Marian: Democratic Society

After Marian’s parents divorced when she was six years old, difficulties arrived in the form of financial matters and stepparents

“I had a range of stepfathers at my mother’s place and one of them stayed for a very, very long time. He was a very dominant character. From when I was nine till I was eighteen, this man was a colossal obstacle in my life.”

According to Marian, over the years he became angry, bitter and resentful. During one of the many arguments, he became aggressive towards her and her sister.
“My opinion was that we needed to get out for safety reasons but my sister’s opinion was that we could not leave our mother behind.” After this episode, being just a teenager, she left the household for two months. It was a period of self-reservation when she wondered: “How do I become a person despite this man?”

Marian decided she did not want to spend her life like him, so she used her experience and channeled her energy towards positive things. A year and a half ago, she started a relationship with a divorced man with three children from a previous marriage, so the tables have turned.

“I love it actually. It’s a very human experience especially that his children are teenagers; three boys; they are living walking things, they ask a lot of questions, they even push back on stuff!”

Marian is now the director of development at “Democratic Society”, an NGO based in Brussels and working for greater participation and dialogue in democracy.