My project in Orta Nova has just come to an end. It’s hard to describe in words everything I’ve experienced in these short 2 months. This small town has become our home and will remain so forever. In the second half of the trip, we were given a new role – the role of teachers in schools. It’s an amazing experience to be on the other side of the classroom with a group of young students in front of you. Our lessons were based on the promotion of non-formal education which is basically unconventional teaching. It was important to us that students felt comfortable and at ease with us, that they saw us as their peers. Thanks to this, numerous conversations, discussions and activities came to them with unimaginable ease. We talked about various topics related to European projects for example European Youth Voices or Voice Of Change. Thanks to our joint lessons, young people had the opportunity to improve their English and acquire soft-skills that will certainly be useful to them in the future. Our main goal was to show young people their possibilities and make them aware of the importance of their opinions and speaking out on important issues. Every day at school was an amazing experience for me. I enjoyed the role of a teacher and I found myself in the new role quickly.
No words can express the gratitude I have for my organization, Beyond Borders. I admire their work and the passion they share. Rocco, Carmine, Sebastiano and Maria have achieved great things together. They brought together a group of wonderful volunteers, which I had the opportunity to join. I would give anything to stay here a little longer and not change anything. If I hadn’t become so attached to all of them, going back to Poland would have been easy for me, not a torment. Working with them was not work, but the greatest pleasure. Every minute in the office is a collection of smiles and conversations on every possible topic. I finally found people who look in the same direction as me. People full of ideas, optimism and enthusiasm. People with unlimited possibilities, open to the world and other people. I felt like a fish out of water with them and the saying ‘The sicker, the better’ will forever be my life motto. Saying goodbye would have been a nightmare if I hadn’t been confident that I would return home to Orta Nova, to Beyond Borders. Even though the project has come to an end, my time in Orta Nova is not over yet and I have not said the last word.
Being a volunteer and part of a Beyond Border’s family is a great honor for me. Thanks to the European Solidarity Corps project and the Polish organization Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Przedsiębiorczego. I had the opportunity to discover my possibilities, get to know myself and a large group of wonderful people, and get a taste of real Italian life. I immersed myself in Italian culture for good. From traditional food, through music, customs and traditions, to lifestyle and mentality. I am fascinated by Italians who are fascinated by their country. How difficult will be the sudden change associated with returning to Poland. I will take with me a part of Italy that has grown in me for 2 months. Apart from opening my eyes to new possibilities, the project brought me many benefits. Communicating in English every day was a paradise on earth for me. Thanks to this, I feel confident in my language skills. I started learning Italian, which resulted in a primitive but successful way of communicating. I fully devoted myself to the promotion and marketing of our Instagram account and the account I created on Tik Tok. To my surprise, I liked it immensely. I’ve never been confident in my skills in marketing or publishing, so this is a very important step forward for me. Previously, I didn’t have so many opportunities to organize events, now I know that even this topic does not cause me any problems.
I couldn’t help but mention my greatest roommates in the world – Weronika and Adam.
I didn’t think I would become so attached to them and that’s also what makes leaving so difficult. We were perfectly matched, we are all completely different from each other, and yet we found our common language. We complement each other in everything we do. We quickly became known as the “Polish blonde family”. It was not uncommon for people to think we were siblings. I will miss our conversations until late hours, going out to eat together, cooking, coffee and cookies at home in via Sacracorona, hunting for the best finds at Mercato on Thursday at 8 a.m., an endless number of inside jokes, stories about Corato and traveling together. I will miss my siblings 🙂 I will also miss the volunteers with whom we spent our free time. So many outings, meetings and conversations about everything and nothing. Every day with them has a special place in my heart. Not only Orta Nova brought me new friendships. Thanks to my travels, I met people from the very south of Italy, who quickly became an important part of my Italian life. For me, the most beautiful words are the words of our coordinators, convincing us to stay with them longer. Each time my heart rejoices more and more. Once you become a Beyond Borders volunteer, you remain a volunteer in your heart for the rest of your life. Why does time have to rush so fast? I would give anything to turn back time to January 15 and start everything once again, experience everything one more time. I take back with me my suitcase full of wonderful memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. My time here is a precious treasure that no one can take away from me. Now it’s time for me to haunt people with my wonderful stories and encourage everyone to follow in my footsteps – see and experience what I saw and experienced. Thank you Beyond Borders for showing me new paths in life, for every smile, for every memory, for everything you have done for me. Thank you FRSP and ESC.
Enjoy life and remember “The crazier, the better”!!!