Siema! My name is Adam Fijałkowski and I would like to tell you about the time I spent during the first month in Orta Nova. I am certainly not the first volunteer who came to Orta Nova by accident. What encouraged me most to take part in the Beyond Borders project was the opportunity to be part of the local community of a small town located in the southern part of Italy. I come from such a city myself and I know how important it is for the residents to keep the city alive by creating and helping to work on local events. As it turns out, being part of the local community quickly becomes grounded in reality, because from the very first day the local volunteers and captains of Beyond Borders do not treat you like a passing tourist who only visits Orta Nova. They treat you like a member of their family. Not knowing Italian does not hinder my stay here. Even the lack of knowledge of Italian did not prevent me from quickly acclimatizing to the new place.
During the first days in Orta Nova we got to know each other. The Beyond Borders coordinators clearly presented the organization of our work to us. We also met some wonderful local Beyond Borders volunteers. One evening, an interesting city game was organized for us volunteers, the aim of which was to familiarize us with the city of Orta Nova. We were given access to Instagram for volunteers, where we actively post our reports from our stay in Orta Nova. A great event that grew to incredible proportions was Intercultural night. Over 50 people showed up and everyone took part in the activities we proposed. It was an amazing experience because we created this event from scratch and people seemed to have a great time there.
In addition, we helped organize an event at school, where many young people from Orta Nova approached us with curiosity and great enthusiasm to be able to talk for a while in English with people close to their age. We also helped organize Carnival, which was a huge event for the entire city. Additionally, helping Caritas is also a huge adventure. The people working for Caritas are very nice and good to us. After working there, the coordinators always give us many useful products and meals. It is a great honor to be an active member when creating events for the city of Orta Nova, because seeing people’s happy faces and helping the local community develop is the reason why Beyond Borders exists. I have been very pleased with my stay here so far and look forward to further work as a voulonteer.