Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina was born in Novosibirsk. World champion 2011, bronze medalist of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, winner of the World Cup stages, Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Additionally, she is the ex-wife of two-time Olympic champion Sochi, who received Russian citizenship in 2012. Vika Wildawho left the United States for Alena.
Then the athletes divorced and now the former world champion spends her life in London, where she received a call from a brilliant interviewer from Sports.ru. Vladimir Ivanov. And now, in fact, the conversation itself with small abbreviations.
– Aleñá, how are you?
– Yes, in different ways. I can’t say it’s fantastic, but we’re working on it. It is difficult to start a new profession. There are problems in the creative industry now, plus a living crisis and a cost of living crisis: everything is very expensive in England. It turned out that it is difficult to find a normal job. I thought that those who studied at a large university would sell like hot cakes.
— Do you want a normal salary immediately?
– I want to see the future. Well, of course, I won’t work for free anymore; I’ve been through this, enough is enough.
— Could the problem finding work be related to your passport?
– Absolutely! Damn, this will probably sound terrible, but I was already thinking: maybe look for a job under a pseudonym? Just perform an experiment.
– Is everything so sad?
—Everyone says that they don’t pay attention to the name or the color of the passport. But when you get to the recruiters, they read your name and the first thing they ask you is: do you have a work permit? People with non-Russian surnames are not asked these types of questions. And you understand it immediately: there is a division that does not add points to you.
— Did you come up with a nickname?
— Ha ha, I not only have a surname, but also a name that speaks for itself. That’s why I would like to tell you that I am a lucky and successful designer, but unfortunately, that is not the case yet.
– What’s your plan anyway?
— First, you need to process the new visa. Currently in process. It would be good to find a job. To be honest, this depresses me. Also, it happened that due to sanctions, my savings are blocked (Alena herself is not under sanctions). And I literally live paycheck to paycheck. Actually, I didn’t plan to end up in this situation. Let’s be honest: I have massive anxiety, I find it hard to worry about it, sometimes I feel like I’m alone. Five years ago, when I left Russia, I was a child, but now I am no longer a child. You grow up quickly when you realize that if you don’t find work, don’t raise money for rent, you’ll end up on the streets.
— What if they offer you a great option to work in Russia?
– No! Because I already live here. And I like it, I like going to the theater and the cinema. It is as if you are constantly at the center of events, at the center of world culture. There is stability. The feeling that if you try hard, your rights will be protected. I don’t want to move, not specifically to Russia, but anywhere in general. I’m tired of looking for a place to hang out. I want to stop now. And, despite all the difficulties, giving up everything and going somewhere is not an option.
— More than once I met English retirees who were having fun in hot countries. They were convinced that all the normal countrymen their age were trying to leave because the food was terrible and the weather was bad in Britain.
– But I’m not a pensioner yet. My goals are not only good food and weather, I also try to move somewhere, I would like to have entertainment, interesting work and things to do. It’s not yet time to die to sad music in a warm place with good food, so for now I’m in London.
— Do you agree with the food?
– Listen, the food here is like dirt. I can’t remember the last time I had fish and chips, although I like it. Lately I have become addicted to chicken broth. I cook it myself. Damn, now they will write again: Zavarzina, after finishing her degree, lives in London on chicken broth… I love pasta, sometimes I make borscht myself. I order pho more often. But that’s how it was in Moscow. But what’s missing here is good Uighur and Georgian cuisine.
– Do you live alone?
– With boyfriend. And a cat. We’ve had it for two weeks. I was sure it was a cat, but a couple of days ago a friend came and opened our eyes. I still can’t accept that he’s not a cat.
— Is it expensive to rent?
– Just a bummer! I don’t know how long I can last. Prices have increased considerably. Since the move, everything has become much more expensive. Eggs – double. The ones I like were 2.65 pounds and now 4. It’s about 500 rubles. Food delivery: at least 2500. Go to a restaurant and have a couple of drinks: from 5 thousand per person.
– What about the rent?
– It’s just garbage. I rent an apartment in Moscow and I can’t afford a room here. Enough to cover only half. In London we don’t live in the world, but we aren’t exactly luxurious either. But lately, especially since 2022, I really live like a dog. Tell me, who knew in 2017 that a pandemic was coming, a divorce was coming, that an armed conflict with Ukraine would begin, that SWIFT would be closed, that people with Russian passports would not be allowed to go anywhere and that our sport would be slammed… I understand that I am not the only one who went through this and it is difficult for everyone. But damn…
— I don’t understand about the apartment, are you renting it? Or how do you work?
