One year full of surprises in Italy Blog dei volontari

It is weird to think that less than one year ago I had luggage packing panic and big fear because I was starting to leave behind my whole life and friends to become European volunteer in Italy. I still remember the feeling that I had before going on a plane: it was as I was in love, butterflies were flying around in my stomach and some times it was annoying but most of the times it was such a pleasant feeling!
I started working in one SOS village in Vicenza. I have to admit, the work was from time to time really overwhelming. One point I felt that I am not ready to have responsibility of 7 children and bunch of houshold works I had to carry out. There were times that I asked myself: Is this experience really worth so much heartache and stress? But now when I'm thinking back of this year, I am convinced that it was one of the best decisions I have made. It made me stronger, more empathic, more open minded and definitely I learned a lot. I learned how to console a crying child, learned how to repair broken toys, improved my cooking and cleaning skills and most of all, I learned that if I put my heart into it, I can handle everything.
Working with those children definitely made me understand how lucky am I. How lucky I am to have a supporting family and strong safety net behind me. I now understand that having a proper family is not a must but rather a privilege.
Being a volunteer in Italy helped me to see this country also in a different point of view from a regular tourist. I discovered many faces of Italy and I have to admit that although there is a lot that I didn't manage to see, I fell in love with this country, the language and the culture.
Being a EVS volunteer also gave me opportunity to meet a lot of smart and wonderful people. I learned a lot from those people I met, it was intercultural learning in it's best way!
Being a EVS volunteer can be unimaginably hard, but it really helps to grow as a person and above all, it is a possibilty that will always enrich ones life! :)