Far from your own country, family and friends, your need to belong is more pronounced in the country of your arrival …

In order to make the transition and live in one’s host country, integration is essential. What gave me this feeling of belonging the most, what really helped me to integrate, was the Josefa House.

Josefa was not a just a roof over my head, or just a place where I lived; it was for me a real home filled with warmth, love, tenderness, and sharing.

I never felt like a "refugee" at the Josefa House, but rather like a family member, and I never felt like a "foreigner" in that family.Nor have I ever felt that the residents of the house were foreigners: we were like a united family, sharing our joys and our sadness, preparing and tasting meals together, some of us praying together, and sometimes we would go to the cinema or on short trips.

I felt the beauty of this country, the sweetness and kindness of its people through the residents of the house, their kindness and the bonds we created.

I will never forget the welcome we received, full of kindness and love; they made us feel at home, in our second country and in our second family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those responsible for Josefa and to its residents.

With lots of love,

Lina