Marhaba, Hallo, Hello and Holllaaa Amigos!

My name is Gena, and I’m 20 years old. I was born in Syria (Aleppo), but I have been living in Austria since I was eight years old.

I have been living in Terrassa for more than a month now. WOW, the time really flies! I decided to take this step and leave my family, friends and the people I love behind to discover myself, challenge myself and to make new memories.

Living in Terrassa has been a really good experience so far. I used to live in a small town in Austria where there were very few restaurants, bars, gym etc., and where almost everything closes at 6 p.m. It’s really nice to live in a bigger city where you can easily get to so many different places. That’s one of the reasons why I have been enjoying my stay so much. Another reason why I wanted to come to Spain is that I really love the country, the language and the cities. Spain also has a long history of Arab influence, which makes me feel culturally connected to home in some ways.

One of the reasons why I decided to leave Austria was that I didn’t know what I wanted to study at university. I wanted to take some time for myself, leave my comfort zone and explore new opportunities before deciding what to do next.

As someone who has worked with Children, Parents and Adults before, I had never worked with people with intellectual or other disabilities. To be honest, I had a lot of doubts at the beginning about working at LaFact-Fupar, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stay for the whole ten months. But after the first Week, I had never felt so sure about my decision to stay!

Everyone has been so welcoming, even though communicating can sometimes be difficult because I don’t speak Spanish or Catalan yet. People try to speak slowly so I can understand them, and some can even speak English, German or Arabic. Our Mentors at work have been AMAZING. They help us with everything and have even tried to organise our schedule around our interests. Work has become a lot more fun now because I can understand more and speak more Spanish. I am really happy to be working with LaFact, and I truly feel that it was the right decision for me.

Another great opportunity we have been given is Catalan classes every Wednesday. Learning Catalan is really important for me because it’s part of living in Catalonia. It also helps me communicate better at work. I want to be able to understand them and actually speak back instead of just listening.

After my first month in Terrassa, I have found a Routine that works well for me. I go to work, then have my lunch break. On some days, I have enough time to go to the gym during my break, while on shorter breaks, I go straight after work instead. Afterwards, I come home, shower, eat, prepare my meals for the next day, spend some time talking to my amazing housemates, and then go to sleep.
Having this routine has really helped me stay focused, keep active and challenge myself. The weekends, on the other hand, always look different. Sometimes we meet up with other volunteers, go to La Repu or Zurito, visit Barcelona, have house parties or do something completely different.
I think one of the reasons why I haven’t really felt homesick is that we understand each other so well and get along really nicely. For me, it was also very important to show my personality and connect with the others from the beginning. To be honest, even if some people might not believe it, I can be quite shy at the beginning and wouldn’t open up to everyone until I feel very comfortable around them.

I am still learning how to live on my own, and sometimes it can be very challenging. There are days when I feel sad and miss my parents, but then I remind myself why I decided to do this in the first place. I try to make the most of every day and enjoy the little things along the way. I feel like I am learning to appreciate life more than before and am trying to become the person I truly want to be, for myself.

I am really happy to have been given this opportunity. This experience is helping me become the Gena, I want to be, and it wouldn’t have been possible without this opportunity. Leaving my family, friends and home behind is not easy, and it still isn’t. But you get used to it, and when it is something you really want, you can manage just FINE!

I hope the coming month will be even better. I want to keep improving my Spanish, make more memories and continue to understand myself better. I don’t know what will happen until the next diary, but let’s cross our fingers and HOPE FOR THE BEST!!!

Masalame, Tschüss, Bye and Adiuuuuu Amigossss!!