For my entire stay in Ljubljana people used to ask me the same thing. They said, “why did you choose Slovenia?” and my answer was always the same: “I didn’t choose Slovenia, I chose Moja Mavrica”. And really it couldn’t be more true. I remember searching for potential organizations to do my internship and feeling slightly disappointed, none of them were what I wanted, what I had pictured in my head, that was until I saw Moja Mavrica. The more I learned about this NGO the more I wanted to join, I just knew this is what I aspired to do, this is where I wanted to be. So in an act of wistful thinking I only applied to this organization. Wistful thinking or not I was right and they accepted me. 

So I packed and I came here to Ljubljana, only to learn that I was right in more ways than one. In the description they had all the things we were going to do and learn. I was quite excited at the prospect, and yet I learned so much more than I had originally predicted. The other thing that really made me want to join was the people in the organization. Even from the very start, just looking at the website, I got this feeling that this was a really nice working environment, a safe space. Then, I talked with Michelle and Iva in my interview, through emails, and the notion that this was a good place to be only grew. So what I’m trying to say is that I shouldn’t be surprised when I came here, met them and we started working together, but I was. Literally everyone I met was so supportive, so open and so welcoming that it exceeded my expectations. So I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here, for making my four month stay in Ljubljana exceptional. 

Firstly I would like to thank my fellow interns. Evie, Hana, Irem, Laura and Nea. You were already there for months when I joined, you already knew how to work together, you already were friends, and yet when I arrived you welcomed me in your team like you knew me. You helped me adjust and aided me with everything I needed. You didn’t hesitate to make me one of the team or invite and include me in activities outside of the internship. Because of you, I didn’t feel alone in a city where I knew no one. Thank you for being there for me and I’m glad I got to meet you all.

Secondly, I would like to thank all the students and volunteers who I got to meet during the many events and street actions. Dominyka and Ruben thank you for all the fun moments, the interesting conversations and for being so creative and full of life. Alja, Vane, Naja, Rea, Maja and Kaja thank you for welcoming me to your city and your culture. For always being considerate and making sure to include me in your conversations. I would like to thank Silke, the intern that I spend the most time with. Thank you for sitting next to me everyday as we worked in the library, bringing energy and fun to the table. For being so cooperative as we worked together on projects but not being afraid to butt heads with me when you disagreed and yet still we always manage to agree in the end. So thank you for being open-minded and lively, you really made working with you so easy.

Then I want to thank Iva and Teja, for being so welcoming and always having the nicest things to say. Iva, on all the projects we worked on you always were so encouraging and enthusiastic with my work that it only made me want to do better. And at last, I want to thank Michelle, who was my mentor and advisor for every day those four months. There are probably a lot of things to say but I can’t even start to express them. You were always so welcoming, so accommodative and there for anything I needed even before coming to Ljubljana. Thank you for always knowing when to push me further or give me space. For being supportive in everything I did and understanding towards all my difficulties, for constantly having a good thing to say and keeping a cheerful attitude. I’m glad that I got to work with you these months and learn from you everything you got to teach me. And obviously in these long paragraphs of thank yous, I have to thank Moja Mavrica for inviting me to be part of them and for creating a space where not only I felt safe and happy but I also wanted to challenge myself and give 100%.

So as you can read I have a lot of things to be thankful for. This was my first time working and living abroad and yet I never felt out of my depth, or like I didn’t belong here. I was trained in and achieved to do things that I never had before but I certainly needed in order to continue living this type of life and following this career. I cherish all the things I had the fortune to receive and I can only hope with time I can be better. I certainly hope that after Moja Mavrica, many other opportunities will come for me, but there’s one thing that I’m certain, just as certain as I was when I applied here, that I will never forget the activities, the work, the impact, the people and my time here. If you are reading this hoping to get a better idea of what Moja Mavrica is and if it’s a place for you, I will say one thing. Everyone’s experiences are different, so are their paths, but for this I’m certain, if you decide to come here, they will welcome you with open arms.