Hello reader! My name is Masha, I am 26 years old, and I am Russian coming here from Czechia. Yes, Spain for me is the third country in which I’ll be living.

Beginning again feels weird – the excitement of being in a new place and meeting new people, an opportunity to work in an interesting field, but also facing the language barrier, and of course the omnipresent feeling of the uncertainty of the future….. Well, that´s enough existential dread. 

So far I’ve been really enjoying my time here. I already got to do so many things that it feels like a lifetime. My Spanish is progressing pretty fast considering that I couldn’t say a single word upon arrival. La Vibria Intercultural – the organisation in which I work – is a wonderful place where I feel like I can really express myself. My work here consists of creating a podcast and organising small events for locals and volunteers to meet and have fun. I am given a lot of freedom in how I want to realise those things and it feels good to have this trust since day one. 

Last week here in Terrassa I didn’t spend time among my fellow volunteers because I got a chance to participate in a youth exchange project dedicated to exploring identity through making zines (small DIY books). Young people from 5 countries with very different backgrounds coming together to create and explore what makes them them. It was intense! Every day we had workshops where we explored new techniques of visual expression and talked about things like gender, cultural background, and other things that define us. The result of our work was an exhibition that we curated ourselves. A local news station even made a report about it (look mom, I’m on TV!!) 

But as much fun as all the creating was, the most enriching thing for me was talking to people from all the different cultures. No matter how progressive and open-minded a person is, all of us exist in our own bubbles defined by our beliefs, upbringing, culture, but also political propaganda. So in a climate that often tells us that we are different and that there can be no bridges – there´s no better way of overcoming these things than simply spending time together. Complaining about a bad dish or having fun on the dance floor are experiences that exist outside of politics – they are just human. 

So I guess this is what I’m here for – to share human moments with my fellow volunteers, have fun, and bring my projects to life. So let’s see how it goes!