmental organization or regional governmental organization as a lawyer and to promote your country's interests as a lawyer and also you could be as diplomats it also possible after graduating from international Low faculty. And I saw that it mistakes that I made, that I was mistaken while choosing the specialty to enroll myself into university. It was a great mistake. And it was like the best mistake I've ever made in my life because I met so many great people. And I really love the faculty that I study right now. And also, it was the perfect nature because my father is a diplomat, and my mother is a lawyer. So it is the mix of my father and my mother, and I've become an international lawyer. So yeah, Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 10:40 I really love the energy and the passion and the thought and your pride to represent Ukraine and all international organizations and events. And therefore, again, I have to explore your mind even more. Why is ambition important for you? What does it mean? And if you cannot progress towards your goal, how do you feel what happens? Stasia Bartko 11:11 So actually, I think that ambitions is are really important, because you'll live only one life, you cannot possibly live another life. So it is the only life you'll live. So you should achieve everything that you want to achieve, you must work hard, if you want to work hard, if you want to achieve your goals, you must do everything because you will never have another chance to do that because you literally own life. And I assume that this ambitions really important and if I don't achieve my goals, so for the first few minutes, I could be a little upset or not a little sad, I could really be upset. But for next time, I will do a plan how to achieve this. goals have to how to work more, more progressive, how to be more perfect in my work, so I could achieve this. And I will do I will achieve this goals if I realize my mistakes, and I will correct it. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 12:34 I love that it's the constant improvement attitude, which is very wonderful. And I'm sure like you said, and the Institute is full of like minded people and students who are ambitious and similar to you. Well, I will ask then, you believe we only have one life. So we should progress towards our goals? And I agree. But how do you take care of your mental health? You avoid burnout, you enjoy that one life? How do you organize your time? Or is it almost 100% progress working, studying going forward? Because it's so hard, there isn't time to enjoy living? Stasia Bartko 13:22 Yeah, I know that. There are some people who, who, if I, if I can say that, who just rest while working. So the work for them is the rest. I'm in some extent, I'm such a person. But I think on the contrary, that the full time work in the full time progressing might be so exhausted, exhausted. And I think that if you just work all the time, you will be so tyrants, you will not be able to enjoy the life because of that, because of your being tired. And I think that every person should have arrest every person should have a possibility to just do nothing. Just I don't know what read the book. I don't know I just just poor it's watch the television. Everything. And I think it is why don't think because a person could never just work full time. It's really exhausting. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 14:34 I really find it fascinating that at such a young age, you have such a wise mind and perspective about life. And I'm sure your father also who you said is a diplomat has a lot to do with it. Well, the current situation in Ukraine is there is war invasion. It's horrible. How did it impact you? As a person, how was that shock? Did it change you as a personality? And what are your thoughts about everything? Stasia Bartko 15:09 Oh, it's a complicated issue because I had not expected that until the 21st of February when it all started at. And it was really shock. Because I've just slipping in my house before my glasses because I have glasses in my 8am. So in 5am, I was waking up by my brother who said, Oh, let's chat. I guess the word begins. And it was relatively simple. And a few moments later, I heard this explosion. There are a lot of explosions, I was really panic in panic, I, I just didn't know what to do. And for the very first days when nobody helped Ukraine, like literally no country help Ukraine for the very first two days, and I was just outraged. I was really outraged about everything. I was feeling pain, because it was really unjust. Because the people here were dying, and verta and for nothing, and vert, the verge of sleeping in their house, and then heard this explosion. It is really terrible. I can never describe this film. Because I think that in the whole world, there is no word that could be used to describe that. This impacted me so much, because for the very first day, from the very first day, I had been crying, I had been outraged. I had been hating all this, maybe even people, Russians for obviously, and I hated that this injustice that was to Ukraine. But for the very, for the few days later. There were some military aid to Ukraine, there were some world's attention to Ukraine there, the station over improved and Ukrainian military forces just won and won and won again. And I was happy. But someone tell us Lee, I was really sorry. and I were crying for this people who were just blocked in their cities who were just killed for nothing for being Ukrainians. It's so terrible. And now I'm and also it was really, really and really scary to hear all these sirens, all this air alerts, and to realize it in every single moment, you could just be killed. It's so It's so terrible. It really couldn't be described. And after that, now, I'm in comparatively a safe place because I'm in Cave of this but it is in the south of the key Wild West. It's not from the Belarus side, and it's not from the Bucha side and the opposite side. So there is a surveillance sometimes but it's horrible. It's terrible to say that but I'm getting accused to this I'm getting accused to the sirens and getting used to this horrors that are happening in Ukraine right now. And I'm really I really could not possibly just read all this news about the deaths of civilians about them. All this situation in human situation in human behavior from the subject eaters I was subjected to years sigh and I think it's really terrible. And it impacted me so much because for four months, I think I couldn't do anything. I just I scroll my news, ethical my telegrams, escort scroll, other news, other international or foreign I'm on us. And I could not do not do anything except this. And now I'm, I'm getting myself up. And I also have my classes are right now in a university. And it really distracts me from all this sort of this events that happened in Ukraine in Ukraine right now. But no single day could possibly be without are reading the news without learning how other people from Gaza, for example, in Mariupol, in the east of Ukraine, are right now. Or the UK or not? Could