E038 Yana Balanchuk

Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 0:08 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 Jana ballon Chou. Jana is an international relations student at the National University of Kyiv Mahila Academy. Her hobbies include playing the piano, playing the guitar, thinking, photography, sports, especially boxing, discovering the world as well as learning languages. Her achievements include dozens of awards for playing piano, gathering her music band, and many educational achievements. Jana, how are you today? Yana Balanchuk 1:13 Hello, thank you for inviting for invitation to participate in your project. Today, actually, I think I'm pretty well, I just had a nice day doing all my favorite tasks and feel good. Thank you. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 1:33 I'm very happy to hear that and I'm happy you're feeling good. And so to ask you a bit more. If your friends could describe your personality and say, who is Jana? For them? What would they say? Yana Balanchuk 1:49 Sir? Thank you for such a nice question. I think that more of my friends would say first of all, that Jana is an extremely stubborn person. Because during my entire life, I did really a lot of different things like music and education and sports and other things. And I had really different situations in my life. And in every situation. And in every my hobby or difficult times of my life. I just use my stubbornness to achieve more and to do especially what I want to do. And my friends, they are usually say that you are extremely stubborn, and sometimes you have to be less the board. However, I don't think so. And I think that they would say that I'm the person who can enjoy life, doing different things, not only like relaxing, or other things for enjoyment, but I can enjoy different parts of my life and difficult times and the times when I can enjoy. Happy Times. However, I tried to enjoy every moment. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 3:18 Thank you. I like that attitude. And then I have a question. What motivates you to be stubborn, and to do so many things in so many spheres? Yana Balanchuk 3:30 First of all, my motivation is this picture in my mind, about my future, and about my achievements in the future. Achievements grounded on these things, which I have to do now. For instance, I had to when I was a little girl, and I only started my piano, my piano way. And I didn't, I didn't motivation. And I wasn't motivated all the time. And when I just didn't want to go play piano to practice you to participate in different concerts and other things. I just tried to imagine this cool girl in the future who can play piano perfectly who is master of piano playing, and it motivated me. So I usually motivate myself by wishing by the vision of my future, or the vision of my future actions. For instance, when I don't want to study I'm tired of studying all the time and they just want to relax. I don't want to read all these books and literature. I just imagine how much things I will do in the Future, how much people I can help in the future? And how can I even change a little this world in the future by doing these, all these works right now. And I really understand that I want much more these changes and to be this person in the future, then relaxing now, and it motivates. So I tried to motivate myself all the time. And it helps me. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 5:30 I like that very much. And to ask you about that picture in your mind of your future? Is it always the same one? Or depending on the task, you can have different pictures that motivate you? And where do you think it came from? Are you a dreamer, and you have created it? Since you were a little girl? Is it be used on something you have seen in a movie or on social media? Or in a story or maybe from family? Where does that picture that motivate you have you in the future helping people living your best life comes from Yana Balanchuk 6:11 actually, it's pretty complex and difficult issue. Because from the one side, I can say that my dreams, and I even can say that it's not dreams, it's my goals, because it tried to all the time. Believe and be sure that it's not dreams that I will achieve that in the future. And jerseys, goals, they can depend on the situation of my life on different situations, which act with me during my life. And some of them like global goals, I can say, which, which I found out, even in my childhood, for instance, I can say that I entered my university. And I entered, I chose international relations to study. And that time when I chose this, especially this faculty, I didn't know what exactly I want to do. However, I saw, I thought, and I knew that I want to work for my country, I want to work for Ukraine. And I want to do some things like diplomacy, different negotiations, or I will work like in Reno, Nevada, or in any other fields. And I my global goal is to make my state better, and to make all my efforts to try to develop my country. However, this year, all my life and the lives of, of very much, many Ukrainians changed. And I realized that right now, my goal is still the same, to develop Ukraine, to change Ukraine, and to make it better and better. However, I add to my goals to work for a global for much global things like the model of the world, however, because right now, we can see that it doesn't work, that it cannot help all the people in Ukraine, it cannot stop the war. And I would like to work not only in Ukrainian diplomacy, if it will be possible, I would like to work in, in, for instance, international organizations and to develop it, to improve it and to make together with other specialities to make this model much better to it will be useful, and to it really can save people's lives and countries. So I have like global goals. And it was from it was from my childhood, however, I can change the way I will. I will act with these goals, dependent on on my life and on the situations of my life. