E050 Laura Moskalenko

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 Laura Moskalenko. Louder is a flex semifinalist. 2022, and the foreign languages student who loves volleyball, dancing, doing makeup, taking photos, listening to music, baking handiwork, Quellin, thrive traveling, editing and making videos. In 2019. She won Best delegate at Model UN at her school and in 2021, she participated in Zam un, Laura also participated in the 20th International Festival competition of children's and youth journalism, press spring on the nipper slopes, and in 2020, she took part in a video work on the topic. What does Azerbaijani moto multiculturalism mean? To me, Laura, how are you today? Laura Moskalenko 1:36 Hello, thank you for inviting me. I'm fine. How are you? Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 1:40 I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling excited about life and very curious about you. So I'll begin with this question. If your friends were to describe your personality, what would they say? Laura Moskalenko 1:56 I think they would say that I'm quite hardworking, maybe stubborn, a little bit. Also energetic, funny. Artistic, I think because I really, when I do, like, scope projects, I really like I really love to have a lot of details in it like presentations. They're often quite big and colorful. Also, I think I'm kind of I'm pretty reliable person. Also, is it going and ambitious? Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 2:33 Thank you. Those are wonderful descriptions. And I want to focus a little bit on your artistic side. You mentioned that when you create projects, you'll make a lot of details. Is this more because you love beautiful aesthetic things? Or is it because you feel you want to express your individuality and personality? Or is it just so that you're not bored, and you want something exciting and different. I feel Laura Moskalenko 3:03 like every time I do something that is graded, not only like schoolwork, also, as I mentioned that I love doing makeup, and like some crafts, I love the details. Also, it's like kind of a challenge for me to make things better. So I just, like really take my time to do that. Sometimes, like once more presentation may take like an hour's hours to do. So. I just think that I'm pretty, not really skeptical. But I just wanted to like something I will work as long as I can to make it perfect for like my view. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 3:44 So you're a perfectionist. Laura Moskalenko 3:47 It's some point like maybe it just comes when it's something artistic because I might be kind of messy when it comes to like maybe even cleaning out or just something like that. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 3:57 Thank you. And when it comes to artistic thing, why is it important for you for that they are perfect or up to your standards. Laura Moskalenko 4:08 I think that I just love to create something new and like challenges inspire me to like do more to go further with my abilities to just learn new things. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 4:25 Interesting. You're mentioning challenges again, well, for a lot of people challenges stress them out, it can cause them to burnout. And for you it makes you raise the occasion and improve what belief or attitude or why is it for you? Like important and interesting to be faced with challenges? Well, for some others, it could stress them out. Laura Moskalenko 4:53 I think that every challenge it still stresses me out. Sometimes when I do something I might get tired, but I feel like when I'm tired, I should take a break from something. Also, if challenge makes you stressful, that means that, like you're working, so you need to, like do something more like challenge always will be something that is hard to make. But life is all about learning, learning new stuff, learning new ways of doing something. So I think that we should like, face these challenges, maybe like, have your time to like do something, something slower, so that it will not be stressful, just like, relax and then go with clean up thoughts for the review stuff. Be open to them. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 5:54 Thank you. That's wonderful perspective. And I'm curious to know, how much space or focus do you have in your life for people because a lot of the things that you're speaking about whether makeup, whether the projects, etc. It's more, you challenging yourself doing things that express your vision? Do you love meeting new people? Do you learn from people? Or are you more introverted, and you're like, slowly to work on artistic projects on your own, Laura Moskalenko 6:30 I really like meeting new people and working with them. Because I think that every person has a story to them. So that they will learn, like, get learn, you can learn from them something new, something like some new information, just actually even know yourself better. Because it's, this is a really fun society. So we should be like, a community together. And I think that just meeting new people is very fun, and interesting way to be in society together. