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The Journey to South America PAGE 16

Hobby: Yoga and Meditation

Waverley Traditions May 2020 Kayaking

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Issue #1

June 2020

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The company, Gold Medal in Software Development, and plans for the future 1

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May 2020

Contents My Path at Waverley Mike Laptiev, QA Competence Lead

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Business trip to UnitQ (San Francisco, USA) Pavlo Dobronos, Team Lead Data Analyst

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Hobby: Yoga and Meditation 11 Orest Tsitsila, QA Engineer The Journey to South America 16 Andrii Osetrov, Data Science Competence Lead The company, Gold Medal in Software Development, and plans for the future Matt Brown, Waverley’s Founder & CEO

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Kayaking 27 Waverley Traditions Open Positions at Waverley 27 Waverley Instagram 27 Useful phrases in business 27 Communication Puzzles 27

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My Path at Waverley Mike Laptiev, QA Competence Lead Please tell us when you started working at Waverley.

I started working at Waverley in the summer of 2012. It has been around 8 years now. To be honest, it was a bit unusual at the beginning, because I came here from GlobalLogic, where I had worked for quite a long time. That was a big, stable orga4

nization. At the time, I already knew Eugene Bogatyriov and found out that he was opening a new company in Ukraine together with Matt Brown. We didn’t have an office then, so it was different from what I was used to. Only a couple of people worked here: Eugene, the HR director, the accounting director, and one recruiter.

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I was among the first few technical specialists at Waverley Ukraine. The transition from a large corporation to a company that didn’t have an office and that had to conduct interviews in a cafe was more than strange, as you can imagine.

But I saw great prospects and I knew the people I was going to work with, so I trusted them completely and decided to join after all.

What do you remember about your first day at Waverley?

Since we didn’t have an office, during my first few days at Waverley I was at home, studying the documentation for one of the projects and getting ready for my business trip to the US. That was one of our first projects, iControl. We still work with them, but now the company’s name is Alarm.com.

At the end of my first month with Waverley, we went to the US to visit this client, together with Nikita Tretyakov.

What was your role in the project?

I was the only QA engineer on Waverley’s side. I tested web applications, hardware, and mobile apps. We started growing quite rapidly, and I was in charge of hiring new QA specialists and building the team.

What have you learned while working at Waverley?

I left my previous company a long time ago, in 2012. At that time, mobile development was not as popular as it is now. I remember how badly I wanted to test mobile apps.

My main motivation was to try various devices and get to know the world of mobile apps.

Having access to a variety of mobile projects and being able to build teams from scratch for such projects was a breakthrough and a very special experience for me.

My professional routine changed as well because I was no 5

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longer focused solely on testing. My tasks were versatile, including operational assistance and even helping with the office setup. I noticed a significant boost in my professional development right after I left my comfort zone and engaged in different kinds of work.

In addition, I enjoyed working with different teams. We collaborated a lot with Waverley Vietnam. We also opened an office in Lviv. I conducted technical interviews and worked with remote team members.

My responsibilities changed, too. I took more business trips and was involved in important negotiations, presale activities, and creating distributed teams from the ground up.

A few project teams that we started back then still exist, and some of the people still work here. My career changed radically and I am absolutely happy about it. I am convinced that eight years ago I made the right decision when I joined Waverley.

Which project do you remember the most?

Probably my very first project, iControl, since it was an unusual role for me at the time. That was also my first solo business trip (before that, I went only as part of a big team of engineers). I knew I had to make a good impression and represent the company well. It was a great deal of responsibility for me. It was interesting and very memorable.

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My other project was Jibo, which the whole of Ukraine has heard about. I was even recognized on the street after my interview for ICTV. A man managing my apartment block came up to me and asked whether it was me who had been on TV the night before. It really was me.

I liked the Jibo project because I could work with interesting technologies. It was my first project for robotics.

As for my current project, Oji Life Lab, I’ll remember it thanks to a great team, modern technologies, and a wonderful client.

He’s a very interesting person and I learn from him every day.

There’s also Seagate, which I’ve been in charge of practically since the time I joined Waverley. Seagate is an important strategic partner. The team is awesome and the

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client is now a lot more than just a client; I My non-working moments with teams and can call him a friend. people whom I’m ready to talk about forever… they just won’t fit into this journal. They What’s your favorite memory from deserve a journal of their own. your life at the company?

I have two favorite moments. The first one Any wishes for the company? is the very beginning of the company – a tiny, cozy office, the people who were more than coworkers, whose families you know … I remember the warm, family-like atmosphere.

The second memory is when the company reached a new level in its growth. In one moment, you see how many interesting people are around you – people with different personalities, working on different projects, mobile, hardware, and much more.

I wish for Waverley to stay the same people-driven company that it is now – to keep this same attitude toward team members and the same energy. We are always ready to help each other, and we treat each other with warmth and respect. This is very important for me and my colleagues. And, of course, I wish for the company to grow and win more of the interesting projects like the ones we are working on now.

