Meet the team! – Michał and his passion for Central Asia

Let’s continue our journey into getting to know better the colleagues who have joined Uniser team in the last months. Today we focus on the Poland-based team with Michał, who will tell us a bit about himself and his role in the team, which he joined a little more than a year ago.

• Hello Michał and thanks for taking part in this interview! Let’s start by asking you what is your role at Uniser and what are your main occupations?

I’ve been working as a part of the Polish sending team. I manage sending students abroad, which means my daily routine is about coordinating the entire process from the very beginning to the end. I’m in charge of accounting for schools, supervising arrangements, having transport done, programmes determined, writing reports and lots of other things. Including delivering language trainings for groups to travel abroad.

• When did you join Uniser and what pushed you to do so?

I joined Uniser at the end of the year 2021. I wanted to make some changes in my life and give myself a try in a job I had never done before. Stressing the fact that time I was determined to pick up a job which would come alongside satisfaction of bringing meaningful and commendable things to life.

• What’s been one of the most challenging aspects of your role so far?

I’ve been through lots of challenging situations over that year. Mainly because of the fact I have to handle brand new duties I had never done before. Coordinating many different activities simultaneously, keeping an eye for details and processes going on in paralel. And of course constant and everlasting hardship of familiarizing myself with loads of new stuff, as well as adjusting to the shifting circumstances.

• … and one of the most rewarding? 

Successfully dealing with issues and overcoming difficulties… or at least eluding a catastrophe. 

• What is your relationship with your team members? How do you motivate each other? 

I can honestly say that I find our relationship simply wonderful. I do really appreciate their professional attitude, capacity and credibility. I could easily go on on telling about my teammates’ numerous advantages. Moreover; I have to remark they’re my cup of tea also as regular people – not just co-workers. Did they easily earn my trust and admiration, also due to the fact they didn’t turn their backs on me when I was going through tough times. The main difficulty I found myself facing was dealing with multiple different tasks and holding diversity of activities at the same time. Firstly, I was scared about managing such things as budget and caring the responsibility coming alongside this kind of duties. Also immediate shifting to circumstances changing rapidly and making up solutions to urgent and pressing problems was a major challenge to me. And that’s where I could always rely on my team, who’s always been reliable and amazingly supportive.

• This might be tricky, but could you please describe your “average” work day?

These days I’m usually starting between 8 and 9 am. First off I have a look at emails. Then I usually spend some time on arranging necessary action plans, setting tasks priorities and realizing the current situation. Then I get on with actual work: handle my tasks, make lots of phone calls and just try to do my best in order to fulfill the tasks. 

• What’s your most-used productivity hack?

Good mood. Otherwise it’s pretty much more difficult to go on with everything. In order to keep myself in a good mood – beside pills – I apply lots of music bringing different vibes (black and death metal is the best stress treatment and emotion outlet), delve into literature and keep dreaming of my girlfriend coming back from the US, where she’s been for 1,5 year already, taking part in a scientific project under Fulbright Foundation.

• Do you have any passions or hobbies? 

Iran and Central Asia. Some time ago I set up my own podcast about the history, present, culture and politics of that part of the world. My major goal is to interview people who’ve got something to say: scholars, activists, travelers and of course foreigners themselves. 

I’m also keen on learning foreign languages. Since I quit Persian I’ve delved into Spanish. Hopefully this time I will make it to reach some kind of efficiency level.

I’m a great music admirer. These days I’m mostly fond of exploring electronic music such as synth-wave, a variety of metal, classic rock and whatever else may come. Started collecting vinyls, which I find quite a rewarding hobby.

I’ve also been really into books for some time now. I like discovering, immersing myself into worlds of wonderful expressions, refined phrases and deep, perceptive thoughts shaped as meticulously crafted words, soaked in uttermost meaning. As well as delving into poetry, living a multitude of lives I could normally never touch. Never even dream of. 

I also do some kick-boxing, shame to admit but that’s a hobby I’ve been neglecting for some time already. Unfortunately. But I’ll be back for sure.

Last but not least, I’ve started discovering the joy of video games. 

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

“The Kindly Ones” by Jonathan Littell. This is an astonishing, beautiful, brutal and stirring story of a german officer high in ranks (probably an Einsatzgruppe if I remember). Main character is not only a refined and highly educated man of sophisticated taste in arts and literature, but also a homosexual with a very twisted a troubling mind. Including aberrant relationship with his sister in particular, raising from complicated and unsettled entanglement in the family.The second world war find him on the verge of his career and day by day due to his duties he fallows the turmoil carried by the wind of history. Witnesses terrible the crimes, mayhem and all the horrors of war. Travels through then Poland, Ukraine and Caucasus, perceiving turbulent reality from his own, mindful perspective. Eagerly shares his poetic and philosophical insights regarding everything that comes along. As well as his own madness growing of the months of war. And finally succumbs to it. The novel unveils a kind of dissection of every aspect of the Third Reich. The attitudes, motivations, the anatomy of the times and then individuals. The main character comes across people of manifold origin, approaches and beliefs, thus he has a chance to study it all carefully. Best you just give it a try, because in my humble opinion Littel’s most famous novel is a great masterpiece. 

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

I would change nothing. Have already put too much effort in carrying my cross, so it’s no point in turning back. But actually… I wish I had moved out to study abroad. That’s what I really regret having not done.

• What’s the latest trip you did and why did you choose such a destination? 

It was a travel to Uzbekistan. I went there for the second time in March. Unlike my first trip, which was completely of a tourism approach, this time I went there to meet my girlfriend who’s originally an Uzbek. She’s been staying in the US for almost 1,5 of a year and that was a chance to see each other and eventually meet her family. Besides, I would also like to visitTajikistan and Turkmenistan or travel across Iran again.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies? 

I believe my friends would unanimously agree that this is a very rare, though not commonly appreciated ability to imitate a pig’s squeal. Beside this I think it’s speaking, which was actually utilized when I used to work in a few radio stations over the years. To some extent I would also say I’m good at writing, though I’m not persistent enough to manage to write a book.