"My Journey" by Isabella Santanna

"An act of travelling from one place to another”

When I was 9, my mom made me change schools, from one that I loved.

I was really shy and afraid.

Once I got there I noticed I had the opportunity to meet new people and change what I didn't like about myself. That's when my journey started.

I felt the need to travel the world and meet as many people as possible. After that, I changed schools another 4 times, moved from my hometown and I’m currently studying and spending my summer in London.

This Zine is about the journeys my friends and I had and how we were connected by this beautiful city, London!

Name: Yujy

Age: 20

From: Beijing- China

What’s your idea of home and where is it?

Beijing is my home because I grew up there. But my definition of home is not a specific place, it’s where my family is. Only when I’m with my mom and dad I feel at home.

What do you miss most about your country?

Definitely the food. Food means a lot to me, so eating only sandwiches doesn’t bring me any happiness!

What’s something that you only found in London?

Peoples are livelier here! I love how people get drinks after work and go shopping! There are a lot of things going on in the streets even in the evening.

What’s been your biggest challenge?

Professional knowledge, as I don’t study fashion in my home institution. I felt like I needed to do more- I felt like I wasn’t as good as the rest of the class.

What was your biggest lesson learned from this experience so far?

How to get along with people from different countries and backgrounds. Back in the US I prefer sticking with Chinese people. But in London I feel like it’s so much more diverse and I loved getting along with people all around the world.

What is the cultural difference you will now apply to your own life?

I want to be more experimental and braver! I learn a lot from our first project, because I always seem to have crazy big ambitions before starting any project. But after looking at what others were doing, I realized that I can be inspired by anything around me. I always want to do something big, but I end up keeping it safe. Going further I plan on being braver!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Ithink I could be working in the fashion industry in 10 years, because I really love it! But I will be more confident, because nowadays I feel like I am faking it. I would also like to experience more: meet different people, learn a new language, travel and live lots of different experiences.

Name: Adeliia

Age: 20

From: Russia but currently lives in the US

What's your idea of home and where is it?

For me it’s really hard to define home. Because when I moved to New York I realized that I have three homes. New York is where I Live, UK is where my closest family lives and Russia is where my extended family lives. I got places to call home everywhere. The way that I identify Is through the feeling that I get.

What do you miss the most about your country?

I miss the feeling of knowing that my family is with me; like when I don't feel well, I can go to my sister’s house and be with her. I miss having my family close.

What's something that you only found in London?

I would say memories. I like having memories here.

What was your biggest lesson learned from this experience so far?

I would say it was learning to prioritize time between assignments and family. Because in New York I am on my own and therefore only need to think of myself. But, as my family is here, I need to give them attention too. It was managing family and work at the same time.

What was your biggest challenge?

Opening up to London as it was a new place for me. I have been before many times, but in a touristy way and not as a place I would live in. I had to open up to London as a liveable city, looking at it with a new perspective. I never thought the city really suited me, so I found it quite challenging.

What is something that you will now apply to your own life?

I want to continue doing fashion. In the US I do fine art, but here I felt so comfortable doing fashion. Never in my life would I have thought I would buy a magazine and read every single page. I will continue doing that in the US too.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Just being a creator. Creating anything.

Name: Mariana

Age: 21

From: México

What's your idea of home and where is it?

A place where I feel safe. Mexico.

What do you miss the most about your country?

The feeling of knowing everything. I can move freely because I already know all the places.

My family, my friends, the mountains, the food, the weather...

What's something that you only found in London?

The beautiful parks. Walking to places, being able to go anywhere by public transport.

What was your biggest lesson learned from this experience so far?

I'm by myself and nobody is going to do the things for me. It's all on me.

What was your biggest challenge while here?

Being by myself. Figuring everything out.

What is the cultural difference you will now apply to your own life?

I will start walking more to places, go more to parks and spend time there!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself doing what I love the most: being in the fashion industry, being very successful, loving what I do, being very proud of what I accomplished, surrounded by lovely people that I met around the world. I see myself living in USA.

Name: Melissa

Age: 20

From: US San Diego

What's your idea of home and where is it?

Back in California, in the public library or a small art gallery. I feel so safe when I'm surrounded by art or books. That's my safe space.

What do you miss the most about your country?

The library, the smell of the books and being in the same time zone as all my friends, because calling them is kind of hard right now.

What's something that you only found in London?

I love how fast pace everything is and that anything can happen. You can walk through the entire city. There's so many free galleries and museums. There's something going on in every part of the city every day. At home, I live in a suburb, a really calm area, but you need a car to get anywhere. There is no public transport, so I love it the way it is here!

Was your biggest lesson learned from this experience so far?

I feel like I’ve always done things with other people and that I depend on others to make decisions instead of doing it for myself. I guess the lesson was: it's ok to do things for yourself, you don't always have to please everyone. It's ok to study fashion or art if that's what u want.

What was your biggest challenge?

I feel like I was behind everyone since I don't study fashion in my home institution.

What is something that you will now apply to your own life?

I will start to interact with people more in school. At the moment, I tend to just go to my classes and then leave when they are done, but I came here to this program, and I became really good friends with my roommate. We do stuff together, things I would never have done if I was back in California. She’s from NY and now I'm planning to go there to visit her.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

For me it's hard to decide what I want to do. I hope that I have a job that I like, because I know how hard it can be to find a job in the arts that also pays well. So, I hope I’m happy.

Name: Bryan

Age: 35

From: New Jersey, USA

What's your idea of home and where is it?

My sense of home really belongs to my spirituality and the environment that I'm in! It can be anywhere. It's very much attached with the idea of where I am and where this place can take me. As far as physical, back in US in New Jersey.

What do you miss the most about your country?

I miss family, and the comfort of home, as here I don't really know anyone. I miss my mom’s coking, and the culture. I don't see Peruvians here!!

What's something that you only found in London?

I've travelled abroad before, but it was my first time in London. Now that I have been, I can definitely say you can feel the difference in attitude here. People are free to be themselves and you can see it.  There's a freedom of expression, and spirit.

What was your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge was a financial one. As a full time student who does not work it was a big investment for me to come here. The city is really expensive.

What is something that you will now apply to your own life?

In this program there's people from everywhere, all parts of the world. I can take a part of their journey and story within me. Take those stories, those experiences. I'm really grateful for who I met.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I see myself as an established brand designer, creative director, giving back to the next generation of fashion. Being able to create a safe space for new designers, with all my experience, for those who struggle in the beginning.