In early March, Masha went to Istanbul. This trip is not related to work, but very important. She has never been to Turkey and has never been to an all-inclusive hotel. Well, it is unlikely that she will like passive rest.
Masha Sebova is the author of the special project “Europe for a penny” on the News Channel and an Instagram blogger. Born and raised in Odessa. She studied at the Faculty of Journalism and did not work in another profession. Although, very soon we will see her in the new project “Earners”, in which Masha will try on many new professions. Today she will tell us how she came to journalism, what she did on television for the first time and how she turned a hobby into a job.
About how Masha Sebova decided to become a journalist
The decision to become a journalist was not spontaneous. As a child, my mother took me to the house of creativity the “young author” circle. The teacher was a woman with vast experience in journalism. She inspired me to choose a profession. And at the age of twelve, I realized that my dream was to be a journalist.
True, at some point I almost decided to enter the Faculty of Economics. I was afraid that there would not be enough talent to be a journalist. Moreover, my family had no connections in journalism. Mom is an economist, dad is engaged in food equipment. In general, I was very worried. But in the end, I made up my mind.
First TV experience
My teacher from the university told me that one of the channels is looking for new ideas for projects. I came up with three projects and went on trial with them. One of the ideas was liked by the management. The idea was this: for one day I had to try on different professions. We filmed three pilot episodes, but the project didn’t go anywhere – the channel’s management changed and it was no longer up to me.
And here is the irony of fate. After almost 8 years, I am working on a project again, where I try myself in different professions. Only “Zarobitchani” is much cooler than my original idea. After all, here you not only work but also get to know other countries through professions. And it’s an incredible experience!
About moving to the capital and looking for a job
Seven years ago I moved to the capital. I have always dreamed of working on a national channel. And this can be done in full only in Kyiv. Yes, and the rhythm of life here suits me better. Odesa is amazing to relax in, while Kyiv is more dynamic and suitable for work. Although at first there were many difficulties.
No one was interested in my summary in the capital. No wonder: three months of work on two Odessa TV channels is not the most demanded experience. Plus, she’s a student. One metropolitan newspaper responded to my resume, but then I was very stubborn (okay, I am the same now). I only wanted a telly!
Every channel at that time would have been a jackpot for me. I just went to the addresses that I wrote down on a piece of paper, and from the door said that I knew about the open vacancy, so that the security would call me at least someone from the personnel department. By the way, I also announced this on the News Channel. The guards were informed about the vacancy, they called the girl from the HR department. She was very surprised and asked so warily, why did I get the idea that they were looking for someone? And I thought of everything about the job. In general, I did not manage to advance further than the turnstiles in the lobby.
And now I’ve been going through them every day for four years. The main thing is not to give up. But that’s how I found a job on TV – with the help of a fictitious vacancy. I got on the Tonis TV channel. I think I surprised the chief news editor by speaking pure Ukrainian. This is not very typical for Odessans! As a result, having done a test task for Kissing Day, I got a place. She worked in the news for almost two years. She also made biographical and documentary films. Later, I learned about the vacancy in Paragraph. And they took me first as an editor, and six months later I started working in the frame.
About the love of travel and work in Paragraph
I have a habit, when I hear about an unfamiliar city, I immediately drop everything and look for it on the map. For some reason, it is important for me to know where everything is located. Even if we are talking about a small unknown town in Africa. But the most magical moment for me is when you arrive in a new city. You walk on it for several days and at some point, you feel that its map is already in your head.
Once upon a time, I came up with my own travel theory. It seemed to me that you can really feel the city only by being there alone. This happened with Rome and Prague – I have been there more than once, but only when I arrived alone did I discover them for myself from a completely different side. This is a special moment when you are alone with the city.
In general, it is not surprising that the thirst for travel affected all my ideas. For six months, once a week, I came to the editor-in-chief and suggested plot topics involving foreign business trips. Now I understand that most of them were unsuccessful. But the concept of budget travel has finally caught on with management. At first, they approved a short trip – the audience also liked it. And then I started to travel more or less regularly.
The name of the project was thought up by the producing editor. I couldn’t decide. and she read the script and says: “Let there be “Europe for a penny”.” So they left it. “Penny” in our case – the smallest tourist budget – 100 euros per week. Of course, initially, I calculated the cost of the trip and squeezed all the expenses as much as possible.
For example, the operator and I practically never paid for housing, we lived with couch surfers. Saved on tickets. I tried to check all the life hacks on myself. For example, those flights are cheaper on Tuesdays. And it turned out, yes – it works for low-cost airlines!
How a girl who traveled all over Europe wanted to go to Africa
We added Morocco to the last trip. This is a completely new experience. There were cheap tickets from Seville (which was in the plans) to Marrakech. He, of course, was not included in the concept of “Europe”, but the very fact that it was possible to fly to Africa for 13 euros caught on. So we visited Marrakesh and Rabat.
We arrived in Morocco during the month of Ramadan (the month of obligatory fasting for Muslims). During this period, a special atmosphere reigns everywhere. For a whole month, locals eat only after sunset. The traditional dinner is called iftar. And I dreamed of attending it. Therefore, I persuaded our couchsurfer in Rabat to show us how everything happens. He took us to the ocean. And imagine, there were dozens of tables right on the sand, at which entire families sat. All these people watched the sunset with such trepidation. And as soon as the sun went down, the whole feast began.
Finding life hacks for traveling in Africa is much more difficult than for a European trip. Therefore, I recommend contacting the Ukrainians who live there. I found a girl from Ukraine in Morocco through Instagram. She gave me a whole list of tips. And she helped me find a place to live.
The fact is that in Morocco you must definitely live in a riad – this is a hotel with Moroccan courtyards. Rooms in these are usually not cheap. But she offered a hostel in this format. He was in the center of Medina (the old part of the city, ed.). Moreover, it was with a pool and a terrace overlooking the entire city. One night there were only 10 euros.
In general, hostels and campsites are the best retreats if you haven’t found a free host. In Rome, for example, I was rejected by about 50 couch surfers. But I found a campsite for seven euros. She lived there in a tent. And there were a lot of people nearby who travel in motor homes. The atmosphere there is incredibly cool. By the way, there was also a pool! And that’s for 7 euros! Very cool experience.
But the most “extreme” savings were in Ibiza. I decided that I would hang out at the club, and then go to bed in a sleeping bag right on the beach. The idea was only good in theory. As a result, I had to drag a sleeping bag with me across Europe. It took up almost the entire suitcase!
The strangest couchsurfer
It was in Bratislava. We have already found accommodation in the capital of Slovakia, but at the last moment, the couchsurfer refused. And so the operator and I wake up in Vienna and find out that there is nowhere to spend the night at the next point. I decided to try my luck – I wrote to the emergency group.
The guy answered me. In Europe, they are called eco-zombies. He is very concerned about the environment and tries to conserve the resources of the Earth. The idea seems to be correct. But its implementation. For example, the most innocuous – he used the refrigerator as a closet for slippers. But he was allowed to go to the shower only if you plug the bathroom with a cork. Then he reused the water as technical. It was a shock. Good thing we only spent one night with him.
Travel as a lifestyle
From the outside, it often seems that shooting travel is sugar. In fact, this is not always the case. On business trips, we walk 20 kilometers a day, we constantly move, and we think in terms of plans, connections, and information content. And the schedule is often such that you shoot at dawn at 5 am, and then you come to your senses only at 10 pm when the shooting day is over. This is not tourism.
