{"id":11179,"date":"2025-05-14T21:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/?p=11179"},"modified":"2025-09-20T22:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T19:04:11","slug":"meet-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/top-or-bottom\/meet-9\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWatch but don&#8217;t engage with like\u201d: a comedienne on the Pros &amp; Cons of dating in forced emigration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"podcastplayer\"><figure class=\"wp-block-audio podcastplayer\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/s\/100091180\/podcast\/play\/102665983\/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-4-14%2F400288234-44100-2-542429beef512.m4a\" preload=\"none\"><\/audio><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"mks_dropcap_letter\" style=\"font-size: 72px; color: #dd3c7a; \">T<\/span>oday\u2019s guest is comedienne, actress, and journalist Kristina Grekova \u2014 sharing her thoughts on building intimacy while living in forced emigration, why it\u2019s important to talk about boundaries and emotions, and why it\u2019s becoming harder for us to stay together. We discuss loneliness, short-term connections, the Belarusian context, and new forms of relationships \u2014 without excessive expectations, but with real closeness.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Do we truly want to be in relationships? Is the modern concept of family based on connection, or is it merely a structure that is convenient for the state?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kristina says that education and access to information can reshape how we think about relationships. We often only see the public part of someone\u2019s life, and even in close circles it\u2019s sometimes hard to talk openly \u2014 for instance, about sexual preferences. Taboos remain strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking up is a vital part of any relationship. According to Kristina, both romantic and platonic connections rest on three pillars: boundaries, the degree of vulnerability, and the degree of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How much vulnerability can you allow yourself in a relationship and still feel safe in it? How clearly are your boundaries communicated? The ability to build deeper connections depends on these points. Without mutual agreements, relationships can&#8217;t truly grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Loneliness feels sharper in forced emigration. Even close friends who end up in the same city outside Belarus can lose their former closeness. We grow used to being on our own \u2014 simply because we lack experience in asking for help or initiating connection.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In Belarus, social bonds often formed through school, university, work, or family. But in forced emigration, these connections must be built consciously \u2014 and that takes more energy. The desire for meaningful connection is there, but often there\u2019s not enough strength to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gives rise to a new kind of connection \u2014 short-term intimacy. A bond without obligations or detailed agreements, but with moments of full presence and warmth. We discussed whether \u201crandom encounters\u201d can really work \u2014 or whether the odds of a meaningful connection with a stranger are too small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it possible to form close relationships with people outside the Belarusian context? We explored both the pros and cons \u2014 and concluded that shared context matters. It doesn\u2019t have to be traumatic \u2014 just something that unites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>More on this \u2014 in the full episode. And don\u2019t forget to catch Kristina\u2019s stand-up. Her Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umkadv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umkadv\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do we truly want to be in relationships? Is the modern concept of family based on connection, or is it merely a structure that is convenient for the state? Kristina says that education and access to information can reshape how we think about relationships. We often only see the public part of someone\u2019s life, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[376],"tags":[352],"class_list":["post-11179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-or-bottom","tag-audio-in-russian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}