My name is Sandra, I am from Poland. Last year after finishing the high school, I decided to spend the next months on an EVS project. After some time of searching, I found an interesting for me project in the Central Italy, where I could work with disadvantaged people and in the same time be close to the nature.
Before I came here, I had some vision of what I want to learn, like a new language or traditions of a different culture. I knew I want to get to know some people or have some time to discover what I want to do in the future. I was also thinking about starting something for what I did not have time during studying, like yoga or travelling around the country. But the truth is that I did not expect how the EVS experience will change me and how many beautiful memories it will bring.
One of the biggest surprises was for me discovering how much I enjoy working in the Farm, especially in the Greenhouse, in Serra. Planting, watering and taking care of seedlings often make me empty of any negative feelings. Working with disabled opened my eyes and my heart, showed me how a diverse group they create.
I travelled to Italy to get to know the culture of that country, but in fact I get to know more than that one. I met people from different nations and each day I learn something new. Not only about traditions or linguistic trivia, but also about fears and dangers, hopes and obstacles. Many stereotypes turned out to be false. Thanks to that, I was able to understand my own culture, notice my own habits and replace them with better ones,.
The project enabled me to find some new passions. Yoga is definitely one of them, as well as cooking or drawing. From not understanding a word in italian, I came to a point, where I truly enjoy building some simple sentences in that language. And I hope I will be better and better, also after coming back home. It made me be more interested in learning new languages in the future
With other volunteers, we created an amazing and caring family. Those are the people with whom I can laugh and cry. They taught me kindness and gave me a lot of love and support, for what I will never be able to thank properly. We are spending together hours, on trips or walks, drinking a vine or a tea.
The most important part of the project is for me a possibility to travel. Italian nature, monuments and delightful cities are for me breathtaking. The feeling of being lost in a new city, creating my own paths and talking with strangers are completely incredible. Not once I was able to see places of which photos I have had in my books for the school. Not once I was just standing without any move, admiring the surrounding. Italy taught me that beautiful places are everywhere, we just need to look for them and sometimes be a little bit more patient.
And yes, for sure I got to know myself more, but the more important part is that I noticed how much I can develop myself. Be better for the world and for myself. I learnt that sometimes we just need some time to sit for a while and think things through. All the answers are hidden in our own hearts.
It is hard to describe in few sentences how exciting, inspiring and refreshing is volunteering abroad. It changed me a lot more than I expected. I dreamt about many things and here I made them real. So I can say for sure, that taking part in the EVS, was truly worth it.
