Welcome to my personal blog. Here I want cover some untypical (or not) stories about immigration, exploring the world, prices, work and much more.
Funds Unfrozen, But the Case Isn't Closed
Hey everyone! Just recently I wrote a detailed post about the whole saga with our funds that were frozen by Canada. In December 2025, we finally received all our money in our account, except for $10 from each transfer, which, as it turned out, J.P. Morgan charged, but whatever. It was both joyful that the money finally came back, and frustrating that no one will ever be held accountable or compensate for the losses from inflation....
Pura Vida! Vacation in Costa Rica
Hi everyone! We just got back from vacation in Costa Rica, and as usual, I’m writing a post about how we spent our time there and how much everything cost. Why Costa Rica When choosing a winter vacation, we initially planned to fly all the way to Australia. We’ve been dreaming of going there for a long time, and it would also be interesting to see the country from an immigration perspective (no plans, just curiosity)....
The Story of Our Frozen Funds
The Story of Our Frozen Funds Hello everyone! It’s November 2025, and our story with the long frozen money has finally started to get at least somewhat resolved. Backstory In February 2022, we had been living in Canada for a little over a year, but our savings remained in Russia — mine from selling my apartment in St. Petersburg, and D.’s just regular savings. We didn’t transfer the money to Canada when we moved here because at that moment our relocation and work permit situation was extremely confusing....
How Mat Leave Shaped Me as a Product Marketing Manager
Hi everyone! I recently started looking for a job after being off the market for two years. I was very scared to even start looking. I thought that in those two years, so many things happened that I missed! While I tried to keep up with the industry by checking LinkedIn even during my leave, I still felt quite bad about the whole thing and, honestly, about myself. Then I thought, “I gave birth to a human being and survived the first few months; I don’t think anything can be more challenging than this,” and opened Notion to shape up a plan for my new project: “preparing for getting a job....
Hola, amigo! Vacation in Mexico, not all-inclusive
We just got back from our trip to Mexico, and as per tradition, I’m writing a post about how we spent our time there and how much it all cost. Why Mexico I’ve always had mixed feelings about choosing Mexico as a vacation destination. Most people go there for all-inclusive resorts, and we’re not really into that. A big part of our vacations is exploring nature, but I was always told that it’s unsafe to rent a car in Mexico and drive around on your own....