Spotlight - Old Girl: A Letter From Abroad: Old Girl Viola DESSANTI '00 Writes from Croatia.

Soon after graduating from BSS in 2000, my family moved to Croatia for work. Since then, my parents have been living in Zagreb. I stayed in the city for a month, before moving to London, UK. My little sister is in Grade 6 at the American International School of Zagreb and I hope that one day she might have the opportunity to spend some time at BSS.

In London, I completed a Bachelor’s Degree in international politics. The four-year multi-departmental degree covered topics such as globalization, integration policies of the European Union, governmental corruption, comparative politics of Eastern Europe, development studies, NGO management and political philosophy, as well as giving me the chance to focus on Spain as a member state of the EU. I continued my Spanish studies, and complemented them with Spanish cinema, literature, and cultural courses.

I spent my third year at the university in Madrid, doing an independent research project on the separatist terrorist group ETA, and its role within Spanish politics. Enrolled at the Universidad Complutense (UCL), I completed a four-month intensive Spanish course which led to high marks on the DELE exam, issued by the Instituto Cervantes. In addition, I listened in on classes at the faculty of political sciences in Madrid and completed the mini-thesis, which I presented in my final year of university back in London. Living in Madrid was unforgettable. The city has so much to offer and the atmosphere is great. I worked for the Spanish Red Cross doing fundraising, while also working as an au pair and for the public relations department of a club. Although I was managing three jobs at once, on top of writing my thesis, life was not as stressful as it might have been in London.

Once I graduated from UCL I decided to spend some time doing administrative work for a health care NGO that takes care of elderly people with mental health issues. At the same time, I volunteered for a national help line for young people, putting them in contact with the right organization or association to deal with their problems. The combination of these two positions was interesting, without a doubt rewarding, and, at times, trying. This is what led me back to Croatia.

Initially, I had decided to take some time off and plan my applications for a master’s degree. But, when I first moved back in June 2005 the International Women’s Club (IWC) of Zagreb had asked me to volunteer as their office manager for the Board of Executives.
IWC is a small charity made up of international, as well as Croatian, women who live in Zagreb. Many are wives of ambassadors, others are ambassadors themselves and some, like me, are here for different reasons. IWC runs on two principles: firstly, to help women living in Zagreb for work to socialize and get to know the city. We plan cultural and social activities, and meetings for all the members. Secondly, we try to help people in Croatia in need through small charity events. IWC helps women and children in those zones in Croatia still heavily affected by the war (the size of land that is still mined, and the number of houses and schools that look like cheese graters from bullet holes from the war is unbelievable). My job is to take care of the office, to make sure members can access it when they need to, to keep correspondence with donors and members and take minutes at Board meetings, as well as other administrative tasks. It is a lot of work, but so much fun too!


Since September I have done two internships. Until February, I was interning at the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport of the Republic of Croatia in the department for European Integration. This was a way to put into practice what I learned in university about accession policies and government and the experience was excellent. In March, I started my current position at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN agency for refugees in Croatia. The office takes care of those refugees that remain in Croatia following the war, trying to find durable solutions for them, such as relocation or integration in society. This is not easy. Many have been living in collective centers for more than 12 years, have no opportunities to find employment and suffer from post-conflict traumas. UNHCR also works with returnees—people who were refugees but have now returned to Croatia. A major issue for them is getting repossession of their homes, many of which were given by the state to temporary occupants during conflict or have been destroyed. Many refugees are afraid to return to Croatia due to ongoing ethnic tensions from the war between Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. Finally, UNHCR is working closely with the Ministry of Interior of Croatia to develop and implement an asylum system in the country.

Working for the UN is a dream come true for me. I work in the public information unit which deals with everything regarding media relations, outside agencies and fundraising. My daily tasks involve scanning the local media for news items of interest to the mandate of UNHCR and writing a summary to share with colleagues, the headquarters in Geneva, and other regional partners. I recently interviewed a family of Muslim refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina for a story to be published on our website. I am also writing a study on the attitudes in Croatia vis-à-vis returnees and asylum seekers and organizing an event for World Refugee Day on June 20. Last month, I organized a donation of hygienic items from the IWC to a collective centre where returnees from Serbia live. It was heartbreaking to see the dire conditions in which they live, but at least we were able to help a little bit. The local media were there and a story ran in a newspaper.

I am here until the end June, then I am traveling to the UNHCR office in Ecuador, South America for another six-month internship. My family is moving to Moscow, Russia, for work. I hope my internship in Ecuador will be the last and that I find a paying job soon!

Life in Croatia has been great! I completed the beginner’s course in Croatian at the University of Zagreb and am now able to hold a conversation. Croatia is a hospitable, growing country. The difference in the country from when we first moved here six years ago is obvious—malls have opened, the city has grown, it has become slightly more multicultural and supermarkets carry different products. But the reality is completely different outside the capital, where the legacy of war is still noticeable. I have been able to travel around the country, to the breathtakingly beautiful coast, the national parks with waterfalls, and to the eastern towns, such as Vukovar and Osijek—hot spots during the war. Croatia is also a convenient country for traveling all over Europe. I have been to Budapest, Sarajevo, Berlin, Prague, Mostar and Ljubljana. It is hard to say what sparked the international travel bug that prompted me to go abroad. I think I always knew I wanted to travel and work in an international environment. I hope that my work experiences will lead me to a career in the humanitarian field of international relations.

It’s difficult to lead a lifestyle where you will constantly be separated from many of the people you know and love. Yet, discovering new people, histories, traditions, and situations makes it all worthwhile!

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of something I learned or did at BSS. The school made me strong, ambitious, and motivated. It taught me there are no boundaries to what I can achieve, and to respect others. Life at BSS was fun, emotional, inspiring… and, after my wonderful parents, one of the main reasons why I am here.


Posted January 25, 2008 at 12:17pm






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