they escape or note, Not or No, I think is really, really terrible situation. And nobody can feel anything about this. Besides, except Ukrainians. It's really, I don't know, I don't really know how to describe it for the people who are not in at war right now. Because it's really terrible. And to hear all the sirens, the whole day is really terrible. And actually, the very sound of the sirens is scary, let alone that it could be provided by explosion by the rockets by artillery shells by I don't know, aircraft carriers, it's so scary and terrible. And a few days before I have, we had to back to return to our home because we had to help. And boy, a four year old boy who just lost could just lost his family. Because they were escaped from Bucha. And they were shot and only this boy, just alive. Just survive, and we had to help this boy. And so for that reason, were turned back to home, because we were in the west of Ukraine. And to know that this boy will be without parents and that to know that there is no the only boy without parents. It just the lot of orphans now in Ukraine, because the parents were short word cult, couldn't expect escape escape from the horror that waited for them. It's terrible. And of course, it impacts me and it impacts all the people in Ukraine, it influences us. And we just wish it all and, and in the very, very, very near future. It's the only wish we could have right now. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 23:09 I can feel your emotions and the trauma and the whole situation is heartbreaking. I actually was there and I heard the sirens. And I experienced it. And even now when there is an ambulance or a police car, it reminds me of that. But to ask you then, some sociologists and psychiatrist speak about Ukraine and say that this war will traumatize the Ukrainian people, for this whole generation. For a long, long time, they will be less happy they will be more traumatized and shell shocked and feeling negative. Do you believe that this is true, that even when the war ends, there will be trauma inside the Ukrainian people, or that the victory and the news of the glory of Ukraine and everything can heal and make Ukrainian people become happier and more positive? Because they're proud of their achievement? Or is it that like you said, so many orphans, so much destruction and death, that people will remember it and feel it for a long, long, long time? Stasia Bartko 24:32 It's also a complicated question, because I think that all this infrastructure could be restored, quote, could be rebuilt. And I know that a lot of Ukrainians want to help the country want to rebuild all the country on the free base, just because we love our country, but I think it's not something that we could forget Not for this generation, but for next generations as well, because for example, I had this comparison, but if to compare it with the world war two in our country's former Soviet Union republics, we called it the Great Patriotic War. And for 70 years already, we remembered all this atrocities, all this destructions all this terrible things that happened. And we, we so appreciate that our people have been able to defend our countries, our nations, our people. And we remember it till this day and will remember it always. But I think this we're, we will never forget for 100 years for 200 tears. And we never wanted to out coin war in our countries. So it was just unjust, or we do just defend ourself. We did nothing to provoke this war. It was unproved invasion. And we just the victims of some people's imperialistic ambitions, and it is so unjust. And 1000s of people just died because of this war. That started for nothing. And millions of people, I guess the statistic now was 12, millions of people have left their homes in Ukraine, there is a huge number, it's more than population of some countries in Europe. It's really, it's numbers a huge, and I know definitely that, we will win, we will win. And when we when we rebuild our country, we will restore our infrastructure about but we would never be able to return the lives. And I think it's the most important thing for everything. Because there is no single family in Ukraine that couldn't be touched that by the sport, every person has. A friend or fellow has a family member who were just injured or died, Hoover, who left their homes. And I think that this is why we could never forget all this destruction, all this horror that happened in Ukraine. I don't I don't know for how many generation I don't think it would be the one generation two generations or even three generations. I know that our grandchildren's will remember this terrible things. And I know that they will remember the heroes who defend Ukraine whore who are now just just I don't know, it's, it's so it's so obvious that we would not forget that we will not forgive the people who started it. And I don't really believe that it would be three generations actually, I think it would be much, much much more because even there's an event for endocrine and history called Tollymore when millions of people's were died because of famine. It was 90 years ago. But we still remember it. It is a genocide. It is it is in our memory right now. And every single year when it's a time to give the memory for these people who were diet just because they don't have food just because of the policy of government of the USSR governments all these children who were still remember it and in schools in homes we have this story we have every single person in Ukraine have has a relative that that just died because As a feminine, or just follow who just died because of famine in the past. It's also the tragedy, and we still remember it. In 90 years, we're still remember it. And this word is unprovoked for it's the tragedy also, it's the great, it's not only about the destruction of the country, the buildings, it's about lives. And I think I believe I'm sure that we're will remember it in hundreds years later, and our grandparents grants children's and the grandchildren so far, our grandchildren's will remember it will well know it without about all these atrocities that happened in Bucha. And so many other Bucha is in Ukraine right now happening. And I think it it will be in our memory for generations and generations and generations, and we will celebrate our victory. We will celebrate the glory of our heroes. But at the same time, we will not forget this. What what right now is happening. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 31:12 I agree with you, Slava. ochrony really thank you for this. I can feel all the emotions and I it's my privilege, my honor. And my devotion to share your voice your story, your thoughts. With everybody think you heard I Stasia Bartko 31:34 am Slava, and I'm so honored to have participating in your podcast. I'm so grateful for you to invite her to have invited me and I thank you so much. Because it's really an opportunity to speak to the audience. And I really I really, really, really appreciate this. Thank you. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 31:58 You're welcome.