Interviews (18)

Valentina arrived in Devon in the summer of 2012. She was born in a little town called Fagnigola, in the North-East of Italy, and can speak Italian and English. Before moving to England, she worked in an English school in Udine which helped her to…

Nerea is originally from Bilbao in the Basque Country, and has been living in the United Kingdom for around twenty years. Before settling in Totnes with her son, Nerea spent time in Holland and Cornwall. She speaks Spanish, Basque - which she learnt…

(2021-08-02)

Claudia has been living in Exeter for just over 7 years. Before moving to Exeter permanently, Claudia was based in Florence with her family, regularly travelling between Italy and the UK to see her partner based in London. After a holiday in Devon,…

(2021-08-02)

Maisaa arrived in the UK 11 years ago with her husband to further their education. She was born and grew up in Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast of Syria but moved to Damascus after her degree to work in the Ministry of Education. She married 18…

(2021-08-02)

Originally from Quebec, Canada, Bernard came to Devon 35 years ago. Having come to Europe to travel, he met his future wife and was invited to visit the UK for the first time. Eventually leaving Canada behind and moving to Hereford, he now resides in…

(2021-08-02)

Leandro is originally from Uberlândia, Brazil, which he described as being right in the middle of Brazil, “similar to the midlands” in the UK. Since moving to the UK 17 years ago, he has lived in Ireland, London, Leicester, Coventry, Leamington Spa…

(2021-08-02)

Olya was born in Moldova to Russian parents during the time of the Soviet Union. As a child, she briefly moved to Algeria on account of her father’s job, but she completed most of her studying in Moldova. Despite being born to Russian parents, and…

(2021-08-02)

Julie was born in Strasbourg, France, where she grew up and went to school. A postgraduate research placement in Darwin, Australia presented her with her first life-changing experience of living in a different culture. Although she had studied…

(2021-08-02)

Joseba came to Exeter 12 years ago as part of a student exchange programme and decided to stay due to work opportunities that came up. Due to a fondness for Devon, he decided to stay longer than he had initially planned. He is originally from the…

(2021-08-02)

Judith first came to Exeter to study English and Film at the University. She also lived in London and Cambridge before moving to Devon in 2014 after completing her Doctorate in Vienna. She was born and grew up in Villach, Austria, a town on the…