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 7:13 Thank you, and you love taking photos and making videos? Is this correct? Yes. What is interesting to you about taking photos and making videos? And are they different? Do you capture different things when it's a photo compared to a video, Laura Moskalenko 7:31 I feel like it's also some kind of my artistic self that likes making videos and photos. Because it captures the moment like the perfect moment in time. It can be even like silly photo with friends. But you still will like, remember it. And it's I feel like it's very important. And I think we're very blessed that we have like technologies right now. So we can just remember everything that we need. Because, for example, I went to a concert this year, the summer. And I've met a lot of new people there. I had a lot of fun. And like, I capture like probably every minute of it and I had so much fun they're like, and when I'm feeling like a bit down, I just go back and watch. So they think it's very helpful. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 8:32 I like that. So when you rewatch you feel those emotions again, and it can lift your spirit spirit and improve your mood. Is this correct? Yes. And it seems that being an artist or your artistic side is a very important part of your identity. If you were to explain in your own words, what does being an artist, an artist or artistic to allow? Laura Moskalenko 9:02 I feel like that I might be not good at all things. And art also might be the one of it. But I'm feel like I'm pretty because I'm stubborn. I feel like I will work long so that I will improve those things. And I feel that art is just something that is so unique is just great way to express yourself. I love finding like pictures online from Pinterest usually just to have an inspiration. And usually when I take like a picture of probably like some makeup to redo, I always have like my personal view of it. And I think it's very beautiful. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 9:56 Thank you. You mentioned that you are energetic. What gives you energy in this world? What inspires you? And do you feel other people's energy as well, Laura Moskalenko 10:08 I feel like just the whole living and the whole world inspires me. Maybe you sound like my favorite celebrities, they inspire me like this things they do charities, how they act. Just overall, like my friends, my family. They are like, huge part of my life, and I'm very thankful for them. Also, a thing that a lot of things give me a great mood. I like music, energetic music, always like, can lift my mood up. And I think that you just should enjoy every, like, minute of your life. And like, recently, I've been trying to live in the moment more to like, be thankful for every day. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 11:03 Thank you. I like that. And you mentioned that some celebrities with their behavior inspire you? What kinds of behaviors that other people do that feel you have that energy, I feel Laura Moskalenko 11:17 like when just hard working people around you or around you, they inspire you to keep going to be better every time. And I feel like it's very like your mood, your behavior depends on people you're around. And celebrities are just like, they're usually like role models. So you should just really think about who are you choosing to be around? I feel like mostly everyone can choose their circle of friends or just like to be how to be. So feel like, society has a big role on your personality and behaviors. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 12:16 That's very, very true. And nowadays, tell me about okay, February 24. How was that day for you? How did you hear about the war? How did you feel? How was that story? Laura Moskalenko 12:33 So on February 23, is the day before we went to visit my grandparents and we stayed there home. And I remember, like the last thing that I was doing before the war, it was literally doing like physics till three or not like three till two o'clock. And like when I finally went to sleep, I was like, Yes, finally. And then I unfortunately, I woke up like it was six o'clock because I heard some sounds of explosions and our windows were and windows and doors. They were literally shaking. So it was very scary. When I woke up I remember I was I didn't know I just had a like a panic attack maybe. Because I was just crying and shaking. It felt very bad. And like I remember, we went to our flat where I live with my parents, because we have like shelter a here so we like lift two days in this shelter. It was the longest two days in my life. Probably none. No one could eat just like sleep. It was very scary. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 14:02 Thank you and in these months, how did this war and situation change you as a person? And what did you do in order to take care of your mental health? Laura Moskalenko 14:14 I feel like every person has changed through this war. I don't know I don't think that I know like Ukrainian that hasn't changed. And as for me, I as I mentioned before, I'm just trying to enjoy everything every second and just to do what I want. Not like what people are expecting from me. I just I'm trying to do every everything that I can just like not just spend my free time on phone, maybe like doing some artsy stuff. Like meeting my friends. Like If I'm on the phone, it's mostly when I'm like chatting with my friends or just watching something, or listening to music. So I'm trying to be better kinder to everyone else, and especially to myself to just treat myself better than worse than it was because I was pretty harsh with myself. But I feel like right now that just important to be with your family more with your friends, just enjoy your time, because you never know what can happen. I agree. