“If we imagine how the IT sphere of the country should ideally develop, then Uzbekistan is close to this ideal” – Evgeniy Aveltsev, iTransition developer

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

Today IT Park is hosted by iTransition software developer Evgeniy Aveltsev. He is 35 years old. Evgeniy was born in Arkhangelsk, but lived most of his life in St. Petersburg.

He began his career at the age of 19. Evgeniy worked for a large company, but then he realized that he wanted to try his hand at the world of international big development. So he ended up in iTransition, where he currently works.

About relocation to Uzbekistan

Evgeniy relocated to Uzbekistan in April of this year. As the hero of the interview notes, most of his colleagues and friends left for Georgia, but he was drawn to sunny Tashkent.

“I considered different directions and searched for information about all countries: I studied all the statistics, looked at the economic situation, compared my requests with what I would like to see in my life. And Uzbekistan met all my requests and needs”.

There are people among Evgeniy’s acquaintances who have visited Uzbekistan and were satisfied. They spoke very brightly and colorfully about the country, which convinced him of the correctness of the choice.

“When a person is forced to move somewhere, undoubtedly, he thinks about the problem of social adaptation. To “become your own” in another country, you need to know the language of this country. Therefore, another point that convinced me to choose Uzbekistan was the loyal attitude of society towards Russian-speaking people.  Here I do not feel like a stranger, and for me this is extremely important”.

About IT-sphere of Uzbekistan

According to the specialist, the IT industry of Uzbekistan is developing in the right direction.

“I see that IT-industry is a promising industry here. If we imagine how the IT sphere of the country should ideally develop, then Uzbekistan is just close to this ideal”.

Evgeniy was pleasantly impressed by IT Park. When he first arrived in Tashkent, he was met by an employee of the organization. Evgeniy was touched by such a warm welcome: at that moment he realized how important it is when someone is ready to lend a helping hand.

“I just arrived in a foreign country and did not navigate the city. For the first time without outside help in any way – at least to meet at the airport and bring to the hotel. It was very nice. IT Park also helped me with the search for housing, and in just a couple of days we arranged everything and settled in. But the most important help is that IT Park even exists. This means that the state is interested in IT-direction”.

The IT Park complex also did not leave the hero indifferent.  Does it really happen, the hero is surprised, that the construction, which began in 2020, has turned into a fully usable modern, beautiful, well-equipped building in less than 3 years?

“For me, this is a surprisingly pleasant phenomenon. If a country takes such a course and fulfills such obligations, then such a country can be trusted. The existence of IT Park and the support from the organization literally signaled that I would be welcome here”.

However, the quality of the Internet, he adds, needs to be developed. The guest of the column says that home wireless Internet works relatively poorly, but the quality of mobile Internet is mostly good.

“Unfortunately, I also often encountered the problem of a power outage.  Although it did not last so long, but it is sensitive to working moments. I know that work is underway on this, and I hope that this problem will be solved in the country. There are still questions about the quality of banking services, I'm used to a different level. In Russia, when working with banking systems, I feel more comfortable”.

Impressions from staying in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan conquered our hero with its beauty and architecture.

“When I left St. Petersburg, there was still a snowy winter, but when I arrived in bright Tashkent, I found myself in the atmosphere of a charming spring. In St. Petersburg, a sunny day is already a holiday, but here I enjoy sunny weather and warmth. Everything here is so alive, green, bright. At the same time, modern style and traditional architecture are so harmoniously intertwined that I understand: I am falling in love with this city. I like to walk, look for interesting streets and just be in the space of the urban environment. How everything is thought out here, I am pleased to see such an amount of well-groomed greenery, I like the irrigation system that makes the city beautiful. The heart does not rejoice”.

In his free time, Evgeniy likes to walk with his family or alone.  In Tashkent, they visited all the parks, and most of all they remembered the Yangi Uzbekiston Park, Alisher Navoi Park, Magic City and the zoo.

“I was captured by the space, a huge territory with fabulously beautiful locations, green areas, playgrounds. In general, for childrenʼs recreation in Tashkent there is everything that a child can dream of. I remember my childhood, but we did not have such a level. I also note that there are many more well-organized parks in Tashkent than in my hometown”.

Evgeniyʼs father also came to Tashkent to visit his son. According to the specialist, dad shared the charm of the city and fell in love with Tashkent. The family is already discussing routes for traveling around the country.

