Kozak Talks Podcast
Ми знайомимо вас з українцями, які побудували тут неймовірне життя - підприємцями, професіоналами, громадськими лідерами та відомими українцями.
Їхні подорожі та інсайдерські поради покажуть вам, як боротися з викликами, відкривати можливості та реалізовувати свій потенціал - і все це з повагою до свого українського коріння.
Kozak Talks Podcast
Від сафарі до суші, від журналістики до громадського лідерства: Злети і падіння моєї подорожі до Англії
Приєднуйтесь до розмови з Анастасією Сальниковою, соціальною підприємницею та громадською діячкою, яка перетворила особисту трагедію на процвітаючий суші-ресторан у Великій Британії. Послухайте її історію про стійкість, адаптацію традиційних українських страв до британських смаків та подолання культурних відмінностей. Відданість Анастасії своїй громаді - від підтримки українців у Лондоні до організації культурних заходів - підкреслює її надихаючий шлях подолання труднощів та сприяння інклюзивності.
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We will train Ukrainians, help them and give them practical help. I worked with Gartin. They asked me to write some articles. We don't work like ordinary corporations. You don't have money, okay, goodbye, get out of here. We don't work like that.
Speaker 2:What was the mission of the JNC organization you founded?
Speaker 1:COVID started then and a lot many people lost their jobs. After that I opened a sushi restaurant. I also lost my business and everything stopped. They just put a check mark and put money on it. I want people not to be afraid, because the media has a very strong influence here. You don't have to be afraid in life. You have to be brave and move forward.
Speaker 2:Greetings, dear all Ukrainians. This is your host, sasha Kozak, english-ukrainian podcaster in Great Britain. Kozak Talks, where we invite successful Ukrainians entrepreneurs, professionals, ukrainians who have already become professionals in this country, and also Ukrainians who are community leaders, who have different organizations, diaspora and we also invite them to tell their story and how they influence the Ukrainian community in the UK and, in general, how Ukrainians here celebrate these countries. Today we have episode 48, anastasia Slavnikova. Today we have the honor to welcome Anastasia Slavnikova. We will talk about her success in the UK, how she came here from Ukraine to the UK, then her life in the UK. She has lived here for more thanC Soul. What does this organization do? How can you join this organization? We will also ask the final questions for the Ukrainian community and some more questions at the end, and that's it. We'll finish our podcast. Let's start our 48th podcast with Anastasia. Anastasia, thank you for coming to the KZ Talks podcast with me today. I would like you to introduce yourself to us, to our listeners and our viewers. Who are you?
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you, alexander, for the invitation. I am very pleased to take part and I am pleased that you represent me for our community. I do not know a lot of people here and I am very pleased that you are doing this, because you meet people one by one. It's very nice that you do this. You get to know people who work together, who do interesting things for the community. It's very nice, thank you.
Speaker 2:Let me go back a little bit. Let me try to understand you. What is your favorite Ukrainian cuisine, Something you like to create here, or your favorite restaurant in the UK? Or maybe your favorite restaurant in Great Britain From?
Speaker 1:Ukrainian cuisine yes go ahead From. Ukrainian cuisine. I really like borscht. I have my own recipe and I also like dumplings.
Speaker 2:I like dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms With cabbage and sour cream. Yes, I don't like that. I have three more.
Speaker 1:I also like eggplant caviar. I make it myself. I don't like recipes from Odesa. I like it from Kherson. We have a lot of vegetables and fruits there. We have dachas and so on. We have a lot of recipes and eggplant caviar is a very good recipe. I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it, I like we have vegetables, fruits, dachas and many other recipes, and eggplant and caviar is my favorite.
Speaker 2:You also use sour cream right, no, not with sour cream.
Speaker 1:I use sour cream. I was doing my own business. I was promoting Ukrainian cuisine. I was doing it for 2-3 years before Covid. I was teaching Ukrainian cuisine, but my borsch is a bit different. How?
Speaker 2:do you like your borsch?
Speaker 1:I made my own borsch. There are some crazy vegetarian borsches Crazy. You know that there is a vegetarian craze. They told me that I worked with organizations, gave recipes, gave lessons of Ukrainian cuisine for different corporations.
Speaker 3:Hello everyone. Today we will talk about our company, sterling Law, which specializes in immigration and corporate law in the UK. In the field of immigration law, we help clients with receiving different types of visas, including work, student, family and business visa. The company also consults on obtaining permanent residence and the citizenship of the UK. We can be proud of our numerous victories and recognition in the market as we enter the leading legal ratings, such as Legal 500, where we are designated for high quality of service and professionalism. If you need professional legal assistance, contact us, because we want to achieve the best results for our clients.
Speaker 1:Maybe I shouldn't say this word results for their clients. I like this book. It's and look after their historical monuments.
