"I tell officials about what is going on in the mind of a foreigner," says Anna Zabrodina

"Guest Foreigner" – that is the name of a unique part of the training Strengthening Intercultural Competencies, which allows civil servants and security personnel to meet someone who has personal experience with integration in the Czech Republic. Anna Zabrodina, who emigrated to the Czech Republic from Russia in 2018, also serves as a guest foreigner. She regularly shares her experiences at training sessions with officials and describes the obstacles she had to face as a newcomer.

What is your role in the Strengthening Intercultural Competencies training? 

My task as a guest foreigner is to share my unique experience with emigration.

I explain my fears and the stages of integration I went through. I talk about what is going on in the mind of a foreigner on the other side of the office window.

What actually goes through a person's mind when they are forced to leave their home country, their hometown, and their loved ones?

I felt forced to leave the life I was used to. It was very difficult to say goodbye to my family and rely only on my husband. I didn't know what I would do in the Czech Republic. I had previous experience staying in the Czech Republic, and it was rather negative. I was afraid and felt like I was stepping into the dark. In Russia, I could choose friends based on interests or who I felt closest to. In the Czech Republic, I knew it would be a huge miracle if I had at least one acquaintance who spoke my language.

What difficulties and unexpected events did you have to deal with at the beginning of your stay in the Czech Republic?

I struggled with huge confusion in the bureaucratic system. I needed a lot of documents and certificates. At every step, some problem was waiting for us. We wanted to officially get married in the Czech Republic, but that required a lot of paperwork. The documents I brought from Russia were not sufficient, and I had to make an appointment at the embassy and re-apply for different versions of documents and certificates. Then I waited for a family reunification visa. I had to apply for the visa in my own country while my husband worked in the Czech Republic. Because of that, we lived in different countries for half a year. When I finally got the visa, I found out that I did not have free access to the labor market. It was a difficult period. I didn't know about an integration center or any other organization that could help me.

What was your initial impression of Czechs? And the local environment?

At first, I didn't understand Czechs. They often seemed aggressive to me. Just on a gut level. I had the impression that no one in this country wanted to see me. But those were subjective feelings on an intuitive level.

What do you see as the benefit of the Strengthening Intercultural Competencies training? 

It is very important for officials to know their target group and its concerns. I always say that on the other side is a person with their own fears and story. They might be going through a difficult time, and any kind word from an official can change their life. Sometimes it takes very little to achieve something great.

It is easy to lump all foreigners into one group and label them with general characteristics. But it is important to sometimes break that group down into individuals so that we realize that each of them is a unique person with their own story.

The "Strengthening Intercultural Competencies 2024-2026" project is co-financed by the European Union.