In addition, the guest rubric is admired by the inhabitants of the country.  He considers Uzbeks hospitable, sincere, kind people and pleasant interlocutors. Evgeniy recalls that once he left things in the car, very soon everything was returned safe and sound. Here, he continues, it goes without saying – to act correctly, humanely, as decent, sympathetic people should act towards each other.

Pleasant situations in Uzbekistan are pursued at every turn, Evgeniy shares.

“Itʼs rare in St. Petersburg when you know your neighbors on the landing, but here itʼs strange if you donʼt know your neighbors. Itʼs good to have that kind of attitude. Here people care about each other, trust each other.  Not so long ago, a courier arrived, who, as it turned out, had lived in St. Petersburg for 20 years, and before that he had served in the military in the same area where I myself come from. He knows the same areas that I know, he has seen all the places that I have seen. We exchanged contacts, talked very sincerely. The cordiality of the Uzbek people is difficult to overestimate”.

What problems did you have to face?

Perhaps the main drawback that the hero noted is the problems of a bureaucratic nature.

“The bureaucracy clearly exists in its infamous manifestations and the quality of services needs to be improved. Shortcomings in this direction slightly spoil the overall impression of the development of the IT industry. At the same time, I was pleasantly surprised that even public services can be paid through the Click app, while when paying for some public services in St. Petersburg, I had to use uncomfortable terminals and enter a rather large amount of data exclusively manually”.

Drivers and driving style is another point that at first unpleasantly surprised Evgeniy.

“I must admit, at first I was intimidated by the local driving style. Then I noticed that there were relatively few accidents, which even surprised me. I got acquainted with the statistics and it turned out that there are even fewer accidents here. True, there are not enough pedestrian crossings, I also noticed that drivers do not always let pedestrians through, but I think this will change over time, as there is a tendency to increase the level of driving culture”.

But the roads left a good impression. Evgeniy says that he expected less, but reality exceeded expectations.

“The roads are well paved. We have a joke in St. Petersburg that every spring the asphalt comes off with the snow, and this joke did not appear out of the blue. Here everything is done according to conscience, and fixed and repaired. Personally, I see excellent roads”.

Uzbek cuisine

We could not ignore the national cuisine of Uzbekistan. As it turned out, not in vain. Evgeniy was so delighted with the local food that he expressed his opinion about it almost in a poetic form.

“Uzbek cuisine is a form of magic. This is something that can change the state of consciousness completely legally. There is a lot of art in this, and this art leaves no one indifferent. I want to go to all places and try, I want to conduct such gastronomic research.  In principle, people love good food, and in Uzbekistan this bar is very high. And when you come to the institution, you know that something special is waiting for you.

Evgeniy notes that Uzbek cuisine creates a huge foundation of impressions.  He also added that he understands why people in Uzbekistan are so kind and smiling: food is the best antidepressant, and delicious food, such as here, inspires and promotes a good mood.

He tried Uzbek cuisine back in St. Petersburg. As the guest of the column admits, he generally loves Asian cuisine.

“I can say that not every cuisine makes me a happy person, but Central Asian cuisine is guaranteed to increase my level of happiness. It’s even difficult for me to choose a favorite dish of Uzbek cuisine, because I have to list almost everything.  Somehow I quickly finished my paperwork, I had a lot of free time and I decided to take a walk to the nearest park, it was the Japanese Garden.  On the way I took samsa and did not even believe it: how delicious it is! Yes, this is a Michelin-starred dish, how can it be so stunningly amazingly delicious?!”

Evgeniy also admires fruits and vegetables. As the hero notes, they are incredibly tasty from the fact that they are charged by the sun and grew up on this fertile land. He admits that in the summer he did not even choose watermelons and melons, because there are no tasteless ones here.

“We also liked the local bazaars. They are beautiful and unique. I want to walk along all the rows and inhale the aromas of spices and bargain. I also enjoyed bargaining, it is a special form of communication and an interesting experience”.

Evgeniy and his family plan to live here for the time being.

“I feel comfortable and pleasant in Uzbekistan. There are no problems with the language barrier: everyone here speaks Russian or at least understands it. I have a desire to learn the Uzbek language, I think I will soon take up this. For now, we will live here, and then we will see. And I will take with me the warmest sunny memories of this amazing country and, of course, beautiful things made by local craftsmen!”