Hola, everyone! I’m Alessia, 25 (but 21 for friends), from Altamura, Italy.

I’ve been living in Terrassa for two months now, but I already feel like a local, maybe because I had already planned to move to Spain, maybe because I have been on a million side quests, maybe it’s because I somehow naturally understand Catalan (which basically sounds like the fancy cousin of an Italian dialect), or maybe it’s because I’ve finally figured out how the public transportation system works here: buses come randomly, and some lines only exist in your fever dreams👁️👄👁️

My arrival wasn’t exactly giving lucky romcom main character energy, though. My luggage (and my entire perfume collection!) got lost for the first week, which I entirely spent talking to customer service (thanks again Jessica for letting me borrow your clothes, ily🫶🏼).

I was also very anxious about having flatmates… let’s say my previous co-living experience in France traumatised the hell out of me: my old roommate used to steal my food and money…💀giiiiirl

Anyways, maybe it was good karma, maybe God’s plan, but I honestly couldn’t have asked for better flatmates: Gena (my sister and darja teacher), Ivanina (the absolute cursed meme and fashion queen), and Tyméo (which I’ve officially adopted as my son) have the purest hearts and have become family in such a short time by always being there for me, especially in difficult personal and family moments. And that says a lot about the good people they are.. They’ve also already met my mom, so you know things are getting serious🌞

Concerning my work, I’m really enjoying my experience at La Vibria. I was already familiar with the world of associations (I’ve been part of Link APS association in Altamura for 11 years), and this has always lowkey been my dream job, even though I spent 7 years studying in the medical field before realising that my future career probably shouldn’t depend on random uncles’ advice at Xmas dinner 👉🏼👈🏼

I’m really impressed by how La Vibria operates. Everything is so well-organised, and they manage to implement so many different projects and activities. I also love the horizontal working environment, where colleagues are respectful, mentally stable and always willing to help and explain things.

Between being a workaholic or maybe simply being a Capricorn, I’ve already participated in one Youth Exchange, organised another one, two seminars, delivered 4 school talks, recorded three podcasts, written over 20 posts and attended two events. There is no wonder why my colleagues at La Vibria have officially nicknamed me Jolly. I’m literally everywhere, involved in everything…and I’m exactly where I want to be🤏🏼🤏🏼🤏🏼

Oh, and let’s not forget my side achievements since arriving: having visited all Barcelona, subscribed to the gym (Alessandra, if you are reading this: today 20:00, pilates) and having found my new fav nail tech since the week before coming (a Diva has her priorities iykyk💅)

But jokes and TikTok memes aside, there’s something deeper I’ve been thinking about since I arrived.

I think the fact that I’m enjoying this experience so much says a lot about the decision process I made to come here. After a mentally dark period of questioning my life choices, wondering for years whether I was on the right path or not, I can say that I’m FINALLY in the right place at the right time. No more dragging situations and life choices that don’t belong to me.

I’m doing something that gives me energy, allows me to grow and makes me excited about waking up every morning. Most importantly, I’ve finally found my inner peace and balance. I couldn’t wish for more.

If you’re looking for a sign to join an ESC project, go for it. Embrace the chaos, bloopers, the cringe/fun moments, the adventures, and let yourself experience something you’ve chosen with your heart. You never know how much a simple decision to move to a random google maps location can change your destiny, redirecting your life and finally making you happy. It’s better to cry than to regret.
xoxo,
the Princess🧚🏼