Gohar: My dream? Start a Burning man in Armenia5 min read

Gohar: My dream? Start a Burning man in Armenia5 min read

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Hi Gohar, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your lifestyle?

I am a creative content producer and project manager.

What is your current destination?

San Francisco, CA. I am back home due to the COVID.

Can you tell us a bit about the projects you are currently working on? Are you currently looking for some new projects and clients?

I do remote project management.

What do you like the most about being a Digital Nomad?

I enjoy the fact that I don’t have to drive to work. I used to drive an hour and half, sometimes two hours each way to get to work and it was exhausting. I know a lot of people who’ve done that for years but I barely survived for a year. I did enjoy working with the team and had an amazing experience, however, the morning commute and the fact that you see thousands of people in their cars crossing the Bay Bridge to East Bay and back, would get me thinking about global warming and pollution, etc. so by the time I finally got to the office I was already exhausted, not only from the drive but from my own thoughts and worries. I guess, my former co-workers are all working from home at the moment and getting work done, but a year or two years ago, working from home even one day a week was not encouraged at all.

And what are the downsides of it (in case there are any)?

The downside is that I miss the team spirit, and just being around cool people, having a group lunch. I taught my last team members how to play this Russian card game “Durak” and we’d play it during our lunch break. Occasionally, I hear people complaining about their workplaces, or coworkers, but I guess I was  lucky to have worked with great people in the past.

What is a place/country you liked the most while traveling and why? What’s on your to-travel-list?

I love Spain. I love Spanish food, I speak the language a little bit, I love the countryside, the coast. Just before the COVID, I got a chance to do a tour in Spain and visited a bunch of small towns on the coast. I love renting a car and driving aimlessly in the countryside, until I see a road sign, follow it and end up in an amazing small town.

Also, Stockholm, Barcelona and Tbilisi are some of my most favorite cities.

I’d love to live in St. Petersburg for a while. I visited it with my family when I was very young, but I still have some vivid memories of how beautiful the city was. And if I do move there, I’m sure I’ll spend a lot of time checking out local theater performances.

How often do you use co-working spaces? Is there one that you’d like to recommend to other nomads?

Not a lot, but occasionally. The most impressive workspaces I’ve seen were in Scandinavian countries, the design, the aura, the cleanliness, the positive vibe. If you’re in Helsinki, MOW Mothership of Work is probably the largest in the city and is very well sittuated. If you get tired you can just go for a walk by the harbor, say hi to tourists and have a small talk.

Let’s talk about community. Is there a special place/city that you particularly liked because of people/community?

I used to love SF because of the neighborhoods and the community feel it had back in the day (I moved to SF from LA in 2003). People would move to SF because they loved the lifestyle and connected with the city vibe. It gave you a sense of belonging. But it doesn’t feel the same any more, and a lot of people will agree with this. The tech boom sort of ruined it in a way. People started to move to SF not for its culture and lifestyle but because they were getting paid more. Hence, the demographics have changed.

Can you tell us what is your biggest dream?

It’s not a dream but I’d like to start a music/arts festival in Armenia. A three day event, sort of a mini Burning Man.

In case you have a motto, could you share it with us?

“All the effort in the world won’t matter if you’re not inspired.”

Chuck Palahniuk

Could you share with us the names of two inspiring digital nomads that you are following?

Dmitrygomberg Dmitry Gomberg – photographer, traveler. His series form Tusheti, Georgia, where he follows local shepherds, are amazing.

Assaforever – traveler/writer – a fantastic writer who writes in Russian about her travels, films, literature, casual encounters, ex-relationships. I enjoy reading her posts a lot.

Is there something that you would like to add?

Since I am stuck in SF, feel free to get in touch if you’re visiting SF any time soon. I’d love to show you around.

If you would like to know more about Gohar, please feel free to visit HER BLOG.