“What a tremendous burden would fall from the shoulders of women if they would become conscious that there is no written and unwritten requirement to live based on some externally defined model and that everyone has their rights and possibilities to choose their own present and the future, to follow their unique dreams and pursue their cherished aims,” emphasize Kristine Sergejeva. The woman whose strongest desire is to peel off all socially and culturally constructed layers of personality and to find her real, authentic core.
This is the Way of Kristine that inspires not to get stuck in the valleys of happiness but to experience and taste the life and to search answers to the most fundamental questions of the life.
This is the Way of Kristine that inspires not to get stuck in the valleys of happiness but to experience and taste the life and to search answers to the most fundamental questions of the life.
France – Thailand – China
When several months before I started to communicate with Kristine via the social networks, she had already decided to leave her job in France and was travelling in Thailand; however, when you are reading these lines, she already for 5 months is studying in the traditional kung fu school in the Wudang Mountains, China. As Kristine says, moving from one place to another in the world is the geography of her body and, possibly, also a sketch of the territory(ies) where she is present.
When several months before I started to communicate with Kristine via the social networks, she had already decided to leave her job in France and was travelling in Thailand; however, when you are reading these lines, she already for 5 months is studying in the traditional kung fu school in the Wudang Mountains, China. As Kristine says, moving from one place to another in the world is the geography of her body and, possibly, also a sketch of the territory(ies) where she is present.
I am a cosmopolitan – the citizen of the world who cares about problems of the entire humanity and for whom the universal seems closer than national and familial. I wish that everyone in this world would have a possibility to use their human capabilities, that there would be implemented and secured the global justice and human rights in the world. On the other hand, I am searching and walking my own, unique Way. I am trying to ascertain and comprehend the world and myself in this world, I am searching for the meaning and for “the truth”, if it exists; and I am slowly but fundamentally moving to the ideal state of my being (or my existence), climbing over my weaknesses and other internal and external obstacles.
Happy Childhood and Choices
Her period of childhood Kristine is dividing into two parts.
Her period of childhood Kristine is dividing into two parts.
Until I became 7 years old, I enjoyed a happy and careless life, which I spent between Staicele, the village on the beautiful Latvian river Salaca, where my granny and her sister lived, and Riga, together with my parents. I felt loved and wrapped up in the safety and tenderness net. The period in Staicele brings up warm memories of the river, meadows, daily games with neighborhood children, dear relatives living in the same town, books since I learned to read in my kindergarten when I was 3, TV shows for kids in the evenings and Sundays, amateur theatre performances and dance balls in the park of Staicele. But the time spent together with my mom and dad in Riga associates with tasty meals in restaurants, visits to my parents’ friends, participation in demonstrations and manifestations, excursions by car in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as boat trips along the river Salaca.
Kristine lightly outlines her happy childhood. However, then the picture is suddenly tinged by darker colors when unwillingly and unexpectedly the new period of responsibilities came.
One day, because of my early reading addiction, I was trying to sort and read all papers and magazines placed in the bookshelf; and I accidentally discovered the official papers on my parents’ divorce. Therefore, I found out about the fact that they plan to divorce (or to be more precise – have already divorced) even earlier than they decided to tell it to me; and I decided to keep it to myself. When, finally, my parents made up their minds to tell me about their breakup, they also asked me to choose whether I want to stay with my mom or my dad. It was the beginning of the nightmare because relatives of both sides started to influence me in all possible ways (mostly, by trying to persuade why other relative is not good enough to be chosen).
– remembers Kristine who cannot tolerate any critique about her close people since then.
In such cases I turn into the mother-lion, who desperately tries to protect her “cubs”.
To Love My Closest People Unconditionally
Anyway – Kristine had to choose…
Anyway – Kristine had to choose…
In my baby-mind I calculated that I must stay with my daddy because he could possibly need me more, as my mom was the one who left him to live with another man. However, after several years when my mom discovered that she had a breast cancer and her new husband left her, I moved my “base camp” to my mom’s place, as then I was sure that it was exactly my mom who needed me the most.
