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When I finished, I had a big question in my head: what do I want to do with my life, and who do I want to be?

 

Not long after, I found myself working at Baku International Airport as a representative of Iraqi Airways. I stayed in the corporate world for a couple of years. Then the question hit hard: am I happy with what I am doing? It felt like depression coming from unhappiness. I started searching for one answer: what would actually make me happy?

 

So I quit the job and wanted to leave the country to explore. But I had a problem: I spoke no English. I only had some French from university, plus some Russian and Turkish. I decided the smartest move was to go to an English-speaking place and learn it properly. That’s how I moved to Malta.

 

In Malta, I learned English. And during that time, I realized something important about myself: what makes me happy is knowledge - increasing my intellectual capacity. The more I learn, the happier I become. That became my formula.

So the next decision was obvious: do a master’s degree.

 

A bit later, I started my master’s at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, in Comparative International Relations. One year into it, I moved to Rouen, France to do intensive French. After that, I went to Florence to do the same for Italian. Then I moved to Brussels and worked as an MEP assistant at the European Parliament.

 

After that, I received a big Erasmus K+ scholarship for two semesters at Belarusian State University, for both research and study. During that time, I also got accepted to the European Academy of Diplomacy in Poland, and I was visiting Warsaw every month.

 

In the middle of all this mess, I had a quick opportunity in Boston. I went - and then Covid-19 happened. I got stuck in Boston for one year, doing everything online, and of course doing all the shitty jobs to survive in the US.

 

A year later, I could go back to Venezia and graduate. After graduation, by the age of 29, I started teaching at Baku State University (undergraduate level). That was also the time I discovered Ultimate Frisbee and became one of the first people playing it in Azerbaijan. During that period, I also received a full scholarship to do an advanced master’s at the College of Europe (Bruges Campus) - after I failed the selection two years in a row. Still, I took the chance when it worked out and moved to Belgium. I was a bit older than many, younger than a few, and honestly it was a great decision at that age.

 

Those 10 months were intense. Burnout was real (like for many others). I started thinking about taking a long break from academia, but I needed financial means to do it properly. And in my last three months, I accidentally found the perfect job: bartender and brewery tour guide in Brugge. I made enough money to start a long journey in Asia after graduation.

 

I graduated - and at 31, I moved to Rishikesh, India and met yoga. One month became six months. Then one month of practice in Nepal. Then teaching in Phu Quoc island (Vietnam), Baku, and Casablanca (and online along the way). In total, it became 21 months of yoga life. I fully recovered and felt ready to come back to academia - but this time with a lesson: be mindful, and be very cautious about burnout.

 

During this period, I also became the captain of my home team, Vortex UFC, for one election period. Then I started applying for PhD research fellowships. I failed many times. But after many failures, I got my current position: Marie Curie PhD Research Fellow at the University of Genoa and Sciences Po Paris.

 

Now I travel a lot for my work. But I also try to take time off and travel for my mental health - especially in winter, to warm places (for example, right now I am writing this bio in Mysore, India).

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After 33 years of life, I learned one main thing:

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Keep trying whatever you are trying. You will succeed in one way or another if you try hard enough - and if you stay flexible.