– We divide it in half. How does it work in Russia?
— It happens in different ways, but more often the boys take care of it.
— It’s usually 50/50 here Well, I’m also missing a feature. Here, to get a good place you need to be friends with everyone, go for coffee, write on LinkedIn. But I don’t know how to do this. There are people who can get into different places without soap. For me it’s the other way around. I probably won’t be able to become a careerist. I often thought about what my life would have been like if I had not left Russia.
— I can’t imagine you in our sport at all.
– That’s all. That’s why I didn’t stay. I’m not material for Russian sports in general. Yeah, like it’s not just for Russians. I’m too innocent to work in European sports and too naughty to work in Russian.
– What do you live on now? There is an apartment for rent in Moscow. As I understand it, are you entitled to a lifetime scholarship for the Sochi 2014 medal?
– No, I don’t receive anything for this. And I don’t know what to do to receive it. I don’t even have anyone to ask.
—So the only thing left to do is work on your own?
– But it’s permanent. I don’t have a contract, but I have three jobs in different places. And this allows you to feel at least some stability.
— Have you calculated how much you need to live in London for a month?
“Five years ago I wouldn’t have been able to answer this question, but now I’ll say it easily: £2,700.” We transfer – 343 thousand rubles. This doesn’t make you fat. Not just chicken soup, the best I can, but sometimes I still go to a cafe or a movie, order food, pay season tickets, buy a t-shirt or some other nonsense.
—Is there such a thing as a living wage in London?
— I think the minimum wage is 11 pounds an hour. That equates to around £25,000 a year. Less than 3.1-3.2 million rubles. But you won’t be able to live off them in London.
—What did it take you a long time to get used to in England?
– That you have to take out the trash on a certain day – trash can day. Each district has its own. Conventionally, in Brent it is Monday, if you live in Camden it is Tuesday, and so on. The local health system is also designed in such a way that at 8 in the morning you have to call the clinic and only then can you book a doctor. And above all, in general. A kind of therapist. You cannot make an appointment directly, for example, with an ophthalmologist; you have to see it first.
– The feeling that you will find a good job with a decent salary, and all the puzzles will immediately fall into place.
“And also, if they unfroze all the funds, that would be fantastic.” I’ll immediately go get my nails done, haha!
— Freezing funds, card problems, SWIFT… Have you ever wondered why sanctions especially harm ordinary people who don’t affect anything?
“It’s a shame the light has closed on you again.” And there’s no one to even talk to. I was associated with the Russian flag for a long time, attended award ceremonies, and suddenly a huge rewriting of history began, a division of opinions. They begin to explain to you from different sides how everything really happened. Some pointed fingers damningly, others responded: “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault.” Yes, thank you very much for letting me sit here!
Damn, big geopolitical events are happening and someone is trying to explain to me that it’s not about me. Are you serious?! I find it difficult to talk about this topic even among the Russian community. It is very difficult to live everything that is happening. But at the same time, there are those who think that it is okay to spill shit on the entire country and all the people; I don’t want to participate in this either. Do you know when Triumph I won this election in the United States and I felt incredibly happy.
— Hope for change?
– Yeah! So he won and I walked around happy, like it was my birthday. I really hope he finishes this whole story as soon as possible. Because damn, how long is it possible? Neither I nor many others signed up for this experience. It’s terribly unpleasant. I want a normal life for everyone. I want freedom: choice, movement.
—Would a British passport be a solution to travel problems?
– Of course, it would be much easier. But I lived here for 5 years on a student visa and in such situations these years are not taken into account in terms of citizenship applications.
— From the height of current experience: what does a person need to be happy?
– Less ambition and less brain.
– Suddenly.
– Woe to the mind, do you understand? Scottish philosopher David Yoon He said something like: “You can’t let yourself be carried away by your desires, you will be unhappy.”
– This is the luck of creative people: to feel so deeply.
— Yes, I heard that some people pay a lot of money to feel at least something. I feel like everything is free. And I paid not to feel it for a while.