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 9:43 Thank you. I really like how you're thinking globally and you're trying to have solutions that impact the whole world. A lot of people, especially your age, etc. live in a world of social media where they feel they don't have the power to change anything where they think their dreams and goals will not happen? How do you have the conviction or belief that you will make that picture in your mind become real? And why do you think many people actually believe believe? No, it's not possible for me, I cannot do it. Yana Balanchuk 10:22 I think that many people can think that they can do that, that they can't change the world, they cannot read, they can reach all their goals, because they just do not believe in themselves. And they think that so much people, so many people on the planet, and all of them are talented, and they can do different things, the art cleverer Z or zero zere, like her educated, and I'm just only one person. And I can't do that, because it's so difficult, and I will not be able to reach my dream, for instance. However, I do not think like that. I think that many, many people didn't achieve their aims. However, many people did that. And we know about these, these people, they're popular, they are famous, and we can hear about them. So they did this in different ways, and Z just worked towards it, they educated themselves, they motivated themselves to achieve that. So I would rather try make it try and I will see in the future, if I achieve this dream or, or is the goal. Or I will not do that. However, I will try and I will know exactly that I did every scene to achieve my goal. It doesn't matter if I do that, it will be possible that time or not. But I will be sure when I will be absolutely adult that I made all the forwards to achieve my dreams and to really achieve my global goals. So I think that every person had to believe in in herself or in himself, and motivate himself or herself to do all the possible things to achieve these goals. Because sometimes we can think that it's not possible, I will not do that. Okay, I just give up right now, and do everything that life is doing with me. However, we have to be much more stronger. And we have to fight for our future. And for our goals. Of course, it's not easy to achieve all our dreams, because if it was easy, all the people would be absolutely happy and would do everything they want. However, only people who did all the forests who worked for it, their entire lives, they can do that. And they can have everything that they wanted. So I think and I really suggest everybody who will hear that or who will after after that he is that to do everything that you can and that is possible and motivate yourself to achieve your dreams and to go go go for a step, step, step by step for your dreams. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 13:40 I like that motivational attitude you have. And since you have a lot of experience between photography between piano as well as your desire for international relations, and to impact the world, if you could say how they're similar. How can photography piano and diplomacy be connected? from your own perspective? What would you say? Yana Balanchuk 14:09 I will say that I split up these fields on different parts. Because International Relations it's it's my future profession, and it's my future work. It's something with what I want to work and what I want to do as a specialist in the future. So it will be my it will be my main field to work and to, to develop. And speaking about photography and music, I play not only piano I can play guitar and play piano and singing and photography and sports. It's about my hobbies. It's about some it's about something that can make me myself can just made me relax from my studies from the education. And it's like the works and it's like the harvest for my soul. Because music makes me happy when I feel absolutely bad when I feel that my life is not okay right now I just play piano and all my emotions is gone with my plane. And and guitar is the same and photography, I can see these beautiful beautiful pictures or, or beautiful people on the picture and I take this photo after that I will look at photos and feel proud of myself because if this photo is really great, or it's just for relax, to take these photos to work with these photos and other things, and I'm sure that every person had to stood, find a should look for different actions and have hobbies and have their professional because when you can combine all the things you have your life fulfilled. And when you have only profession, you all the time read the light reads you you all the time study at nights and during the day, you will be tired of that and you will not be able to study anymore, you will just give up and finish it for all your future life. And when you have like different staffs for your stall for your relaxing, and you can do different actions. For instance, you feel that you do not want to study today, you can play piano or you can take photography, or you can paint if you like it, and you feel much better. You have to have some actions, you have to have your hobbies to make you feel better, because it's like extremely important for every person and for me especially. So I don't think that in the future, I will work with music. So I will be musician, photographer and diplomat at the same time. Now it's not so I can be a diplomat or I can work in in the international organization. But when I come home, and I want to relax from the work, I just want to make myself feel better and also tired of my work. I just play piano and feel absolutely better. And it's from my stall. It's very good. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 17:41 Thank you. Yes, it's really, really good. And on another note, since you have experience with this, how was February 24. For you? How did you hear about the war? How did you feel? And how do you feel you change as a person, as well as the Ukrainians. You know, after these months of the war, Yana Balanchuk 18:05 it was absolutely stressful and horrible, I would say because we didn't expect that it will be so globally, I would say. And we just woke up because of explosions. In clear. It's my city where I lead. And we were in my apartment, we were together with my mom's sister and two guinea pigs. And it we even didn't have a car on that moment. So our relatives came for us. And after that we went. We were near Korea for one day for this first day. And after that we went in for my grandma, she lives in another city. So it was really stressful. And it was Karen because this moment when you are going in your city in your favorite city in the city, in which you lived your entire life. And you see how people they were they were extremely scared. They didn't want want to do they didn't know what what what to do, and what would be the next and told this they would finish for all of us. And it was really scary. And we also didn't know how it can finish and what we had to do and which decision will be right for the situation. And we came in from my grandma and we decided to go abroad for us for some time. Actually we didn't think that it will be for so long time right now we are abroad for almost six months, and it's too much really, we thought that it will, it will be for a few weeks, and we will be able to go back home. However, as we can see now, we cannot still go back home because it's still pretty dangerous. And we just don't want to take this risk. