When I was packing my bags to come here, I spent hours thinking about the project, what clothes to bring, or whether I’d understand the language. But now that I’m fully immersed in my volunteering, I’ve realized that the most important thing wasn't in my suitcase: it was the people I was going to meet.
If one thing is clear to me after these months, it's that my experience would have been completely different if I had stayed stuck in my comfort zone. It’s a bit scary at first, but putting myself out there to make friends from day one is what has made all the difference.
The craziest part of living this is how you end up surrounded by people from a thousand different countries who are on the same wavelength as you. They are experiencing the same "firsts", they’re also in a city that’s new to them, and in most cases, they’re living on their own for the first time, as may be your case and as has been mine. Moving from living with your parents to being independent can seem tough, but if you surround yourself with people in the same boat, everything becomes so much easier.
You go from knowing no one to having plans almost every day of the week. My biggest fear was feeling lonely in a strange city, but the reality is that I haven’t had a single second to get bored or even to feel homesick.
Between dinners trying food from other countries, going out for a drink after work, and the spontaneous trips we take every time we have a break, my adaptation has flown by. Literally, I feel at home because they are my home now.
My advice if you’re thinking about volunteering: don’t just stick to the work side of things. Go out, join all the WhatsApp groups, say yes to that coffee even if you’re tired, and travel as much as you can with the people you meet.
For me, not feeling alone for a single moment is what has made this city feel fun rather than overwhelming. In the end, places are just places, but it’s the friends you make that make the experience incredible.
Text: Paula Fernández Martín
Fotka: BDC
Paula je dobrovoľníčkou programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii Bratislavské dobrovoľnícke centrum (BDC). Projekt bol podporený Európskou komisiou z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.
