Last time I promised to share a big summer recap post with you, so that's what I am going to do now. This summer turned out to be one of the most challenging summers in my life. At the same time, I was blessed beyond measure. That's why the title mentions bad things turning out for good. So let's start and I hope I won't scare you away :)
Bad thing #1
Back in May, I wrote something about big news that I was going to share with you. As some of you rightly guessed, I was going to share about being pregnant with our second child that was supposed to be born at the end of the year. It won't happen. Our child died in the womb, so an urgent surgery had to be made because the doctors realized the baby was dead about 2 weeks after it actually happened (it's hard to say for sure). Both Albert and I are still recovering from that... But at least now I can write (not yet speak!) about it. As a result, I also have some physical issues that are still bothering me. In fact, this Saturday I am going to find out whether I need another surgery for a problem that appeared afterwards. So prayers and good thoughts are greatly appreciated.Good thing that came out of it
First of all, thanks to my good friends Ekaterina Sarycheva and her husband Oleg for their willingness to work with my clients while I was in hospital. Big thanks also to Konstantina Drakou who helped me to get back into the working mood and to stop feeling sorry for myself. I thank God for the family and true friends who supported Albert and me while we went through those circumstances (and still are).I also became more cautious about my health and the health of all members of our family, and will now make sure that we make regular visits to the doctor for a checkup, and that we eliminate all health problems (if any) at an early stage.
Bad thing #2
I wasn't able to work for quite a long time. I did some work for a couple hours each day, but not nearly as much as I used to. You could also see that from the number of my posts here in May and June. Plus, some regular clients stopped sending me work because they went broke or close to being broke. As a result, my summer income sank.Good thing that came out of it:
I once more realized how important it is to diversify my income and to save money at all times. We may think that nothing bad can happen in our lives etc., and thank God if you never experience anything worse than a computer crash in your life, but most people do. And we need to be prepared for that.Some more changes:
I am not going to Translation Forum Russia this year. Very sad about it, but that's the way it is.I am also thankful for the fact that now I am working as part of the staff in two translation agencies (but still working remotely, in the comfort of my home). I am trying to use all my social media and blogging skills to help promote one of them. As for the other agency, it's young, so I am doing everything from editing to blogging to ensure quality and to help with its promotion.
That's a big change, and a totally different level of responsibility, but so far I love what I am doing and try to be as useful as possible! I also believe that it will help my family to have a more stable income. Oh, and I still write articles about Russia! Can't live without writing!
How will that influence my blog?
I am not sure! I am still a translator, editor, and writer, and still working remotely. So the changes are not really dramatic. The topic range of this blog might become a little wider because I have some more responsibilities that I didn't have before. Maybe I will write more on social media marketing, because, as I figured out, promoting your brand is one thing, but promoting somebody else's brand is a totally different issue! And as I said, it's a totally different level of responsibility. So let's wait and see!Another thing that I was reminded about is to cherish each and every day with my family. So, even though we didn't have a chance to travel somewhere far for a vacation, we still had an interesting summer. Here are some pictures of the places we've been to. You can click on them to enlarge them:
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| Bogolyubovo, view on the Holy Bogolyubovo Convent |
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| Bogolyubovo, Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. |
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| Suzdal |
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| More Suzdal :) We went there to celebrate the Cucumber Day. |
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| Delia in the Russian national headpiece |
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| Moscow Trade Center VDNH |
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| Moscow trade center VDNH |
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| View on Christ the Savior Cathedral from the Moskva river |
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| View on the Kremlin from the Moskva river |
P.S. This blog was nominated for ProZ.com Community Choice Awards in the best blog category! Please vote for Your Professional Translator if you like what I write. Thank you so much!
Olga Arakelyan,
Your Professional Translator
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