My project is a fairy tale where every day is special. I work as a volunteer in a kindergarten, and this is an intrinsic sense of comfort, you feel that this is exactly the place you are the people you want to be. That moment, when you are not expecting anything, you get All. And this is unsurpassed.
I start this project 1 month ago and I am increasingly convinced of my choice. I was warmly welcomed by Polites: every member of the association has always been there when I needed him. I enjoyed excellent relations from the beginning also with the volunteers. I love spending time at the kindergarten with children: it’s amazing how we could communicate with each from the beginning even if we speak different languages. What makes this project special is the interculturality: I like to see how all the people have completely different cultures but at the same time too many things in common. I think that this experience will help me also to grow up on a personal level, to learn to see past appearances and to keep an open mind.
When I traveled to Poland I had a lot of different feelings and expectations – not only good ones. But now, after the short time here, the negative thoughts become less and less. I work in kindergarten, everybody there integrates me very well. The work is fun and I can already say that I have gained a lot of good experiences. It is not difficult for me to spend my free time, because I met a lot of nice people until now. I hope that the next seven months will be good too so that I can keep many positive memories.
Mi programa de voluntariado europeo es en Szczecin, Polonia. Mi trabajo consiste en ayudar al profesor en las actividades que realiza, así como enseñar español a unos niños que aprenden rapidísimo. Espero que al final del proyecto hayan aprendido lo suficiente como para que en un futuro tengan interés por mi idioma.
My European voluntary programme takes place in Szczecin, Poland. My work consists basically in teaching Spanish to the children as well as supporting the kindergarten in any activities they organise
I hope that by the end of my project they had learnt enough Spanish so as to continue studying it.
Para mi, formar parte del equipo de Polites es muy importante por muchas razones, entre ellas el poder desarrollarme tanto a nivel personal como profesional enfrentándome cada día a nuevos retos, en un país diferente, con un idioma diferente…Pero este proyecto, además, significa ilusión, cooperación, esfuerzo y superación. Poder participar en el Servicio de Voluntariado Europeo (SVE) y además en Polites es una oportunidad única que se debe aprovechar, disfrutando tanto de los momentos de trabajo (SP7 and Gimnazjum 34), en mi caso pudiendo aplicar y desarrollar las competencias adquiridas durante mis estudios, así como las oportunidades que te brinda el estar en un país diferente, como es aprender o mejorar diferentes idiomas; conocer diferentes culturas, nuevas personas y sobre todo ¡VIAJAR!
For me, to be a part of the Polites team is very important for many reasons, like developing myself in a personal way and also in a professional way, with new challenges every day, in a different country with a different language…But this project also means imagination, cooperation, effort and improvement. Being able to participate in the European Voluntary Service (EVS) and also in Polites, is a great opportunity that we must enjoy through our work (in SP7 and Gymnazjum 34), which in my particular case I can apply to my knowledge acquired through my studies. It is also important to take advantage of the opportunities that you have when being in a different country, like learning or improving your languages; getting to know new cultures and new people and over all TRAVEL!
The past two months have been an illuminating, didactic, and exciting experience. I have done everything from packing dog and cat food into plastic bags, to facilitating an educational debate among student council members from all over the country. I am meeting new people, improving my level of Polish, and learning from my workplace activities, all objectives I set myself before my departure for this project. In this sense, everything is incredible. I am very happy about my decision to move to Szczecin and have zero regrets. The Polites organization is better than anything I could have ever imagined. I feel comfortable here and owe a lot of this to them. They made me feel welcome as soon as I arrived, and made it clear that I could always come to them for guidance or advice, and for this I am very grateful.
However, life will always present you with challenges and this period is no exception. As well as the occasional workload management struggle, it is undeniably complicated to adapt to the culture, food and of course climate, despite the time I have already spent in Poland. Nonetheless, I am a firm believer that your difficult moments are the times that you learn the most, and wholeheartedly plan on taking advantage of these educational stages. I truly believe that by the end of this journey I will have matured and developed significantly, all thanks to the amazing opportunity presented to me. This belief serves as a reminder of the immense privilege EVS volunteers are provided with, and is one I think about to keep me optimistic when the going gets tough.
Conclusively, my stay in Szczecin up to now has been just as good as I hoped it would be and one of the best times of my life. I am cherishing every (cold) minute.
Already for two months I am working with another volunteers at primary and secondary schools. We are making presentations , workshops and planning different events for them. Primary school students have special interest to our work, because working with volunteers is new for them and we are the first volunteers who are working with them.
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