Speaker 2:It's very pleasant for me what do you most like in Ukraine and what can't you find here?
Speaker 1:Our products fruits and vegetables that smell, apples, all fruits, our watermelon from Kherson and our food, for example, I don't like a lot of cakes, but there we have at home. When I came in 2019, I came and went to this. I went with my children, we went to Sulpo and there was such a like a canteen. Well, such a buffet, oh my God, I couldn't.
Speaker 2:Oh my.
Speaker 1:God, there are so tasty, so tasty. I don't. I love it. It's so tasty. All dairy products, chicken meat, it has a different taste. We will now start your story. What made you?
Speaker 3:move to work in safari agencies and opened.
Speaker 1:CIS market for English tourists. They invited me to work as a manager in Eastern Europe. I came here because I did safari in Africa in East Africa, kenya, tanzania, uganda and then I was a representative of the group of hotels White Sand Tours also hotels in the Seych in the United States and then I decided to stay here. It's a great opportunity to work in England For a young person. England, britain, especially London. If you want to improve your qualifications professionally, it's a very good place Because you can learn a lot here, develop your skills professionally and culturally. There is a lot of competition here. I am a person who likes competition. I was a very ambitious woman. I liked it here.
Speaker 2:I felt good here like a fish in the water when you came here, and now I have a question for you.
Speaker 1:What are the most cultural features you differences between Ukraine and the UK? We are expressive people, emotional. We talk, we treat each other. Here they are more reserved, conservative. They are not so emotional and it was hard for me because it was difficult At first. They often said that I was. I spoke English at that time, but not as good as I do now. I didn't speak well, but they said I was rude. They often called me rude. I didn't understand why I was rude, because I didn't say every second like thank you, thank you, please, please. There are such peculiarities. You know there are such moments. If they, please, please. There are some peculiarities here. You know there are moments like that. They are a little different. They are related to each other.
Speaker 2:When you came here to Britain. How did your life here start?
Speaker 1:Where do you work? It's hard for me to say.
Speaker 2:How do you look for work? How do you look for living? Was it much easier to find a job than it is now? Because now we know that Ukrainians find it very difficult to find a job. Not only Ukrainians come here, but our majority of Ukrainians. How do you find yourself? Do you find yourself in Ukraine? Do you adapt very quickly? How did you start your career? How did you move? Because now you are successful. How did you do this process in the UK?
Speaker 1:I understand. Well, first of all, I think that I was a little bit well. Maybe I'm looking back now. I think I was a little bit, not serious, but a little bit like that. I am a very adaptive person. I liked changing the circumstances. For me it is easy. I am an easy-adaptive person to different countries. I was interested in communicating with other people, not with my own people. It wasn't scary for me, it was interesting for them. I didn't have any problems with that.
Speaker 2:You can leave me in.
Speaker 1:Africa. Tomorrow I can go to an island and survive there.
Speaker 2:You're like Tom Hanks in the film Castaway.
Speaker 1:Yes, I called my mom there. I'm in Mauritius now. I just think if my mom didn't have cell phones, then if my daughter goes there with her friends, she is 18 years old. After 12 years I don't have a home. I'm already worried about my mother. I don't know how my mother was then In those years. There was no mobile phone. I'm in Kenya today. Tomorrow I'm in Riki. Something else.
Speaker 2:Mom, I didn't know, maybe you wrote it on a letter or on the phone, with such circles.
Speaker 1:Yes, I think my mother was such a strong woman. She gave me freedom. We didn't live in such fear as here. We grew up free. I think the fact that I grew up in Kherson we had a river there. There were pioneer camps. I was always there in these pioneer camps for three months and then on the days of the summer camp, I always ran there with my friends. My parents didn't know where I was. We were independent. You know, we were very. We were already growing up independent and free. There is no such thing here. Here children can't even climb a tree, they can't make a kosser. There is no such freedom. It is very regulated. This is what.
Speaker 1:I see now. I lived here. My children were born here and grew up here. Everything is very regulated here. It is possible. It's not possible. It's a democratic country, but we have more freedom as here. They are more courageous, especially our boys and girls. They don't have such obstacles in their heads as here. You are already being forced to go to school.
Speaker 2:They are making you conform. They are making you conform, you can do this.
Speaker 1:You can't do that. They are very careful. They are afraid of everything. They are afraid of everything. We were not like that. We are more free. I don't know about the modern generation that has come. I don't know, I haven't lived there for a long time, but I think that I like that they are also more free than here and also our education was very good. She is a builder. She knows more than any other excellent person here. I think that our world is the best.
