Time for changes! Angela's thoughts looking back
Becoming an European Solidarity Corps volunteer was a dream which had been growing inside of me for many years. I grew up in a community where international volunteers from some other European country working in a local youth center were part of my everyday life. So I also knew myself already at the age of 14 - one day I will do something like that! I will also challenge myself, become a member of a community, team and place which I don’t know. Better yet - which culture, language and people I don’t know and I will see where it will carry me.
It carried me to the best adventures, learnings and changes ever.
I knew that when the time comes to choose where I would like to make my voluntary dream come true, it will be, as a contrast for my northern background, one southern country. Spain has interested me since I was teenager, since my very first international youth exchanges when I met some amazing Spanish people. I felt like I have a lot to learn from Spanish people and their way of living. And I was right. The biggest learning, I believe, comes through challenges and from people. During my ESC project I learned from the Spanish how to live day by day. In the best meaning of it! How not to rush, enjoy every little moment and thing. While having lunch with a friend, when enjoying afternoon in the park or tapas in the evening. How to appreciate the people around, how important is family in your life and how not to take them for granted. I am forever grateful for that.
So, I knew that my new home would be hopefully Spain. But I never expected to get such a gift with my project! I had already been working in the youth field and I felt that I would like to experience something new, really challenge myself in the field again. And I got it! The project at Majadahonda youth center touched me from the moment I found it. I was sitting in my apartment’s little kitchen in February 2019 and I knew that now it comes - time for changes. And it did come! The months from applying to waiting the answer and then waiting to go, seemed like forever and just one brief moment at the same time. During these months I got to visualize what I would like to experience, learn, what kind of people to get to know. During that time I got to know from distance already my dear fellow volunteer and now one of the dearest person, Fiia and dear Cristina who was there for us during all these months with our every little thing.
On 16 of November, 2019, I finally said hello to Madrid and Majadahonda as my new home. It took me breathless that I’m going to make such a big dream come true! Everyday I learned something new. How to run English classes, how Spanish work culture looks like, how to manage time. Things about Spanish language and interesting little facts about the culture, skills from small talk to looking for international youth information. I got to know myself as a learner again and see myself from aside when it came to getting to know new people. Moments when I had to make myself clear in Spanish with roommates, at the doctor, in a shop or bank, taught me how I can overcome myself even if these things seemed like the biggest obstacles some weeks ago. Surprising myself with new situations and knowledge got more and more interesting.
My wish was to go to Spain, get to know the language and culture, get to know new things about the youth work, ways of working and living. My wish was to welcome new changes into my life, challenge myself and grow. I did it all! Thanks to the amazing people around me, thanks to situations which at home country I would have never had. In a short time, I changed a lot as a person. I realized how much can happen in a short time and the best adventures and moments are the ones which you could not ever imagine. And I realized how important really are the people around you and how little is Europe. My wish was to get to know Spain but thanks to Spain and the people I met, I also got to know Finland, Germany, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. My world and Europe got smaller but my heart and mind got so much bigger during this time in beautiful Majadahonda. Thank you for that!
And it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon!
With love from Estonia,
Angela
It carried me to the best adventures, learnings and changes ever.
I knew that when the time comes to choose where I would like to make my voluntary dream come true, it will be, as a contrast for my northern background, one southern country. Spain has interested me since I was teenager, since my very first international youth exchanges when I met some amazing Spanish people. I felt like I have a lot to learn from Spanish people and their way of living. And I was right. The biggest learning, I believe, comes through challenges and from people. During my ESC project I learned from the Spanish how to live day by day. In the best meaning of it! How not to rush, enjoy every little moment and thing. While having lunch with a friend, when enjoying afternoon in the park or tapas in the evening. How to appreciate the people around, how important is family in your life and how not to take them for granted. I am forever grateful for that.
So, I knew that my new home would be hopefully Spain. But I never expected to get such a gift with my project! I had already been working in the youth field and I felt that I would like to experience something new, really challenge myself in the field again. And I got it! The project at Majadahonda youth center touched me from the moment I found it. I was sitting in my apartment’s little kitchen in February 2019 and I knew that now it comes - time for changes. And it did come! The months from applying to waiting the answer and then waiting to go, seemed like forever and just one brief moment at the same time. During these months I got to visualize what I would like to experience, learn, what kind of people to get to know. During that time I got to know from distance already my dear fellow volunteer and now one of the dearest person, Fiia and dear Cristina who was there for us during all these months with our every little thing.
On 16 of November, 2019, I finally said hello to Madrid and Majadahonda as my new home. It took me breathless that I’m going to make such a big dream come true! Everyday I learned something new. How to run English classes, how Spanish work culture looks like, how to manage time. Things about Spanish language and interesting little facts about the culture, skills from small talk to looking for international youth information. I got to know myself as a learner again and see myself from aside when it came to getting to know new people. Moments when I had to make myself clear in Spanish with roommates, at the doctor, in a shop or bank, taught me how I can overcome myself even if these things seemed like the biggest obstacles some weeks ago. Surprising myself with new situations and knowledge got more and more interesting.
My wish was to go to Spain, get to know the language and culture, get to know new things about the youth work, ways of working and living. My wish was to welcome new changes into my life, challenge myself and grow. I did it all! Thanks to the amazing people around me, thanks to situations which at home country I would have never had. In a short time, I changed a lot as a person. I realized how much can happen in a short time and the best adventures and moments are the ones which you could not ever imagine. And I realized how important really are the people around you and how little is Europe. My wish was to get to know Spain but thanks to Spain and the people I met, I also got to know Finland, Germany, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. My world and Europe got smaller but my heart and mind got so much bigger during this time in beautiful Majadahonda. Thank you for that!
And it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon!
With love from Estonia,
Angela
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