My EVS project just started in October 2nd, my birthday’s day, marking the beginning of a new stage away from home, in Palermo (Sicily), which could not start better, already surrounded by people which, despite being unknown, welcomed me with open arms.
Now that I am at the very end of the project I try to look back with perspective and I realize a lot of things.
First of all, I realize how I have changed in so many different ways due the fact I have tried living in a different country, adapting to a new language and culture, sharing an apartment and experiencing so many other things for the first time.
Secondly, I realize that I have built a second home in the Mediterranean, made up of all the people I have known, especially my fellow project, flat and life, who has become that sister who I did not have, that I take with me forever and without whom, this experience would have been very different. The other part of the home is this city, Palermo, a cradle of so many cultures that, even though it can seem inhospitable if we are based on stereotypes, has opened its doors and streets and made me feel as if it were those of my Terrassa.
During these months I also noticed that I have done many different activities and I have test myself until I realized I am able to do many more things than I thought; from helping the local community, teaching my language through non-formal methods, writing a project, promoting youth mobility and a long list that has made me discover a new world.
All these experiences could not have been lived if I were at home, comfortable and without risking to leave the cozy routine that to me was suffocating.
Finally, I realize that I still have as many or even more doubts, like when I did not know what to do before the project. It seems that I’ll be lost again on what has to come after August 31st. However from experience, I know that the doubts end up resolving and that they will probably lead me to find another challenge that is at least as interesting as this one, and in addition, I now have a whole lot of learned knowledge.
In short, I realize how much this opportunity has been worthwhile to take advantage of, surely, it is the most rewarding experience I have experienced from now and I advise everyone that is passing through a mental blockage moment or that need a change, that embarks on this EVS adventure!
Marina