Speaker 2:I apologize, but I think that many Ukrainians who came here, not only in Britain but in other countries, they saw it all. They saw it all. I say you also had the same thing when you came to Ukraine. Ukrainians who lived in Ukraine did not appreciate it. They said you live there, you live well, you earn there. And now many Ukrainians have already come here and understood that here taxes are high. Here transport is expensive. It depends where you live in London. Each person has different circumstances. But I think you've seen it too, and now you've seen it in Ukraine that education in Ukraine class, people class.
Speaker 1:The Soviet Union At that time.
Speaker 2:But in general there are many IT people in Ukraine.
Speaker 1:The best. They can go to Australia, america, canada. They will always go somewhere and take it Canada. They always take me there because they taught me mathematics. I teach my children mathematics. They learn so hard how to multiply, divide. I show my children how to do it fast and the teacher says no, no, no, you can't do that. You need to learn by our methods. And my methods are so long three-sided, so complicated, so long. I say why?
Speaker 1:And they say no, it should be like that, because we will do this exam in this method and you can't do it with your own method. What is it? Well, you see, that is. It is a conservative education system. Here it is is conservative. When I came here, I thought why is it so long? All newspapers, all publications are very much about tuition. What is it? Why are there so many tutors? I thought what is it? And then, when my children were already studying at school, I realized that in the last classes, when they already come to the last 10th, 9th grade, that is, from 2 to GCSE, they tell you something the Internet or buy books. You have to pay for the training. It's free, but it's bad. So, yes, I'm like that.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, okay, you come to Britain. You see it, yes.
Speaker 1:Please tell us about your first job. Second, third how did you become professionals here? Universal Safari Tours it's a very big tour operator. I had a specialization in safari and safari to East Africa, south Africa and the Indian Ocean and I worked for them. And then there was a contract and a plan that I would be in England, in London, and then I had to work and live in Nairobi, kenya, and then in Johannesburg in South Africa. But there were problems. In 1997 there were some terrorist acts in American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and my company sold its business to the Indians. The Indians wanted to take me to Kenya.
Speaker 1:I did not agree with the contract and stayed here and it was hard because I had no money, nothing. The company sold out and they said they were bankrupt and they didn't pay the people's money. It's a common story in England. Here you can declare yourself bankrupt and no one can take you to court and you can't pay money to anyone. I learned that you can't do that here. Then they went to France and did another campaign. I was left with only one visa for one year. I was clearly written that I had no access to public funds. I had no opportunity to take benefits, assistance and I had to do something. But what to do? I went to the agency that is engaged in employment.
Speaker 2:About the organization.
Speaker 1:About the organization and I asked for help and they as I knew people I started to work there and I had a problem to continue my visa. I worked there. Then I worked there temporarily. Then I went to work at Radisson Edwardian Hotel. I had administrative work but it was very difficult because I had to print. I never printed in Ukraine. I never worked as an administrator. I never did secretary work. We always had a secretary who did it and here I had to print quickly or in English and do other things and it was very difficult and they didn't treat me very well. There were women in the department. They were a bit like that.
Speaker 2:Not like our people. We also have such women. But if you are still, a foreigner.
Speaker 1:you know we had this phrase Everything is best for children and foreigners. It was a phrase from the 90s.
Speaker 2:It was for the West. Everything was done for the best. We Ukrainians appreciate people who come from other countries. We appreciate them. But look how it works here in Britain. It doesn't work like that in Britain.
Speaker 1:No, no. For Ukrainians it was a special relationship. It was a very, very good attitude. And when I arrived, you're just another foreigner, foreign, someone else. I also read it like that. I thought that when I came here, because we have such a relationship with foreigners, everything is for them. I was the first to work in Ukraine after I graduated from university and worked at Tampax. They opened a factory in Porizpil and hired these trade representatives. Our manager was a native Indian and everyone treated him like that. I saw how it happened.
Speaker 1:My father was a professor at the university in Kherson. He worked at the Agrarian University in Kherson. He had Cubans, africans. My sister studied in the Polytechnic University in Odesa. There were also many foreigners and foreigners and everyone treated them like that. And then when I went to Kherson with my children in 2019, it was the first time she went to Ukraine. We were going in transport. I was still with my children. They went to Kherson for the first time. We were traveling in a car. I was still worried. I asked my friends. I said you know, I will come to my children. They are foreigners. They said so what I said, well, maybe everyone will look at us. What are you saying?
Speaker 2:Why did you say that? There is a reason why you said that you live in Britain, right? Yes, and you may have said that you saw how they treat the British?
Speaker 1:No, because here, when you live in Britain, how many years you live, they have such a negative, they form a negative. If you don't remember, what did you see? Did you see something positive about Ukraine?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, no one knew about.
Speaker 1:Ukraine. No one knew I was driving and no one knew what Ukraine was. I had to say that I was a Russian Because no one knew what Ukraine was. They don't know the geography here, Nothing. And then they were still talking about me that and emotionally they didn't help me. They made me look like a political woman.
