Petya: Hi, Annie! Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the "Faces of FAR" column, which you yourself had been hosting until now. I'm delighted to have taken the baton from you and I'm glad that you are my first guest! Before we start talking about your work at FAR, I'd first like to ask you, "What is Annie like as a person?" If you had to introduce yourself in a few sentences, what would they be?
Annie: I am first and foremost a person who works FOR people and strives to do everything possible to be able to change this world to the best of my ability. I believe that good things are done one step at a time. Even right now, Antoine Saint Exupery's prayer comes to mind, in which he asks the Creator to teach him the art of small steps. And so, by taking these small steps, I also try to contribute something. I always try to make sure that what I do and what I invest my time and effort in brings benefit not only to myself but to others as well. I find that to be, perhaps, the most important thing in life.
Petya: I completely share your views. What are your personal dreams?
Annie: I would be very happy if the war ended in my home country, Ukraine, and this is the thing that is always on my mind. The 24th of February is the date which split my life in "before" and "after". Maybe what I dream about is to learn the joy of every day, despite the unpleasant things that happen to be able to notice those little specs of happiness in my everyday life.
Petya: Today I find you in France and you are about to graduate. Would you like to share a little more about your education? Is the time to put an end to your series of degrees approaching, or are you already onto the next one?
Annie: I really hope I will be able to do a PhD, which will probably not be in Bulgaria. My education, already as a master, my path, to a large extent, is determined by Valeria Ilareva, Olga Dimitrov, Maria Shisheva, Magdalena Miteva and Rositsa Atanasova, because this is the team of trainers who have known me for many years. I was a participant in their second training and then I also participated in every subsequent training they had before I became a part of FAR. Those trainings largely defined the field in which I enrolled for my master’s degrees. And regarding the two master’s degrees in France, for the graduation of one of which I am here today - I owe my acceptance largely to my supervisors - Prof. Hristev and Prof. Stoynev, who fought for my right to be admitted under the same terms as Bulgarian citizens, which reduced the fees tenfold.
Petya: You mentioned that you encountered FAR through a training. What were your first impressions of the team at FAR?
Annie: I remember I met Valeria and Maggie first. I didn't speak Bulgarian well then and I was very worried about that. They treated me so well, they accepted me so kindly, and I finally felt accepted in Bulgaria, because a year before that I had had a hard time at university. Unfortunately, Bulgarian society still needs to shift in the direction of accepting foreigners. It is still closed off. It is still very difficult to integrate into it and I was very lucky to end up at FAR where the environment is very open, and Valeria gave me a chance to develop my talents and skills. I must say that Valeria has the extraordinary quality of seeing the human first - as they are, besides - she is fluent in Russian because her mother was a Russian teacher and she helped me a lot with everything.
Petya: Did their attitude, their love for refugee law actually inspire you to continue your education in this direction? How did you start working at FAR?
Annie: After these trainings, there was an internship program which was organized in cooperation with the High Commissioner for Refugees and then I applied for an internship at FAR. There were over 20 applicants, I even remember that a scholarship was being set up. And then I was selected out of all those applicants. Valeria and Maggie chose me to be the FAR intern. This was a huge honour for me because someone had believed in me. They chose me, who couldn't speak Bulgarian very well! Then there was another training, which I also took part in, and this training ended around the Christmas holidays, after which the war broke out in Ukraine. Then Valeria called me and offered me a job as a translator. Then there was a lot to translate, we immediately made the Ukrainian version of the platform Refugeelight.bg, I was translating at the lawyer's consultations, translations of articles - I took them on by myself. Then it was very difficult because sometimes we had 6 consultations a day and it's very tiring when you do simultaneous translation. I was just finishing my bachelor's degree. Valeria extended her hand to me in one of the most difficult periods, in a period of chaos, on the second day after the war had broken out. No matter what we say in such conditions, it is important to secure some income for yourself. My parents couldn't support me anymore because it was not known at all whether they would be able to work, whether there would be salaries in Ukraine, whether the hryvnia would be a stable currency... In such a time it is very important to secure a stable job. Otherwise, my plans were to go back to Ukraine, and I had even applied for a master's degree at a Ukrainian university. But yes - Valeria was literally not just someone who expressed empathy for what was happening in my home country, but she was also a person who took real action to help me. Thanks to this help and opportunity, I was able to not only graduate but continue my education unlike many of my classmates from Ukraine.
Petya: So FAR has really marked your life - not only professionally, but also personally.
