Ana Libisch
Volunteer at the WBFN
Imagine scene one: a 30 something year old woman (Spoiler alert: I am actually lying, I am almost 40 but I don’t want to face it) having to leave her comfort zone, friends, family, her lovely apartment, her plants, the amazing coastline of Uruguay (yes, now I am promoting tourism in my home country), and of course, her job.
Sounds exciting, right? Well, those were my first emotions when I was discussing with my husband the possibility of moving to Washington DC.
Ok, time for the pros and cons list.
Pros: a new adventure, new friends, new city and places to discover, a new house (decoration time!), hopefully a new job, and yes, the possibility to live near New York (Spoiler alert again: now that I live in Washington DC, I am very grateful that New York was not our destination. This is a clear sign of me turning 40).
Cons: Ok, but how will I be able to make new friends? How will I choose the neighborhood in which I should live? How will I understand the way the American job market works? How…(fill in the blank with a long list of questions)? Do I sound anxious? No, it is just your imagination.
Now, imagine scene two: the same 30 something year old woman becoming the queen of Netflix, the monarch of Amazon Prime Video, the female sovereign of Hulu, the matriarch of the latest trends in pajamas, and yes, the ruler of sugar and junk food!
Well, the thin line between scene one and two is the World Bank Family Network (WBFN).
When I started to research a little bit about how it would be to live in Washington DC, and the support I would get from the WBFN I pulled myself together. The sheer existence of that organization was the reason why I said YES to the adventure of moving to DC. And luckily, I was not disappointed.
As soon as I joined the first Welcoming coffee, I knew that it was a good decision. I was not alone. I slowly learned how to navigate in the new city; I found the answers to the most absurd questions; I made friends from all over the world; I began to fill my agenda with interesting and fun activities, and I started to volunteer for the WBFN. The community was there for me, and a new chapter in my life emerged.