Speaker 2:They made me work and work hard.
Speaker 1:They didn't help me. It was a moral obligation. Yes, psychological, I was not used to it. I thought they don't treat us like that. On the contrary, they help you. People are kind. We have good people. I came home in 2011 and I just thought that I don't know, because in 30 years of my life, I haven't seen anything positive about Ukraine. In 30 years of my life, if the news shows that someone killed someone or blew something up….
Speaker 2:They throw eggs in the parliament.
Speaker 1:They throw eggs in the parliament and form a negative…. It's the same as in Africa, there's only malaria. Water is not available. They travel the same way. They travel every year for 2-3 years. They travel to Spain, Portugal, but they go stay in hotels, prepare English breakfast. They are not cultured.
Speaker 2:They don't like culture, they don't like it.
Speaker 1:For them if they went to Spain or Tunisia, it doesn't matter, but for us it's weird. It's strange for us. We are people who help. When I came to Kherson, we were going there and there was a full bus or a trolleybus. There is no place and there is a woman sitting. My daughter is standing with a bag and she took her bag, put it on her knees. Daughter, give me your bag, I will hold it.
Speaker 1:We are such children, over-stressed, thinking what is it? They are not used to this attitude normally and then if you ask a person on the street to go, they will talk to you, they will show you, they will walk with you back and forth. People are so warm. Look here, they smile. They are on the surface. They seem to be so pleasant, so good, but inside they are cold, harsh. And our people if you are a pleasant person, they smile. If not pleasant, they do not smile. They may not smile and say harsh at first, but then inside they are warm, good, open, open, open, hospitable. If you come to someone, they will give you food and sleep. When I came home, I was not there for 30 years. I did not sign with my friends from my childhood.
Speaker 1:I did not always support contacts I always kept in touch with them and when I came back, they gave me an apartment. They gave me a boat. I called the other one. I said Sasha, I'm here. He said come to my dacha. He gave me a rubber boat. He said do you want to sleep or eat? I said I bought some wine. He said I don't drink. She said I don't drink either, but I saw it there.
Speaker 2:I said I don't drink.
Speaker 1:She said I don't drink either. But I saw a bottle of wine there. There were 30 bottles. I said what is it? It's a syrup, let's try it. We sat down together and hit the syrup with grapes and plums. He doesn't drink. I don't drink either. You know, there is no such thing. There are no such friends. You can know people for 30 years but you have to call and ask if you can come to visit them or not. We don't have that at home. You can come, come to your home, you have to come to your home.
Speaker 2:I can tell you that I know it from my own experience In Ukraine. When you come to someone, you can't come without anything. You have to bring something. At least bring a bottle. My grandmother taught me that when you come somewhere, at least bring a bottle. She was born in 1932, when the Holodomor there. She knew it. She taught me that. I remember when I used to go to the English. I always had a bottle bread and something else. Children have something to take, I remember. When they come to me, it's a different story.
Speaker 1:They don't bring anything.
Speaker 2:It's like the movie. Maybe you've seen it Big Fat Greek Wedding. Yes, I've seen it. I saw a movie called Big Fat Greek Wedding. They were holding a pig and they were holding a small tree. She thought it was a flower and she put a flower on it. It's a very different culture.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's a very different culture.
Speaker 2:You don't have to be offended.
Speaker 1:They are just different people. They have different qualities. In Denmark I have friends who told me that if they come to someone as a guest, they organize a wedding or a party. For example, I invited people and everyone comes for their breakfast with my own food. What is it? I hate going with my own food. I'll go to a restaurant, but it's the Northern. Europeans and when you go to the East Italians, spanish, french they are not like us.
Speaker 2:Yes, they give and give away their majority.
Speaker 1:They also come with a bottle or food you are already working as an administrator there.
Speaker 2:Where do you come from? I was working in a cafe before this work.
Speaker 1:I worked there for a week After that I found a job. People from Pakistan helped me, people from the foreign country who knew me from work. He was a driver. The English manager said Anastasiya, I'm helping you, I'll give you some money. He knew I had no money. He gave me 1000 pounds. That's good, very good. He knew I was in such a situation. I couldn't go back home. I had nothing. I left my apartment where I lived and after that he told me what to do. He gave me information about what to do, how I could stay. He gave me money and that's it.
Speaker 1:After that I had to find and survive on my own. I found people who helped me. A Pakistani family invited me home and told me to stay here. If you find a job, you will pay us money. They were very kind people. They prepared me, gave me clothes, everything, and I didn't pay anything for a month. And then they told me to go to the airport in Khitry, and there was Khitry airport. It was easier then, as it is now. Then you could go directly to the manager, to some store or company, come and say that you want to work. I'm like this you have my CV and they will talk to you and then they will tell you to come to work tomorrow, for example, or for an interview. In this case it was easier. Now everything is on the Internet. It depends on how you write everything.