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 20:24 Thank you. And since you're now outside of Ukraine, How was the experience of being in a new culture? How do you feel the difference between Ukrainians and German people in their culture and their ways of being and how people are? Yana Balanchuk 20:45 Actually, it was pretty difficult for the first time to adjust for all for the new culture. However, I don't think that it was about the culture, it was more about all all the actions, and all the things which happened in my life, I just couldn't adjust for for the war, because I couldn't realize that it's real, all that in real and that we cannot influence and we cannot change this situation. And for the first time, I even didn't try to adjust to discover this culture, because I just thought, how can I help Ukrainians? How can I help Ukraine, and when I will be able to back home, and I worked only about these things. And I even didn't want to, didn't want to discover this culture. But a lot of time, I tried to adjust. And for a few last months, I feel much better. And I adjusted for the wars, that it's real. And we cannot influence that. And try to discover this culture. And actually, it's pretty interesting, because I did, I've never been in Germany before. And this culture is absolutely new for me. And people, they're really absolutely different. They had different life. They have different jobs, they even eat different food. And it was like, not strange for me, but very interesting. And I tried to interact with these people to speak with them, and to discover their lives and know how people live here and try to adjust for their regime. And what was interesting for me is that very much refugees from other countries are in Germany now. And we lived in one camp for a few weeks, and in this camp, where many people from Syria, from Afghanistan, from Somalia, from SCO TR, and from other different countries where the wires are going. And I spoke with these people, and we discussed all the actions which are going now. And I was really in shock I have never saw it is it so many people had to live in such conditions, they had to live in the camps, their children helped to be born in the camps. And it was like the part of my adjusting for Germany, not only speaking and interacting with German people who live like good lives, who has their apartments and other things for their living. I also interacted with people who have the virus in their countries too, and how they leave. So it was for me as a person who studied international relations. I interacted with people from different countries with different life situations very much. And it was very, very useful for me, and I think that I it changed me as a person a little bit and changed my future goals much. And I realized that I want to help people and I want to do everything in my life really to people would never live in such conditions and would never have the worst in the country anymore. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 24:50 I understand and I do wish you and every Ukrainian the best. And I know you're waiting to return to Ukraine. Now that millions of Ukrainians are living abroad, they have a new life, new jobs, maybe there have new universities and schools. Do you think now they would when there is victory for Ukraine actually return? Or they think, Oh, the economy is destroyed, there is not much peace. So maybe I should stay in London or in Germany or in Spain, or somewhere because at least is more stable. What's your perspective? Yana Balanchuk 25:31 To be honest, I interact with Ukrainians really much. And I speak with them, and we discuss these issues of the time. And I can surely say that very much people are really the biggest part of all the Ukrainians who had to flee in Europe, they will go back in Ukraine, because all the people who are here right now, they all the time says, I still want to go home, the work will stop, it will be not so dangerous, it will be okay to leave and I will go I will go home. And when you in ASEAN country, in unfamiliar for your country, you can have really good university, you can live in a great apartment, you can find different, great people, friends and other things like that. But you miss home all the time, because your home is your home. And your country is your country, and very much Ukrainian. Many Ukrainians, they came here on the women with children and their husbands. They are in Ukraine right now. And they miss them. And they only wait for the sign. When our President or anybody who can say it will say Ukrainians, you can go back home, and I'm sure that very, very much Ukrainians, they will go home and they will go to rebuild Ukraine. They will go to leave in the conditions which will be in Ukraine, however, they will go home because it's not your home. And it's not such conditions. When you decided that, for instance, you was in Ukraine, and you decided that you want to live in another country you have chosen this country and come in this country and start your new life from a new page. It wasn't like that. We were forced for that. And we didn't choose it. We just had to flee to save our lives. And after the war, I'm sure that very, very many Ukrainians, they will go back home for their husbands and for their previous lives. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 28:00 Thank you. I agree. 100%. And all I can say is love O'Grady. Yana Balanchuk 28:06 Heroyam Slava. Thank you. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 28:09 Thank you, Jana. This was my privilege, my honor, a great conversation. And I wish you peace, success and hopefully a good and successful return to Ukraine. Yana Balanchuk 28:22 Thank you very much. It was very great interview and thank you for your wishes.