Then Kristine was 14 or 15, but her mom just slightly above 40. For the first time, her mother won the cancer; however, ten years later the cancer recurred… At this present moment both parents of Kristine are in the “otherworld” and from time to time sending her messages in her dreams; but she has made a list of Top 3 lessons from her parents.
At first, anyone, including yourself, cannot and will not be perfect; everyone has its own bigger or smaller defects or “shadow sides”, therefore, the search for the perfect match or the ideal person is the empty waste of your time. At second, every person who has touched your life in one or another way, has an unreplaceable value. At third, the closest and dearest people should be loved and accepted as they are, unconditionally and without expectations to change them; and exactly as a result of such love, your closest people can flourish and blossom in your presence.
Moving to Hungary
Until 26, Kristine lived and worked in Latvia: studied political science – international relations at the University of Latvia and worked in several jobs.
Until 26, Kristine lived and worked in Latvia: studied political science – international relations at the University of Latvia and worked in several jobs.
The longest and my favorite job in Latvia was in the State Revenue Service of Latvia where our super team led by the fantastic leader Marina Basko was organizing the modernization of the tax administration; I also actively participated as a volunteer in the in the projects of the youth international NGO “Youth Action for Peace”.
- remembers Kristine who in 2002 decided to leave her job in the SRS, leave Latvia and to move to Hungary where her best friend lived with her family.
As my best friend and I already made a great team in Latvia and successfully organized several projects together financed by different sponsors, I wanted to continue implementing our ideas and maybe turning these projects into the source of the income. Also, I decided that I would go to Hungary and then on the spot would look for some work for living.
Everything happened differently as it was originally planned – already in the first month in Hungary, Kristine found a job in the international organization of tax administrations and started to work in the area of communications. She worked there for next 10 years, in the middle of this period coming shortly back to Latvia and finishing her master studies in Philosophy.
Studying Political Sciences was the wish and dream of my mom, because I originally wanted to study either Journalism or the Theory of Culture at the Academy of Culture. But to make my mom happy, I also applied for the budget place of the newly made study programme of Political Science – International Relations of the University of Latvia and accidentally got very good results in exams despite of the huge competition. Then I decided that I will get my first degree for my career and prestige; but the second one will be for my heart.
Kristine outlines her decision to choose Philosophy studies and also notes that probably she will continue her studies either for PhD in Philosophy or for masters degree in Communications. She says that she has a pure pleasure to study; that is why she continues to do that by herself using the possibilities of the distance learning. For example, in the previous year she has discovered free “MOOCs” (massive open online courses) by the best world universities and already completed several courses, such as on communication theories, strategic innovation for organisations, and on China culture, literature and history.
In order to be in the perfect professional “shape” each day I am reading the most interesting and actual news and articles tweeted by the best communication professionals, as well as the most interesting new content on personal development posted on Facebook by several organisations whose follower I am.
Perfect Time for Retreat
After 10 years spent in Budapest, in 2012, Kristine won a competition for the post of the Communication Director of the EU Programme for sustainable urban development URBACT and moved to Paris, France, where she spent the following 2.5 years. In addition, Kristine was chosen by the European Commission as the external evaluation and monitoring expert for the EU Programme Horizon2020 projects and she was working as an independent freelance consultant for the company Appen. However, in the last September – after working for 15 years in national and international organisations – she decided to take a break, which started with the determination to leave the job.
After 10 years spent in Budapest, in 2012, Kristine won a competition for the post of the Communication Director of the EU Programme for sustainable urban development URBACT and moved to Paris, France, where she spent the following 2.5 years. In addition, Kristine was chosen by the European Commission as the external evaluation and monitoring expert for the EU Programme Horizon2020 projects and she was working as an independent freelance consultant for the company Appen. However, in the last September – after working for 15 years in national and international organisations – she decided to take a break, which started with the determination to leave the job.