Speaker 1:I came to Heathrow and found a job. The first coffee house opened there. This coffee house was opened there Seattle Coffee Company. Then they sold it. It was the first coffee house that made coffee and in Heathrow. Arrivals and Departures opened there and then they sold Starbucks. They sold their business for several million and I worked at them as a barista and then they sold Starbucks for several million. I worked as a barista there. It was fun. There were a lot of foreigners, young people. There were Mauritians, walesians, englishmen and different nationalities.
Speaker 2:Yes, all the nationalities were young.
Speaker 1:We always drank coffee and saw a lot of celebrities coming to us and rivals. They come and buy coffee from us. So I saw a lot of celebrities. It was interesting. And after that I got into the company of the administrator of the hotel. There she was very angry with me but I had to endure it. I told you the first day the girl showed me how to work there. She showed me what I had to do Angela, an English woman and then she brought me home. She said do you want me to make you a lift? I'll take you home. She had this car and I said yes, yes, thank you, and she brought me home. I invited her home for breakfast as, as per our tradition, as my mother. Well, normally she bought a bottle of wine, while I was still cooking.
Speaker 1:Then she drank. Well, how many bottles? She drank 4 glasses, 4 glasses. I drank 2, she drank 2. Then she went and bought another one, another one. But I'm from Ukraine, I'm used to drinking, I eat and drink, but she only drinks and doesn't eat.
Speaker 2:That's the problem.
Speaker 1:They don't understand this. They don't have a drinking culture. She's drunk and says you can't go to me stay. She stayed at my place and went home and the next day we came to work and she was running around. I was already working. The head of my department calls me and says «Women, do you always do this at home? Do you always do this in your country? Do you come to work on the first day and then invite people to your work and give them Drink them, drink them. Angela said that you bought a box of vodka and drank it. Yes, I said that I didn't buy a box of vodka. I didn't drink it because had bought some wine. They said they had bought wine.
Speaker 2:It's a stereotype Ukrainian Russian. They drink beer and drink vodka.
Speaker 1:They say you do that in Russia. They think I'm Russian. I say they don't know about Ukraine, our culture. They don't know anything. They have a stereotype that we are all alcoholics. Angela told them that she came to the office in the same clothes because she stayed with Anastasia. Then she told them a story, turned everything around, twisted everything, and they brought me to the carpet to explain why I drank, why she bought a box of vodka and drank it. That's how it was. We went through that too, but then they told me that I didn't wear my pants right or that I did something wrong.
Speaker 2:Can I ask you, anastasia? You worked for a company that was being abused. You saw the difference in culture. Didn't you want to go home? I couldn't go home, even if you made tickets.
Speaker 1:No, I'm such a person that I wasn't used to going back, that I had to go through to learn. But I had a plan in my head I had to stay. My family was no longer in Ukraine. I could not go to Ukraine. My family was in Australia. They did not give me a visa in Australia. They did not let me. They refused me 3-4 times Even to go to visit my sister. She lived with her husband. She had a child. I was refused, refused, refused. My father and father went there. I couldn't go to my family. Where can I go? I have my aunt in Ukraine, relatives, childhood friends, but there was no home anymore. You know your mom and dad are there, your family is there, your home. I didn't want to go to Russia or something. I couldn't be in Ukraine. There is no home there. They sold everything and to buy a ticket they sold the apartment, bought a summer house.
Speaker 2:You said you had a goal. What was your goal? To stay in this country to make documents and become a professional.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't have a goal. I had to myself. I will study, I will find some qualifications to 5 years to go to Australia to my family. I had to be single and single-minded. I can learn everything here. I can learn how to live, how to study, go to college, improve my English, improve my qualifications, because I see that this country is very professional for me. It's great. You know, there is competition, there are West. Everything is interesting for us Professionally. I was interested in it. I also had such a goal to create my own tourist agency.
Speaker 1:Aha, because you did it in Ukraine, yes, and when you knew you wanted to do it, yes, but when I took the first steps to do it, they told me it was not possible because I had to be a permanent… Living here. I had to pay $50,000 in investment to open a business. I said to myself I will do something to get a living. How to get a living? You need to extend your visa every year, 3.5 years to stay here and apply for a living. I set myself a goal and did it, but this is only one goal that I could achieve and all the plans I had before that.
