Today is May 1st — International Labor Day. A holiday with a curious fate. Officially international, yet in Ukraine it still echoes the Soviet past. These days, May 1st is simply a day off, without marches or major celebrations.

I grew up in post-Soviet Ukraine. Not during the Soviet calendar — but right after it. And even when we think we’ve changed the calendar, the past still shines through the new pages. We build the future, but often on an old foundation.

For some, it is a cultural occasion to gather; for others, it is a quiet family day, a day of faith and church services. And all of this does not exclude each other - in fact, it coexists in a surprisignly harmonious way.

When you are surrounded by different cultures, climate, and rhythm of life, traditions become a choice rather than a default. They no longer live in the background of your surroundings but become a conscious act. In such an environment, you begin to feel more sharply: what in this holiday is mine, what can I bring from others, and what do I leave out. Especially now, when even within the same faith, church leaders are causing divisions and reshaping communities.

…this is one of our reactions to what we see in Abu Dhabi.

While the sense of novelty hasn’t worn off, the colors are still vivid and the local nuances catch the eye with their distinctive features, I’d like to share some surprising moments that caught me off guard:

In today’s post, I would like to share my recent pregnancy and childbirth experience in Chambéry, France. I’ll skip unnecessary details, so this article is suitable for men.

One of the first thing that really caught my attention was how relaxed and natural the attitude towards pregnancy is in France — especially compared to the stories I’ve heard from friends and family back in Ukraine. Unlike in Ukraine, where the healthcare system often tries to “save” or “preserve” a pregnancy, here, it is not seen as something that must be controlled from day one.

A woman’s social life, as a rule, doesn’t change much. More often, until the end of the first trimester, doctors don’t take the pregnancy too seriously. I mean that everything is expected to go naturally, and unless the woman is in a truly critical condition, nobody will hospitalize her “for observation” at this stage. No special check-ups or hormone therapy are prescribed.