“I like that IT is developing and there is work for people” — Polina Rakova about Uzbekistan

The column “Conversation with a Relocant”, beloved by many, continues to tell about Uzbekistan through the eyes of foreigners.

Today IT Park is hosted by Polina Rakova from Kazan, Tatarstan.

About relocation to Uzbekistan

Polina is a web designer. She is engaged in the development and design of interfaces for corporate websites, services and apps. Also, the girl is engaged in mentoring and practices individual training in web design.

“For more than a year I have been working remotely for the Russian design studio Mark Weber. Started as a junior designer and grew into a confident middle.

During this time, I managed to develop websites for the global IT company iFellow, for one of the leading banks in the Republic of Tatarstan Tatsotsbank, for a large regional agricultural holding – RM Argo. There are other projects with which I was lucky to work, but these are the largest and most interesting”.

Polina relocated to Tashkent at the beginning of this year. As the guest of the column notes, she chose between several countries, but in the end she chose Uzbekistan.

“The decision was made not only by me, but for the most part by my young man. Close people live in Uzbekistan, so we thought it was a good option. Additionally, a visa is not required. This has become another factor in favor of Tashkent”.

What problems did you have to face?

The girl had no problems with relocation. The girl says that IT Park helped with the search for good housing.

Polina admits that she did not encounter bureaucracy.

“I can’t remember any problems with the bureaucracy specifically. In fact, I was ready for difficulties, but everything went smoothly. Registration and other procedures did not take much time, everything was done very quickly. The only problem at first was the lack of understanding of the state language, but then I became convinced that most of the residents speak or understand Russian”.

About IT-sphere of Uzbekistan

According to the guest of the column, the IT-sphere of Uzbekistan is developing actively.

“I see that IT is a promising area. Favorable conditions are being created in the country for the development of this industry. Conferences, trainings are constantly held here, specialized IT schools and centers are opened throughout the republic. I am glad that various programs to support women and people with disabilities are being launched.”

What the girl lacks is events from the field of design.

“I can say this about the capital: a developing city. I like that the IT sphere is getting stronger here and there are jobs for people. I am glad that digital conferences and meetups are held, where you can learn new knowledge or find people from your field.

I would like to see more design events included in the IT events of the city. After all, if there is an opportunity to make a good, understandable design, then our life will definitely become better”.

Impressions from staying in Uzbekistan

The country made a good impression on Polina. She describes Uzbekistan as a sunny, tasty and friendly country.

“There is beautiful nature here. I have not yet managed to get to other cities of the country, but I have plans to travel to Samarkand and Bukhara in the near future. Most recently, we managed to get to the Jade Lakes – a surprisingly picturesque place. I was also impressed by the Boiler Room festival, which I was lucky to visit – it was cool, and the first trip to Chimgan in January frosts”.

In Tashkent itself, in her free time, she visits local parks, sights, cultural places of leisure – the conservatory, museums, theaters, cinema.

“Most of my time is taken up by work, so I mostly move to cafes, co-working spaces or IT Park, which is located near my house. The rest of the time I devote to studying English. However, when free hours are issued, I try to walk a lot.

From what I didn’t like: I want to highlight not the cleanest air and the amount of dust in the city, serious traffic on the roads and reckless drivers, the lack of food deliveries within half an hour is a big pain for me. I also noticed that there is no contactless payment (such as Apple Pay and similar), but there are no problems with cashing out money or exchanging it”.

There were some funny moments, continues the guest column.

“We live on the 1st floor and it happens that couriers pass the order through the window. It looks very funny.

And recently there was a case: our gas was turned off and, accordingly, hot water.  In Russia, hot water is turned off for 2 weeks every year in the summer, and we thought that they were doing the same in Tashkent. Moreover, pipes were being changed in the yard at that time and everything converged logically.  It turned out that we simply ran out of money on the balance sheet, and all this time we were heating water in the kettle”.

But the bazaars delighted: Polina likes to go to different bazaars every time, where you can buy the freshest and most delicious fruits and vegetables.

In Uzbekistan, the girl notes, almost everything and everywhere is delicious. She often goes to national cafes. From food in the first place she has samsa and lamb shashlik.

Polina speaks exceptionally well of the inhabitants of the country.

“The people of Uzbekistan are responsive, hospitable, sincere and open. I believe that the mentality is very similar to the inhabitants of my hometown – Kazan. And I'm comfortable enough to be in society. Everywhere there are and will be people who will always help and warn, as well as people who want to make money on you, and this is normal”.

Polina does not yet know how long she will live in Uzbekistan. But now she doesn't want to leave.

“The original plan for a stop in Tashkent was a period of no more than three months, but plans are changing and Uzbekistan has a chance to stay here longer.

I will definitely recommend Uzbekistan to all my friends. This is a colorful country with a rich history and heritage, my friends really want to come here. Well, I will take with me memorable souvenirs, warm memories and love for pilaf!”