Annie: Yes, to a large extent. Valeria is not my biological mother, but she has contributed no less to me and my development.
Petya: You've probably thanked her many times, but if you could thank Valeria in one sentence, what would it be?
Annie: Valeria is someone I love and pray for as much as I pray for my mom. I know that for the things that matter to me, she will be there for me! I would also like to thank Olga Dimitrov, from whom I have learned an awful lot. I can always share everything with her, and I have learned from her this understanding of human rights that is still missing in Bulgaria, her foresight for the future ahead.
Petya: How many years has FAR been a part of your life so far?
Annie: Maybe 4 years now, I've been in Bulgaria for 5 years, 4 of which I've been in FAR.
Petya: Meaning, most of your life in Bulgaria has passed under the light of FAR. What are the things you like most at FAR that have left a mark on you?
Annie: I know FAR as a very small organization when it consisted of Valeria, Jad, Zahid and Maggie. For me, FAR is the opportunity to get to know the people that Valeria worked with - as I mentioned about the trainers. FAR has grown a lot, which was quite logical in view of the fact that we provide good quality assistance. For us, people are not just numbers, and each case is monitored very individually. At FAR, I learned a lot from Maggie. She is someone who works things out, doesn't rush them. She has an affinity for detail. She has always been there - even in the off hours when things needed to be done super fast - she has always been there. Her work is extremely voluminous, though often invisible. From her, I learned to always do my tasks conscientiously, which is unfortunately not that common. How Maggie works is a true example to all of us. Even though we are very different at FAR, somehow, we have always managed to balance, and I hope that the team stays as it is now. It was important for me, when I left, that whatever we had created together was not lost, but only expanded further.
Petya: Now you are about to take the next step in your career path - accept a job offer from UNHCR. What is your mindset, are you excited? There must be a bit of anxiety, but in view of how much you have learned at FAR, I am confident that everything will be fine. I believe I speak for the whole team when I tell you that although we may not continue our journey as members of the same team, I think we will continue to be together, in one way or another. How do you feel now - at the end of your journey at FAR?
Annie: This new venture is a challenge for me. I know it's different from anything I've done at FAR, but after they made the offer, I decided to accept the challenge. I am glad that now the others who will be in my place at FAR will also have the chance to develop professionally as I did. I believe that the new challenge will be a way of growing and building on everything I already know.
Petya: I'm convinced that every challenge for us is just an opportunity to grow, so I wish you all the best, and that you meet good people along the way - you already have all the rest. You are ready to conquer new heights! I wish you to be healthy and not to overwork yourself!
Petya: What would you like to leave as a legacy to your colleagues who are staying at FAR?
Annie: What I really liked as an approach at FAR was seeing the person first. I always tried to be people oriented. Because it's important to be results-oriented, but it's most important to be people-oriented. In the area of refugee and migration law, it is most important to be people oriented. When we do anything, we should do it in a way that is pleasant not only for us, but also for our beneficiaries. For me, working at FAR in this way was one bit easier because I am a migrant myself. I came to Bulgaria when I was 16 years old and although I have not passed through refugee camps, I can understand fairly well the problems that migrants face. Through Covid I realised how powerful digitalisation is in practice and how much it can ease our lives. A lot of people still resist this understanding of digitalization, which is a completely irreversible process. What I would recommend to others is to firstly keep their approach people-oriented and secondly to develop in the digital sphere, because this is the future. Mihaylo and I have worked a lot in this direction - to make the digital transition more easily embraced by all colleagues. And the third thing I would recommend to all colleagues is to keep learning. In order for FAR to survive - and not just survive, but build on what it has already achieved, it is important to keep learning.
Petya: Annie, who would be a case, a beneficiary whose story has touched you and you will remember very vividly from your work at FAR?
Annie: I remember when we were working on cases in one of the trainings and we were writing an appeal for international protection for a Vietnamese family. It was the first case I worked on, and I remember it very vividly. Valeria was our coordinator. We were appealing against a refusal from the SAR, and I did a lot of research about the country then so that we could produce a quality appeal.
Petya: Thank you so much for everything you shared with me, Olga, and the readers of our "Faces of FAR" column today! Dear Annie, I wish that today, when you are handed your diploma, you feel gratitude for yourself with all your heart. Of course, to others too, but also to yourself - for all the hard work, for all the sleepless nights, for all that you gave from your heart and soul. Just thank yourself! I believe that you will be a wonderful representative of the new organization and will contribute a lot to it with your wonderful qualities! Just like you did at FAR!
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