Speaker 1:Nothing was working out. I graduated from university. Everything went, everything was broken. The system was broken. Then there were all sorts of different perturbations. I couldn't get to live with my family. If I had gone to Australia from Ukraine, I would have stayed there, and then, when I got permanent residence here, I got an Australian visa. I went to Australia for the first time, but it seemed like a village to me. I came to Sydney. My sister and my family lived in a good area, but not in the center, but somewhere there, yes, a little further, like 5th or 6th zone.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, we bought a house there and there's a bus that ends the last. You have to go to the bus for 20 minutes. You can't go there without a car, like in America. It's impossible without a car. And then at 8 pm the last buses leave and that's it. There's no transport. When you go to the center, there are only gay bars, gay, gay, gay everywhere.
Speaker 1:I thought what is it? I don't like living in this country. Then I bought a ticket and went to Great Barrier Reef, cairns $700 for a flight inside Australia. I thought maybe I'll do a tourist business in Australia, because I had this idea to make a tourist agency. I really liked tourism. I wanted to travel, but it was impossible. It was so expensive, everything was so expensive and the market was different. I said no, no, I like it. I had not seen the Western Europe yet. I wanted to see Italy. I was already in Spain, but I wanted to see it. You can take a ferry to France. You can go there and there. And in Australia, where will you go? There were only 2,500, 2,500-3,000 euros. Now it's a bit lower, okay let's go back to the UK.
Speaker 2:You studied in Kazma. You already got your documents. What's next? Where is your procedure going? I met my father's children.
Speaker 1:When I was leaving for Australia I met him. Then he followed me and brought me back here and then I changed my plan a little bit. We were waiting for the first child. We bought it. The plans changed a little because I started when you wait for a child. I changed the plans a little. I needed a family, a mother, and were repairing. We also had all these problems. We didn't think it was so expensive here. It was terribly expensive to repair.
Speaker 2:You were also making cookery, I remember.
Speaker 1:Yes, after that, I was already making cookery classes. I was doing some events. I was leaving. I lived in Australia for three years. I was with my children, watching my parents. I was leaving and living there. Then I came back here in 2018 them.
Speaker 1:It was hard to learn English. For example, she gives classes in Sri Lankan cuisine. In Jamaica, she gives classes in Jamaican and African cuisine. I liked what she does. I wrote to the director's founder. She invited me and said that I am not a refugee, but I just want to work with you. I what you do there.
Speaker 1:I took a course. I have a certificate that I am a chef, but not a chef, but a chef. Then they taught us how to give lessons. It was very interesting for me. You understand and I love different kinds of cuisine. I thought that people wouldn't be interested in Ukrainian cuisine because nobody knows about it, and it was very interesting. My classes were popular. I gave lessons in Ukrainian cuisine, borscht dumplings. I have photos. I'll send them to you later. I didn't bring them today, but there was yes, yes, especially COVID started. I remember I was giving lessons in the Ukrainian cuisine for clients from corporate companies BP, for example and people people in America, in Holland, in Britain, others are in the USA, the Netherlands, the UK, south America. They all sit at home. I teach Ukrainian cuisine in London. It was very interesting.
Speaker 2:Have people already known about Ukraine? Maybe there was already a war with Russia?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, there was no war, yet In what year? In 2019.
Speaker 2:Was there a war with Ukraine?
Speaker 1:No, it started in 2020.
Speaker 2:No, the war started in 2014.
Speaker 1:No, in Donetsk. Yes, you say that in Donetsk, but they didn't publish a lot of information.
Speaker 2:But did people know about it?
Speaker 1:Not like in the 90s. No, no, no, they didn't know.
Speaker 2:No they didn't know. What did you think back then?
Speaker 1:I gave them shows, I told them about Ukraine. They it was more educational, cultural, like a delicious education. Not only did people eat cuisine, they, you know, cuisine always united people. And then people also recognized the information asked. We used it as traditional Ukrainian or I told them that I am from the east of Ukraine. I told about the difference between Ukrainian cuisine and culture and after that the war started and BBC invited me to do this program. It was Sunday Morning Live.
Speaker 2:Stop, stop, stop. And how did BBC know about you? Then we were doing different lessons.
Speaker 1:I was interested in whether I could do private lessons. I was invited. People liked my lessons. Then I took part in various campaigns. I don't know how they passed information to about Amex Media Charity and they talked to me.
Speaker 1:They invited me to different to this program, sunday Money Live. There was a week of refugees and they invited me and some other guy from Iran. They invited me and some other Iranian guy. I told them about Ukrainian cuisine. I brought my Ukrainian eggplant caviar. I brought something else and I told them what I do in Ukrainian cuisine. I do propaganda. I did many events. I had friends from Moldova. They had a lot of events. I had friends from Moldova. They had a restaurant in Victoria. I had interesting events there. Different people came there through contacts, through friends. When you talk to people, someone recommend you. They say something about you. I didn't advertise anything. They found me and asked me Anastasia, can you come here? I said yes, I can.
Speaker 2:When you do business, people know you.
Speaker 1:Yes, I did a lot of business.
