Was it hard to leave Belarus?
As I've already had experience of international traineeship, I wasn't afraid of the changes. Of course, all my family and friends are in Belarus and I miss them. However, the distance is not so big and I plan to visit Belarus. Also, I use different social nets for keeping in touch with my family. And of course I was happy to get this opportunity. In general, I would say that the relocation to Poland wasn't as hard as I expected it to be.
When I was a child, I often used to come here with my parents. In 2016-2017 I lived in Warsaw and I also did my scientific research. During that time I visited Lodz as a tourist. I remember that it was at the end of August. We had an excursion and I admired beauty of the city. Back then we visited Manufaktura and historical sights of Lodz.
What is the political and economic situation in Belarus right now?
Due to the recent events the political and economic situation in Belarus is tense. Despite all of that, our people try to lead a normal life, stay optimistic and believe in a better future. In general, the political situation has had a negative impact on the economy of the country and the level of people's lives.
As an economist you know best! What exactly is your research area?
I do my research in the field of economics and I study institutional structure of a society. My research area is the dynamics of development of institutional systems, vector of their evolution, genesis of institutions and interaction influence of informal and formal institutions on institutional development.
Why did you decide to come to Poland now?
I have been doing research in my field for more than 5 years and for a long time I wanted to find more opportunities to develop my research work. I knew about the NAWA scholarship and about the possibilities it gives to get a grant for scientific research. There was not so much paperwork. I got my visa after 2 weeks.
Also my home university - BSU - has recently changed a lot. The main policy is focused on international relationships with universities from different countries. Lately a lot of English-speaking programmes have been organized for foreign students.
What will you be doing here during your research?
Currently me and my scientific partner are planning to write some scientific articles. We also want to do the comparative characteristics of institutional transformation of Poland and Belarus. In Belarus the sphere of scientific research is not very well developed and not quite supported. In my opinion, there isn't enough support for scientific projects at workplaces.
Are there any aspects of living in Poland that you already appreciate?
To tell you the truth, I like everything. People in Poland are friendly and helpful. The city where I live is beautiful. I walk a lot and I have already visited some historical sights and museums. I appreciate the transport system and the infrastructure of the city in general. Everything that I need is close to my flat - there are shops, shopping centres, banks, cafes and parks. I like the atmosphere of the city a lot. In order to communicate with local people better, I started going to Polish courses and hope to improve my knowledge of this language.
Edit: Promotion Centre, UL