My life in Italy Blog dei volontari

11/06/2023 Kristina Schwarz

My name is Kristina Schwarz, I am 19 years old and I am form Austria. I did my voluntary service in Italy, more precisely in Molfetta.

I had the opportunity to get to know the everyday life of a teacher and a kindergarten teacher. My project gave me the opportunity to work in a kindergarten, elementary school and middle school for 3 months each.

It was clear to me from the beginning that I wanted to go abroad right after graduating from high school, before I start university. In this project I didn’t had any difficulties to make friends, because you do your project with about 15-20 other volunteers from all over Europe. I also never have been bored, because I always had something to do like: exploring my new place of residence Molfetta, making trips around Puglia as well as all over Italy, going to the beach for a cool down, sitting in any coffee shops with a cappuccino and cornetto, going to parties, making cooking evenings or afternoons with my friends, enjoying the sun and much more.

At the beginning I had some communication problems, because I didn't know the Italian language yet and unfortunately many Italians speak no or very bad English. But with time I learned how to speak with my hands and all problems were solved.

For me, this time here in Italy was the best decision I could have made. I learned a lot about myself, made friends for life, learned not only Italian but also Spanish, Turkish, French, etc., thanks to the other volunteers, laughed a lot, experienced the most beautiful moments and much more. I can hardly put this year into words and I am very sad that I have reached the end of my project.