My Life Story

Being new in a country? I was there, three times

I first moved to a new country when I was 18 – moving away from a cozy home in Belgrade, Serbia, to a fast-paced and loud Israeli life. Being alone and clueless about what is required to live independently in a new country, was a struggle. All I was told about what life looks like and what we’re expected to do to succeed, was useless. It takes time (in years) to start feeling comfortable in a new place.

The second time I moved to a new country was with a partner. Moving together to Berlin, Germany, had its good moments – responsibilities were shared, and there was someone to share the observations, differences, and learnings. On the other hand, it brought unpredictable problems. We, as individuals in a relationship, were changing during the integration process. This put unusual stress on the relationship, and the relationship was expected to integrate and adapt to new circumstances, too.

Recently, I decided to give up on the comfortable Berlin lifestyle that I’ve built, and moved to sunny Lisbon, Portugal, where I started from scratch, again. And again, multiple challenges overlapped – finding a home, creating a network of friends, searching for a job, and solving administrative issues. Regardless of what kind of life you’re coming from, having to deal with all the existential challenges simultaneously can feel like losing the ground under your feet.

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional

Looking back, I believe those first few years could have been more fun and enjoyable if someone had understood my situation – someone who could relate to the overwhelming amount of topics and help me prioritize and support me to overcome the situations and challenges.

My Work Story

Quality is team effort

My career started in an IT call center. At the same time, I learned about QA and found my passion for software quality. This early experience inspired me to pursue a Bachelor’s in Software Engineering, where I balanced my studies by supporting startups as a quality engineer. 

After moving to Berlin, I focused on gaining and broadening my QA experience and sharpening my skills. Software quality is a team effort, and we should work together and contribute the skills and perspectives that each of us brings to improve and maintain the quality of the software we deliver. 

I help development teams to deliver products they’re proud of

As Head of Quality in a Berlin startup, I welcomed new challenges as a Scrum Master, expanding my skills through various certifications and trainings in the field of agile methodologies, coaching, facilitation, and more. This journey led me to a pivotal role in managing hybrid, distributed, and remote teams, and also driving the agile transformation of development teams.

My Music Story

At a young age, back in Serbia, I studied at a music high school, majoring in violin. Apart from instrumental training, the education offered structured teaching in music theory, solfeggio, history, and more – an experience similar to attending a specialized conservatory. During this time, I also found joy in choir singing as a member of the world’s oldest Jewish choir, “Baruch Brothers” in Belgrade.

Though my formal musical education concluded with high school, and I eventually stepped away from performance, music has never left my life. Recently, I’ve reconnected with it in a different way – by organizing Rossi Fest, an international music festival in Belgrade. I’m the behind-the-scenes coordinator and support, helping create and maintain technical solutions for such a festival to thrive.