Speaker 2:Business is like advertising and the company you opened, j&c Soul.
Speaker 1:I opened it in 2000. I did events before I registered it in 2020. And I did events in 2019. When I went to Australia, I helped to do Afro-Australian Music and Movie Awards. I helped there. I made this award and helped to bring different celebrities from Africa and America. I did this award and I liked it. I like music, breakfast travel.
Speaker 1:I came to London and wanted to do something like that. I met some people, I don't know. I was looking for opportunities. You know, when you are looking for something, when you are striving for something, you find people, you find opportunities. They are there. Whatever you want to do, it will be there. And I found this family. They were Moldovan. They had two restaurants, not only two, but they gave me two places. A British stand-up from Latvia. I was quite familiar with the different. At the same time, I was promoting the Ukrainian cuisine. I was working with different charities organizations, but I taught people. For example, 20 or 15 people come to church, to some other location. They come, we preparing everything. They prepared everything in advance and I was the boss. I told what I would cook, what recipe, what ingredients are needed for this, and I taught people. After that, I did these events simultaneously. After that, people asked me to make a cafe for them. I was working in American companies. I they were giving me big money for lessons and I was given small money. But that's my experience.
Speaker 2:What is the mission of the organization JNC? How does it help? Why do people need?
Speaker 1:to join. How do you help? I registered my jeans in 2020. Then Covid started and a lot of people lost their jobs and businesses. I also lost my business and everything stopped Because you can't do anything. I started to work as a caregiver. I helped the elderly in my area and I taught Ukrainian cuisine in the kitchen. I opened a sushi bar. When the pandemic was over, this woman asked me if I could make sushi. I opened a sushi bar in her restaurant. I did my business there and sponsored my business, and after that the war began.
Speaker 1:The war began in the 22nd year, already full-scale in February, and I was busy bringing by one, one by one. They started working. Then I organized it with the mayor of my district. I knew that I had to do something with the local council, because I cannot do everything alone. I contacted the local council, asked if they could help us somehow. They responded. We organized a meeting with the mayor and sponsors and invited the Ukrainians who had already arrived At first. A lot of people came from the West. We met there. After that, the council invited me to the Ukrainian support team. They invited me to meetings, meetings, events. I see that they do something, but not just put a checkmark and put money on it, they solve the issue. They ask me Anastasia, let us volunteer, anastasia, what should we do? They don't understand culture. They don't know the language. Many Ukrainians speak only Ukrainian. They don't know what to do with it. People don't know where to go.
Speaker 2:I see that there are money and then I thought, okay.
Speaker 1:I will make an order. I took grants, wrote grants and solved the problem. I just solved the problem as best I could Because I saw I knew what to do, I knew what to decide. And they are sitting there. 25 meetings already, 25, they are not solve anything, only blah, blah, blah. Tea coffee. I say people need practical, practical help, not tea coffee. I already laughed at them. I told them that people need practical help and the fact that you talk to them only tell them coffee, tea. It doesn't help people. And they also gave me a grant to organize these.
Speaker 2:Events.
Speaker 1:Events, yes, and I taught people Ukrainian through this. So people were asking for help. There were two or three people with whom we worked Taras and one other guy. We didn't know each other, we only knew each other by eye. We were all working together. They were helping people. I was helping. They were calling me, asking me what to do, how to do it, how to do it, and after that one after a lawyer with whom I work he is already solving the legal issues. That is earlier. I solved everything myself, wrote everything myself, and now he is already solving legal issues. There is already an administrator. There is already a small team. Such a structure has already been formed and we are now taking two Ukrainians as apprentices for training.
Speaker 1:One woman from Ukraine was there in Ukraine, in Kyiv. She was a business jurist in Kyiv. There was another boy who studied here from Odesa. We will train Ukrainians, help them and give them practical help. I understand people's mentality, I understand what they need, and then I went through some paths here. I know what to do. I didn't read in the book. I know what decisions to make, if necessary. Then I work with the media. They recommended me. Julia Ramparty told you about Zanex Media when my Ukrainian friend came to Ukraine she was a familiar regional journalist. She wrote about Kherson. I contacted her from the Guardian.
Speaker 1:I was working with the Guardian at that time. They asked me to write some articles. Then they came to me and asked me if I knew someone who could write about Herson. I contacted her. She was already here. I brought her there. Her croissant was already bought. She was there. She wrote all the notes how it was, what was there. The Guardian wrote about how our people are homeless here, homeless, how they can't find a place to live, how they are kept in temporary housing. They don't help, they don't answer questions.