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 15:43 100%. And did your friends stay in Ukraine? Or did they go abroad? Laura Moskalenko 15:49 Mostly, they like went abroad or to another cities in Ukraine. As I mentioned before, when we stayed like two days, in a shelter in in caves, we went on the third day of war to change seekers. Where I live, it's very near to where the Russians work. And they were in my region, like, the second or the first day. So it was a hard decision to make, but we've decided to go to Tennessee. It's like the safest place I think in Ukraine, because it they never hit it. Thanks, God. But unfortunately, a lot of my friends and classmates, they went abroad. But right now we are all coming back. No feel that. It's great. I don't feel I don't think that you should, like, criticize people if they're staying abroad. Because maybe some people like don't have home because of the explosion explosions and just, it's not really safe. So it's just their lives. And they feel that we should support each other, even more right now and not to create conflicts over Ukraine, in Ukraine, with the Ukrainians. And I think that we should like stick together, because it's very important right now. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 17:33 100%. And how do you feel the atmosphere is in Ukraine now? Do you feel it's very tense and stressful when you go and walk around? Or are people trying to feel more positive? Laura Moskalenko 17:49 I think right now, because it's been six months already. People are, unfortunately used to it. Like it sounds horrific. But we are used to the war to the sirens. And it's terrible. I never thought that my teenage years would be like, first pandemic, then war. It's like, it's horrible, to be honest. But I'm just trying to focus on better things that happen. But our role, I think, the Ukrainians, we are more, we are united more than ever right now. And it's probably better and less. And people are less panicking, then they were like in the first weeks, I think, because you now understand more about the situation. You're just you're just trying to live, I think, and a lot of things are going back to the way it was before the war, like the 24th of February, because unfortunately, we had we have war that has been going for eight years right now. And I think we are very strong people and throughout our history. We were fighting for our independence. And I hope that someday we will finally be the we are the strongest I think we should be together afterwards. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 19:35 Thank you allow it i i understand how hard really that can be. You stayed in Ukraine and your friends are returning as well. And you're doing a lot of artistic things. Do you feel that you will choose for your future and artistic field or maybe get another kind of education and All by make art a temporary or secondary part of your life, Laura Moskalenko 20:05 I think that in the future, I would love to maybe work with people like maybe some kind of management. But that which will include like working with people maybe like concert management or something like that. But I'm still thinking about it. So I don't think that art will be like, the very first choice because I'm like, I've never been to like art school. So I'm not a professional, I'm just doing it for myself, just to relax and get things better. And just. And I feel like that I should just find something that will be still creative, but but with people I don't know, like social something. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 20:55 Thank you. And it's interesting that you mentioned something social, and you spoke before, how your teenage years were spent in a pandemic, and then in a war, do you feel that teenagers who grew up in a pandemic and in a war lost a lot of social skills maybe became more awkward around people uncomfortable, because they had less practice, or you think that's not true. And the because of texting and social media, maybe it's an indirect way to develop those skills. Laura Moskalenko 21:30 I think that in real life, talking on social media, is a very different thing. Just speaking from the personal experience on social media, I think you can be a whole different person than in real life. And I think that talking to someone in person is better, you feel just like real emotions of the person in front of you, but are people and about social skills, a thing that it's very important, because, as I mentioned, before, we all we all are part of society. And we should create like a safe community for everyone. They think that hopefully, we will get better with social skills, even if someone like doesn't have, like, didn't breakfast because of the circumstances. But I feel there are a lot of opportunities right now to even like, communicate online, maybe like some video calls. So I think it's fine. Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 22:43 Thank you so much louder. I really wish you mental health. I wish you success. I wish peace and victory for Ukraine and all I can say is love our grainy. Thank you again. Have a good day. And it's my privilege to interview you. Laura Moskalenko 23:02 Thank you so much. Have a good day.