When I moved from Italy to Germany in 2012, it was a massive culture shock. Six months of snow, and people in Berlin felt as cold as the weather. I deeply missed the warmth and openness I was used to.
14 years later, I realize people don't just change to suit you—you have to change yourself. Even after all these years, integration in Germany is not easy. Having German friends is not easy. After the pandemic, I missed real contact even more.
So instead of comparing and doing nothing, I decided to do something.
I organized two summer festivals in my own garden and invited the neighbors close by. This year, we went bigger: a street festival for the whole neighborhood. I designed and printed the invitations myself, not sure if they would show up.
Many came.
One neighbor later held my hands and thanked me for what I did for the neighborhood. That moment stays with me.
I'll be honest: there was a period I was demotivated. Why always me? Why can't someone else organize it? But communities don't move by themselves. Someone has to go first. It's the same in other communities or at work.
And in return, we had a good relationship with our neighbors. Three of my neighbors looked after my dog Happy, while we were on vacation.
Do you have a neighborhood festival? If not, you know you can take the first step to bring people together. Cheers!
This is part of my "100 Days of Year One" series. Follow along as I share what I've learned in my first year as Head of Data and Cloud.