People of the World

Zuwaina, sharing Oman’s seafaring traditions

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I am a qualified accounting technician working during the day as an Investment Analyst for Fund For Development of Youth Projects. It’s a company that has helped me enhance my skills on projects and encouraged me to be my own boss. In the evenings I am the Managing Partner of my own dhow cruise company – Star Of The Sea Tourism.

What is your business?

We are a small amazingly cultural Omani dhow cruise company established with the mission of entertaining, educating and preserving Oman’s unique sea history. We run various dhow cruise packages for our guests, for example the sensational sunset cruise, the fun day cruise including kayaking and snorkelling etc. (more…)

Marcel, writing and discovering his own heritage

Today we’re talking to an author among our own contributors, and following last week’s interview with Alexey, today we also have a Russian connection. Marcel (PocketCultures contributor in Berlin, Germany) is currently writing a book about his grandmother, who spent five years in a Soviet labour camp before settling in West Germany.

To research the book Marcel traced his grandmother’s journey from Poland to Russia by train. Although his first language is German, Marcel writes in English, blaming his proficiency on several years of small talk with the Irish whilst living in Dublin.

Marcel slightly confused in Russian traffic

Why did you decide to write a book about your grandmother? Can you tell us a bit about her?

I’m carrying the idea of writing about my grandmother Cäcilie, short ‘Cilly’, with me for quite a while now. Mostly because her story is an extraordinary one: in 1945, when she was 23, she was taken by the Red Army from her parents’ farm in East Prussia (a former part of Germany that is now Polish) and spent five years in a Soviet labour camp in the Urals before she returned to West Germany where she met my grandfather, and never returned to her home country. She died in 2009 at the age of 86. But I also wanted to learn more about her native country as part of my own heritage – when I was a child, she always kept telling stories about East Prussia, of wolves in the woods and sleigh rides in the snow and deep cold lakes, so I traveled there myself last year.

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Alexey’s amazing adventures in Russia and abroad

We’re talking about books this month on PocketCultures, so here on People of the World we’ve got some interviews with authors for you.

Today’s interview is with Alexey Subbotin, whose novella A few hours in the life of a young man describes life in contemporary Russia. Alexey had a pretty eventful life so far; here he tells us about surviving the breakup of the Soviet Union, studying and working abroad, selling a telecoms company and writing on the Moscow-St Petersburg railroad (phew!).

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born in 1975, in Nyandoma – a small district center in Northern Russia. Both my parents worked for the local railroad. In 1977, we moved to Arkhangelsk – the capital of the Russian North, a place with lots of history and traditions. Then in late 90’s the whole world around me collapsed – whatever people may say nowadays about the break up of the Soviet Union, it was rather unmerciful and unpleasant experience. Luckily for me my parents kept sanity and raised me and my brother in spite of all the challenges stemming from a failed economy and disintegrating society. My father was unemployed for a number of years doing some dull temporary jobs despite his excellent engineering background.

In 1992, I graduated from middle school and began to study management at the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. In my third year there I got an opportunity to study in Germany at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Bernburg. DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) recognized me as the Best Foreign Student in 1997. Upon graduation I started to work as an auditor in the St. Petersburg office of Arthur Andersen.

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An Italian in Europe

Today we welcome a new contributor to People of the World. Simona Morachioli is from Italy but currently lives in Germany, and she put her cross cultural experience to work in this interview with a fellow Italian living abroad, Cecilia.

Cecilia, tell us a bit about you. How would your friends describe you?

I am Cecilia, I am 28 years old and I come from a small & beautiful town in Italy. Since 2009, due to my studies or to business reasons, I have been living in 5 different Countries: Holland (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Frankfurt), England (London) and Spain (Barcelona- where I currently live, pursuing my second Master degree).

My friends would describe me as an outgoing person, who loves travelling and experiencing new things all the time. In my free time, I enjoy attending fitness classes, hanging out with my friends in front of a glass of Bailey’s and Skyping with my family.

Cecilia in Amsterdam

What is the pitch and the peak of being always on the move
?

The pitch of being always on the move is that after a while it gets difficult to understand where you belong to. But that is a peak as well.
On one hand, I am exposed to a lot of different inputs that continuously enrich me. On the other hand, I became a sort of cultural hybrid who does not have defined boundaries.

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Author Tash Aw on moving to China and the South Asian novel

Recently I had the privelege of interviewing Malaysian author Tash Aw for the review site Bookmunch.

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Meet Sabrina, Italian guest house owner

Fifteen months ago Sabrina Trionfera realised her dream of opening a Bed and Breakfast near Rome in Italy. She runs her B&B Magic Garden B&B by herself, and we asked her a few questions about it.

Please tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Sabrina, I’m 40 years old, I was born in Rome. I’ve worked for 17 years as travel consultant and supervisor in a travel agency in Rome, and 1 year in London.

Sabrina