It’s time to share a few words about myself and what this blog is generally about at the moment.
My name is Natasha. I was born and raised in Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk) in Ukraine. From 2012 to 2018, my husband and son (both named Max) and I moved to Kyiv, and finally, in the first half of 2018, we relocated to Toronto, Canada, through the Express Entry program.
That’s the focus of the blog now, as I write these lines in early 2019. The decision to immigrate, the preparation for the move, the procedures related to the screening process, the first days in Canada, and the events associated with that—everything that seemed important and interesting to me, and that relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances frequently asked about, much more often than I expected.
Besides me, you will often encounter Max and Maximka (our 15-year-old son) in the blog. After our move to Toronto, I work remotely from home, while Max explores life in an office, and Maximka is a high school student. Their experiences provide plenty of material for the blog!
If you’re here seeking information to help you with your immigration process, remember: everything I share is based on the personal experience of one family. We are not immigration consultants, and our case is unlikely to be exactly like yours.
I don’t adhere to any chronological or logical order in these notes. I might write about the start of the document submission process today, and tomorrow about how we managed school enrollment, the weather in Toronto, or our small family expeditions in Ontario or Quebec. Everything here is driven by my mood and the questions I receive here and on Facebook.
So, if you’re interested in something specific and don’t want to wait until it comes up in my chaotic schedule, feel free to comment or message me on any social network convenient for you.
A few more words about what you can find on this blog if you dig deeper.
I started my first blog on LiveJournal, and it was from there that the entries were syndicated to this blog. At some point, WordPress offered to syndicate my blog on Tumblr — and I connected that too, although my Tumblr was just a relay for photos from Instagram:)
Also, my English-language entries from the Huffington Post and Thrive Global, are saved here, mostly about travel, healthy living, and online marketing (my professional topic).
Thus, before our “immigration notes” began in late 2018, you’ll find a mix of personal and professional content here, eclectic in nature.
If you’re interested in topics of moving, immigration, and working abroad, I’d also like to draw your attention to the notes from our Japanese period from 2008-2012. During that time, we frequently visited Japan, studied, and worked there, and I wrote about it in detail.
In Japan, our entire experience was in Tokyo. We studied the language at a school for foreigners and worked on contracts with an eligibility certificate… Everything described happened before 2012 and may be somewhat outdated now.
Currently, this blog is about Toronto, Canada, our move, and our personal experiences here. I recommend seeking the services of a professional consultant if you have any difficulties with document submission or navigating Express Entry.
Please leave comments if there’s something specific you’re interested in and would like us to write about first.
Thank you, and always welcome!
Natasha Kvitka 
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