Corporate girl and other ways to get in trouble

Dear readers, let me introduce you to the main character of the story.

 Her name is Alina; she is Russian; she is 35.

 For 20 years, she has never left her home region. Her life turned upside down when she went to France 13 years ago to continue her studies, and since then, Alina has changed 10 cities and 3 countries, in two of which she didn't speak the language.

 It is a long journey that tested the best and the worst of her in a continuous manner. While life lessons were arriving from the right and the left, humor, empathy, and curiosity helped her to move forward.


 Her journey started in France, in Marseille. When Alina arrived in the city, different thoughts were crossing her mind:

1. Pedestrians she met on the streets were always smiling, laughing, or in a good mood in comparison with Russians. She was recollecting words of Franz Kafka, who once said, "How do you live without depression?" What are you doing? Laughing all the time?

2. Four seasons disappeared; they knew either good weather or rain.

3. How can they eat half-meter sandwiches and remain in good shape?

4. And finally, most important: why would people do good to her if they barely know each other?

 Even though she was in Paris only once, she knew immediately that Marseille was different. Leaving a train, not even seeing the port, she could already smell the sea, fish, and humidity.

 Humidity deserves a separate chapter in Alina’s life. Humidity is a state that you feel in your bones. In Russia, you don't perceive humidity so much, or if you do, it is for limited days during the year that you are not even getting aware of. Alina gets to know it in Marseille. When the temperature goes to 5-8 degrees and it's very humid outside, she feels cold. She, who was skiing when it was -18 degrees accompanied by wind. She, who was going to the university when it was -30. Yes. She feels cold at +8 degrees. And there come out famous words, which would follow her ever since: "how can you be cold? You are Russian!" To the question, there was a reply: "if I am Russian, it doesn't mean I can live in the refrigerator". She didn't know that in a few years she would be sleeping in the bedroom with the heating set to a maximum of 15 degrees.

 She fell in love with Calanque of Marseille. Blue water and white cliffs formed a marvelous landscape; warm weather almost 365 days per year was making this place even more special.
 Calanque is a unique geological formation of limestones. They have rocky surfaces and look like small mountains with their valleys. To arrive at the cliff and to the beach, first you need to choose your route and then hike as you would in the mountains.

 Marseille was a fantastic city to make friends. They were studying together, and their group was quite colorful: Russians, Indians, Brazilians, Hungarians, Chinese, Chileans, Germans, and Mexicans. They often worked together for assignments.

 One of the Mexican girls had a French boyfriend, who was joining their group when they were out of school for a drink or Calanque adventure. No other French were noticed nearby(English was required). No offense was taken.

 Collaboration between a German guy and a guy from Chile was most remarkable. Order and disorder met each other but could not function for more than one task; later, they changed their work group.

 Indians. People from India were always together; they were moving in groups of two to ten people. Two types were studying with Alina. First, they were kind, open, talkative, and positive, and they would share whatever they had with you.
When some photos of them were posted on Facebook, they would collect thousands of likes in a few seconds, as if all of India had a non-written obligation to support their compatriots. Second type: the ones with the latest version of the iPhone and covered in gold from head to toe. Normally, they were behaving like an Indian king, whatever that might mean.

 After school was finished, one of Alina’s friends came to Marseille for a couple of days, and she asked friends if someone could share the apartment with her. Only Indian guys invited her to their place. It was a one- or two-room apartment, while seven people were living there.

 When Alina discovered it, she thought of Beethoven's words: "I know no other sign of superiority than goodness."