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Waverlize #1 Please tell us about the project and the purpose of your trip to the US. In Kharkiv, we have a whole team of data analysts that is growing very fast. The work that we do is unusual; I would even call it unique. There is literally no one on the market who has similar experience. That is why everyone who joins the team has to learn the intricacies of the work. I came to work at Waverley as a Trainee QA Engineer, but I changed my project because UnitQ needed a data analyst. After three months, I became a team lead. Since the team was growing, we had to establish a scalable, comprehensive process. In February, the client invited me to the US, to develop and approve the processes and get to know the project better. I spent two weeks working in the US; during this time, we discussed and created an onboarding process for newcomers to the team. We had to simplify the adaptation procedure and raise the project’s quality level.

Business trip to UnitQ (San Francisco, USA) Pavlo Dobronos, Team Lead Data Analyst

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Which city did you visit? Tell us a bit about the client’s office.

I visited San Mateo, which is located a few train stops away from San Francisco. The client’s office was not far from the hotel where I stayed. The area was picturesque, so I enjoyed walking to the office. The office was not big; only five or six people worked there, and no one worked on Fridays. Sometimes I had the office all to myself :)

May 2020 Did you notice anything special about the US? In San Mateo, I noticed a great variety of restaurants. When you exit some place, there’s an 80% chance that there will be a restaurant in the neighboring building. No one in the office brought food with them.

Every day, we had lunch at a new place and tried new cuisine. That’s how I learned that there are a few kinds of Asian cuisine.

In Kharkiv, I only knew about sushi rolls :) Please tell us about your day. Was it very different from your workday in Ukraine?

Everybody went home at 6, or sometimes sooner and then they continued working from home. Lunches are long; it seems like you go out to eat for 20 minutes, but it takes an hour and a half in reality. Every day, the team had lunch together. They have a tradition of inviting newcomers to have lunch so that everyone can get to know each other and communicate. The company pays for these lunches. They are very similar to the pizza parties we have in our Kharkiv office.

Did you have time for sightseeing?

It was practically the same. We came to the What were your impressions of the office between 9 and 11, mostly around 10. city?

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Waverlize #1 Yes, I had two days off. Nikita Tretyakov recommended an outlet, which was, in fact, a large shopping mall with numerous stores inside. I liked the idea, as I could buy things for a couple of years ahead. I spent the whole day inside. I bought a lot of clothes that day. It wasn’t easy to get there; I went by train, then by bus, and then ended up using the subway.

My free Sunday, I dedicated myself to seeing San Francisco. I loved the city. I spent hours walking around, but I’m sure I didn’t visit even half of the sights. Google constantly showed me new places on the map: Here, check it out, there’s a nice spot just around the corner, and here, it’s only 20 meters from you, and one more very close! I realized that there’s truly a lot to see; I walked 30 kilometers that day.

What is the best memory from your business trip?

It’s hard to say, as I liked everything about it. It was a very memorable trip. Every day was like a holiday. Nikita took me to see Stanford. The university impressed me a lot. I’m still a student myself, so it was very interesting to dive into the atmosphere and see what student life looks like in the US. I compared Stanford to my university in Kharkiv. Stanford took me by surprise with its scale – it is a whole separate city inside a city. Seeing the city-like university with my own eyes was very new for me.

It seemed very convenient and accessible for both students and professors.

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What are the client’s plans regarding their product development?

The plans are for the product to grow and develop quickly and rapidly. The customer’s plans are ambitious. I hope our team will grow as well, in proportion to the size of our customer’s clientele. I am extremely happy with how the trip went and I am grateful to Waverley for the opportunity!

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HOBBY

Yoga and Meditation Orest Tsitsila, QA Engineer

What is meditation? How long have you been practicing it?

I’ve been practicing meditation for over two years now. Many people are under the impression that meditation is a state in which a person doesn’t think about anything, stops the flow of thoughts, and relaxes while listening to pleasant music.

In reality, meditation (from lat. Meditatio – contemplation) is quite the opposite.

I would say that meditation is a focus on a specific object. The object can be breathing, a mantra, a sound, or even an external object. There are many different practices in meditation. They all differ in their ap-

proach but are targeted toward the same goal: to search for your inner self.

In fact, everybody can meditate subconsciously. For example, if you watch a fire burning, you will notice that you start thinking less. This is meditation to a certain extent. During this focus on a certain object, the person undergoes sensory deprivation. This means that you’re focusing on one specific object so much that all the sensors in your body become less sensitive and you stop experiencing external stimuli (sounds, light, etc.).

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There are many types of meditation.

Which one do you practice? What results have you achieved so far?

I practice meditation in the “Tantra” tradition, focusing on a mantra. Mantras are special words or sounds with a special internal meaning. In a state of altered consciousness, a certain understanding of this meaning is attained. In the process of meditation, consciousness expands. In its essence, it is the development of the skills of focusing and concentrating, resulting in the development of certain skills. ☞ Your attention gets sharper. Because of this, you will start noticing more details, not only in your sur12

roundings or at work but also in your own, internal world. You start paying attention to certain aspects of your behavior that you have never noticed or realized before. ☞ Your memory improves. It becomes easier to recall life events, dates, facts, etc. ☞ You improve your emotional self-control. ☞ You develop your creative potential. ☞ Your stress level decreases. ☞ And much more.

