O testemunho da Katerina

After I finished my bachelor degree in European Studies, I did not want just continue studying, I needed to experience something different. I wanted to travel, live abroad, learn new things and new language, but in the same time I did not want to lose this year for nothing, I wanted the gap year to be useful for me. When I found EVS opportunity it happened to be the best combination of everything for me. And so in October 2017 I started my journey in Associação Spin for 9 months.

My first weeks here in Lisbon were full of curiosity, exploring and searching for “This is my new home” feeling. Now already after 3 weeks I can say I found it, I am starting to settling down here, feeling very comfortable, having friends and getting to know the good places around. I fell in love with Portuguese culture, food, language, people, history, art and architecture on the first sight.

Until now in Spin we hosted an Erasmus+ youth exchange where I helped with many things and also the administration. I attended six similar Erasmus+ projects in my life, so to be in a new role was very interesting for me. Also I managed to get to know the neighbourhood of Bairro Padre Cruz where Spin is located. Our suburb is famous for the second biggest open-air street art gallery in the world. Now I feel more involved in this community.

For now, I find EVS an opportunity to grow, develop new skills and meet people but I am still at the very beginning of my challenge and I cannot wait for all my future experience, knowledge, challenges, self-growing, start of my Portuguese course, travelling and my on-arrival training course in Guimarães!