Just like the Pope himself, I was on the 8th of June expected in Madrid. Quite unlike the Pope though, waiting for me there were a couple of other volunteers sitting on their luggage leaning against the train station walls and one stressed-out, sunburned coordinator trying to count us five times a minute. You see, for every European Solidarity Corps volunteer, there is an “on arrival” training somewhere in the first trimester of the program. It’s a week-long course with a group of other volunteers from all around Spain, that is supposed to help us settle in and explain to us what this whole volunteering is about.
Having my volunteer training in Madrid sounded exciting, the only strange thing was that not even google seemed to know which barrio of Madrid is called Cercedilla. After about an hour of a bus ride, it became apparent with waning urbanism and increasing amount of hills and forest in the landscape, that this Madrid training was not in Madrid.
Weeks before leaving, I tried to gather as much information about what the course is going to be like as possible. Among others, activities in the timetable included “Solidarity and priorities of ESC”, "Communication and social skills” and “Youthpass”. I asked everybody in FCV, what does which activity mean and what can I expect. After extensive research I concluded that was going to be a lottery. It could be the most fun week in my life or a week long throwback to elementary school. I just had to wait and see.
Three essential things that constitute a training are environment, program and people. To be able to end up on a positive note, I’ll have to start with the environment. Cercedilla is without a doubt a nice foothill town but the accommodation conditions in the hostel were to say at least, restrictive. There was a rule for every move, every meal, every step - to the point that accommodation of dietary needs or neurodivergence were made to seem like favours, singling out people with special needs instead of including them and making them feel welcome. That was quite troubling and disappointing.
Luckily though, that was the only point of complaint that I can make the case for. When it came to the program I had so much more fun than I would dare to expect. The coordinators managed to bind us into a well functioning group, gave us prompts and exercises that helped us to get to know each other and then one day after the other tried to creatively guide us through all of the workshops and topics we had to cover. There was a movie poster making, mandala of solidarity, nature walks, spanish classes and even an evening of folk music and dances.
As promised, I’m finishing on the highest of praises. None of the program would be half as enjoyable if it wasn't for the people taking the training with me. My dear co-volunteers were some of the most interesting, kind and curious people I have ever been randomly grouped with. We had a lot of fun during the programs and even more in the evenings, venturing to get to know Cercedilla - and each other - better and better every day. Despite my initial reservations and some hostility I felt from the hostel, it was these people who made me feel safer, accepted and connected during the whole training.
By no means could I imagine the amount of emotion with which we were describing our closing Dixit cards and throwing them back to the circle as a wave goodbye. Nevertheless any feelings of sadness or early onset nostalgia were quickly dispersed by our last trip down the road to buy some drinks and snacks and making ourselves a proper middle-of-the-woods gazebo goodbye party.