There are companies that practice meditation for employees. Also, meditation is widely applied in psychotherapy.

How do you feel after meditation?

After meditation, one definitely becomes calmer. The feeling is like waking up after a dream, a certain state of trance (though trance and meditation are completely different things).

In fact, it is difficult to feel significant effects immediately. They become noticeable over time if meditation is practiced regularly. It is like in sports – you need to train. I felt the changes after regularly meditating for six months. I began to understand myself and other people better. I began to comprehend the causes of various emotions.

We normally spend a lot of time thinking about the past or the future.

It turns out that we spend most of our time on something that doesn’t exist.

Also, my approach toward decision-making has changed dramatically. We normally spend a lot of time thinking about the past or the future. However, the future does

not yet exist and the past no longer exists. It turns out that we spend most of our time on something that doesn’t exist. The decisions we make right now are affecting our future. So, there is no other way to influence the future than to be in the present moment. It is a trendy phrase right now – be present HERE and NOW. Here’s what it looks like at the very beginning: You sit down, close your eyes, and concentrate. Here’s what’s going on in your head: - Have I switched off the lights in the kitchen?

- I forgot to go grocery shopping, I should do that after I finish my meditation…

- I should close that test run and discuss it during our stand-up meeting...

Oh, shoot, I’m meditating, right…

With time, it’s easier to stay focused.

This often comes in handy at work.

How often do you meditate and how often does a person need to meditate?

The minimum time for one meditation is 10 minutes. In meditation, regularity is a very important factor.

To make progress, you must med-

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itate twice a day (morning and evening).

However, yoga is not just meditation, so you can expand your practice and do asanas, for example. Therefore, the practice can last up to two hours or more.

How have you developed in yoga and what would you like to achieve in the long run?

For now, I want to improve my concentration skills and learn to always enjoy what I have. I want to expand my practice and How has meditation/yoga changed work on my self-discipline. your life?

By self-discipline, I mean controlling my I would call it a revision of my stereotypes. addictions and desires.

I experienced changes in my basic beliefs For example, when I switched to vegeand perspectives on life, people, and realtarianism, I noticed that people started ity. pitying me, as if I had deprived myself In general, I changed my lifestyle, started of something. But this is not true. I took eating healthily, and stopped drinking alcontrol of only one aspect of my life and cohol. Now I feel much more energetic. lost absolutely nothing. On the contrary, I made my diet much more versatile and Please tell us about your most interhealthy. When you achieve true control, esting experiences in yoga. there is no sense of loss or discomfort. It is I started recalling episodes from my childnormal to desire something, but some dehood. The memories come unpredictably, sires should be kept under better control. but they are very vivid and detailed. It feels Otherwise, you could harm yourself (such like you’re experiencing another moment as smoking, drinking, etc.). again. I feel all the emotions and I can describe the details of some places. To some What would you recommend to beginextent, meditation is psychotherapy, so ners in yoga or people who want to it is often recommended for people who learn how to meditate? are prone to depression or other psychiFor starters, figure out what is what. There atric disorders. I remembered some of my is a lot of literature now, including on childhood traumas; then I reconsidered YouTube. Therefore, it is quite difficult to them and let go. distinguish between authentic and comIn addition, your emotions change. For exmercial content. You can often find an ample, the feeling of love in meditation is hour-long video with pleasant music and a absolutely pure, unconditional – not at all calm voice telling you to relax, stop thinklike what I am used to feeling in everyday ing, etc.‌ life.

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This is not a real meditation; it’s just a nice pastime. True meditation is done in silence. At the same time, the noise should not be an obstacle.

I advise beginners to first find their tradition – that is, a variant of practice.

Because there are many interpretations, you can try a few and find the one that’s most to your liking.

By the way, meditation teachers are common in yoga. If you are lucky enough to find a teacher, he or she will monitor your progress and help you gradually expand the practice. Then your result will be much faster.

Yoga is a complex concept.

So, a few more words about: A S A N A S . The main goal of asanas is to balance the hormonal state of the body.

When we curl or bend the body in a certain way, we squeeze and twist the glands.

This improves their functioning. With the help of

asanas, people can significantly improve their health, become calmer and more moderate, learn to better control themselves, and improve their well-being. There are many cases of recovery from chronic and psychological illnesses as a result of yoga and meditation.

B R E A T H I N G . The intensity of breathing significantly affects our thoughts. To achieve good concentration, your breathing should be very calm and even. Breathing practices are quite common, not only in yoga.

F O O D . Proper and healthy nutrition will not only benefit your body but will also significantly affect your mind. Taste the food you eat, do not be distracted while eating. Ideally, you should eat in peace and silence, without talking or staring at your phone’s screen :) Finally, people become happier when they start meditating – that’s a fact.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.

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