I applied for this volunteering project because I wanted change. Change of daily life, environment and people. I was really tired of studying, having a full agenda, and in general my social life and responsibilities. In the first week of the project we had to write down our personal goal. The goal I wrote down was: to be more chill. What I mean with this is to stop scheduling everything in my mind. My mind normally starts like this in the morning; “Ok, I get up, I have one 15 minutes for breakfast, 10 minutes to clean, then I will work on this course assignment for 1 hour and then I have a 5 minutes break and then I will have get ready for a meeting.” This scheduling continues in my head for the rest of the day, until I go to sleep. When I would sit on the couch for one minute I already thought of four other things that I could do instead. I hate postponing things, which basically means I most of the time do not enjoy relaxing if I have something more ‘important’ to do. ‘Important’ is within ‘’ because it is so weird how some things can become so big and important in my head, but when taking a step back and reflecting on it, I am questioning why I stressed out about it so much. So far, this project has helped me to stop planning every task in my head. I do not have university deadlines, assignments or social responsibilities. I wake up, have breakfast and then work on the projects in the library in Casperia. I am playing card games during breaks and after working I read a book or I spend time with the other volunteers. We play game, take walks, cook together or watch a tv show. Most mornings when I see the view out of the window I am exited to start the day. I am enjoying daily task like doing the dishes, waiting for the bus, walking to the supermarket and most importantly; to chill. Sono tranquilla.
Jade Loos, The Netherlands.
2 Comments
Being a young European, there are many opportunities that sometimes remain hidden for many. Personally, I am more than honoured to be a part of the European Solidarity Corps. More than a simple learning experience, ALA is in itself an adventure as well as a self-discovery journey. It is certainly not an easy task to describe these initiatives, as they incorporate so many variables and steps that make it hard to translate into a single sentence or text. However, I will attempt to transmit what it is like to be a volunteer within the European Solidarity Corps. Joining a volunteering experience is integrating something larger than yourself. It is seeing real consequences and impacts of your actions and, hopefully, bearing positive end-results to the community you will be a part of, even though temporarily. Furthermore, it is gaining a new family from all over the world with whom you can share your culture and experiences and simultaneosly learn from theirs. It cannot be denied that all these experiences incorporate are positive aspects. Some days can prove harder than others, especially considering the fact that we are all away from home: both physical and psychological tiredness are common symptoms after a couple of weeks in a project, as well as an increasing lack of patience. These are examples of things I personally struggle with. However, moving away from your comfort zone, living with strangers that become family in a matter of days and sharing day-to-day routines and circumstances in a foreign country creates a special bond that you will miss dearly upon returning home. In fact, each day will be different, a new bundle of learning opportunities will be waiting for you and standing still will prove to be something foreign to you. Besides language skills, meaning that of the hosting country as well as English, you will encounter a new obstacle, a new challenge that, when overcome, will have helped to build a more resilient you at every corner. Whether this is manual work, time management skills, cooking for larger groups, developing a new activity/program or simply learning a new card game, you will master a new skill(s) or perfect a previous one(s). Either way, you will be required to step out of your comfort zone, the only place to trully grow and develop yourself both as individual as well as an individual within a community or group. Overall, you will experience a turmoil of emotions on a daily basis! But I am sure you will miss it, once the project finishes. To sum up, to become a volunteer is an opportunity every person should profit from, given that its uniqueness, lessons, experiences and travels are fundamental pieces that, when combined, create someone’s path in life. Sara Amorim, 22 years old, from Portugal |