Since I started my professional life in twenties, I never had given myself a time to pause and to contemplate whether I was satisfied with the job I was doing; whether this career was exactly what I wanted to reach in my life; whether the 1/3 of my life (the one, which I was spending in my job) must be spent in such activities. On the other hand, I wanted to give to myself a time to think about substantial questions, such as my personal development or health improvement. I was longing for a mystical experience, which would fundamentally transform my life, which would provide me answers about the meaning of the life, my mission in this world and how I should contribute in order to make this world a better place. This was a perfect time to go for a retreat, which I decided to have in the traditional kung fu school located in the Wudang Mountains in China, for 6 months learning qigong, the fundaments of the Daoist meditation as well as the kung fu basics.
The Decision and The Day when …
Kristine is laughing – she has several smaller and bigger fears she is trying to win, such as fears from illnesses, from airplanes, snakes of insomnia; but she is definitely not afraid that she could become jobless for a long time and that she would not be able to find a job. That is why it was not difficult to make a decision.
Kristine is laughing – she has several smaller and bigger fears she is trying to win, such as fears from illnesses, from airplanes, snakes of insomnia; but she is definitely not afraid that she could become jobless for a long time and that she would not be able to find a job. That is why it was not difficult to make a decision.
I started to have doubts a little later – when I already left my job and when I had paid my 6-month tuition fee for the kung fu school. There were moments when I was thinking that running to the other side of the world is totally crazy decision, because what if I would not find there what I was looking for. But these doubts like waves, came and left, came and left. I do not know which of the days should be considered as “the day”. Last working day? The day when I left Paris? The day when I went from Budapest to Thailand (before the kung fu school I was travelling for 2 months in Thailand)? The day when I was flying from Bangkok to China? The first day in the kung fu school? Maybe the most intense feelings I had when I left Paris because in that moment I was totally aware that the French period in my life has been completed and that the next period of my life is in front of me, and that it will be definitely better, happier and more “smiling”. The only thing what I have abandoned for some time is the paid job and the continuous income source. But I still “owe” everything else, what is even more substantial – my dear closest people and my cats, my health, which is becoming better and better, my mind, my creative inspiration, my ideas and my principles, my knowledge and, after all, also my savings, which at the moment allow me to live such life what I choose.
I Feel in Harmony with Nature
Her decision to choose China where to learn and practice qigong and Daoism, Kristine explains with several occurrences, which happened in the last years. In 2013, Kristine went for the first time to China – she traveled around the Inner Mongolia and spend some time in Beijing.
Her decision to choose China where to learn and practice qigong and Daoism, Kristine explains with several occurrences, which happened in the last years. In 2013, Kristine went for the first time to China – she traveled around the Inner Mongolia and spend some time in Beijing.
The first encounter with this country was fascinating and I loved absolutely everything – calm people, tasty food, fantastic parks where people were gathering together to sing, dance or practice together taiji, historical monuments, and atmosphere. I knew that I would return there, sooner or later. Besides, since the previous year I accidentally started to practice qigong. I wanted to visit for a weekend the Buddhist meditation retreat next to Limoges, and exactly in that weekend there was a course of the 1st and 2nd level qigong organized by the disciple of Eva Wong. Eva Wong is one of the most well-known translators of the classical Daoist texts in English and also the master of the qigong lineage “Xiantianwujimen”. The days which I spent in this meditation centre were colored my magical feelings – I was feeling the movement of the energy in my body, and our teacher was explaining how to control it and work with it. These were the days when finally, after such a long break, I felt in absolute harmony with the nature and the world. Since that time, I started seriously practice qigong, and I also finished the third level qigong course by the same teacher.
This is the English translation of the first part of the interview with Kristine Sergejeva by Lauma Luse-Kreicberga for the Latvian women magazine "Una", published in August 2015