Speaker 1:And this work with the media. It really helps, because here the media is very helpful, because the media is very strong. Here they have no influence. And I would like to tell people that they should not be afraid. For example, now we have a project with the BBC. Bbc called me to find two families. I have one, but I can't find the other. I gave the announcement but no one wants to. People are afraid. About a month ago there was a project with Times Magazine. Times Magazine wrote I found our clients, gave them an interview and then they refused at the last moment. And I want to say that people should not be afraid because the media has a very strong influence here. It helps to of the media.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't live in Ukraine.
Speaker 2:Anastasia, we will finish our podcast. I want to ask you 5 questions. What is the most important lesson you have learned from your trip?
Speaker 1:What lesson did you learn from your trip? I think you need to be brave in life. If life doesn't work out the way you want it to, you, don see what you can give. Not only what you can take from the community, from the society where you live, but what you can give If you live in such a position where you can give something, help. This is a Christian principle. If you raise someone, you raise yourself. Do you understand? Yes, when we take something for ourselves, which we are looking for, we can live like that, but this is my principle of life.
Speaker 2:Anastasia, you have gone through a lot in life in Britain, A lot of different jobs. You have gone through your great advantages and many disadvantages.
Speaker 1:Not only yourself, but also with your husband, with your children. I have a question for you. What would you advise other Ukrainians who want to achieve success? Benefits for yourself, but to community enterprise. We do it for people. We don't work like the usual corporations. You don't have money? Okay, goodbye, get out of here. We don't work like that. We work on what they want to achieve in life. This is my position. I chose it and I stick to it.
Speaker 1:I do what I can to make my life and the lives of people around me is the best, the best, and to make such a community where I would live, where I would be interested, where I would be safe, where I can find people to communicate with, with whom I will be good to live, and not that I am alone, I am all good. I going to the Lamborghini, I have a big house and, look, everyone around me lives poor. I don't like to live like that.
Speaker 2:How can our listeners and listeners be aware of your work and current projects that you are doing, and are there any future events or initiatives in which you take part about which listeners and listeners should know we need money for this.
Speaker 1:We don't have financial support. Everything we do is self-sustaining. It's very hard to take grants here. There is no support, but we are slowly, with such small steps, moving forward, are calling people to participate, because we are doing this for you, not for me. That is, you take part, if you can take part in events more, to be more active. If they have any wishes, let them address them, let them address. Don't sit and wait for them to bring something for you, because society starts with us, with individuals. If you want something to happen, let's do it, don't wait for someone. Does it mean?
Speaker 2:for you as a Ukrainian in the UK.
Speaker 1:For me, success is when you have some goals, some projects and you implement them regardless of any obstacles. There are always obstacles and everyone learns from their mistakes. No one has read a book and done everything without any problems. There will always be problems, but through these problems we gain experience, we develop professionalism, skills and if there were no problems, life would be very sweet and boring. So you don't need to be afraid of these problems, go ahead. Success is when you did what you wanted, tried. If you didn't do it and you just sit and think, oh, I would like to do it, I would like to be that, I would like to, and so always life goes on and you wanted, wanted and did nothing. Success is not how much money you made, made millions. It's not success.
Speaker 2:For me, success is when you did something you to support your contacts or follow your work.
Speaker 1:We have a website. You know our website email team at GNCSolorg. Do not call, but write. For example, if you have any wishes or any questions, write. We respond in 3-5 days. We will answer the workers. We will definitely answer. If you want to make a meeting later, come, we will assign you a place, a location, either in our office or somewhere where you can get there much easier, and in this way we work. Please contact us, we will definitely help.
Speaker 2:Thank you, anastasia, for such a wonderful, interesting and interesting episode of the Sonya Nakosatoks podcast. Thank you for your journey from Ukraine to Britain. How many interesting stories have have told with your experience how you lived in Britain, how it wasn't easy for you, but you didn't give up. You moved forward. You gave birth to children, bought a house here, you have a husband. You told us that there will be Ukrainians who will listen to, listeners and fans will be watching Ukrainians living here.
Speaker 2:I hear a lot of opinions from Ukrainians who tell me that they like it when I open a podcast. I like it when I open it and people tell me what's happening here. Success. Every person looks at success in different ways. I also look at success in different ways. It's not just money. I think that Ukrainians who have lived here, who know how to do it, adapted to it, took some Ukrainian culture, also British, mixed it all together, but live and enjoy this country. It's very wonderful.
Speaker 2:Thank you for your story. Thank you for introducing us. I know we will do a collaboration. I know this is not the last podcast with you and we will probably do more podcasts. Thank you again and, dear Ukrainians, I know a lot of you write to me please. If you want to write to Anastasia questions or, yes, questions, or I see how you write to me. You write questions in the description below in the comments. Please look at their social networks. I will give them email in the description. Please check out their social media. I will give them an email. You can write to them personally. But overall, thank you for coming, thank you for everything, and the very last words I say on all my podcasts are hold on, don't give up, just keep moving.
Speaker 1:Glory to Ukraine.
