O testemunho da Agnes No. 3 (Associação Spin)

To those who are not familiar with my previous publishings on this page: I am Agnes, 26, from Estonia and I have lived in Lisbon for 11 months now.  

This experience has been my first time living abroad. For the first time in my life I have spent such a long time existing on a different background, it has greatly helped me to better understand what is me and what are the conditionings of my surroundings. There have been many reasons forcing me to learn during my stay.

First and foremost due to the fact that I have been sharing a flat with 7 people. It takes some work. To understand each other, to find the balance with personal space and creating a family, to understand when to use your energy for others and when to focus on yourself. Creating a home with 7 people who have a different idea of what home itself is is a journey itself. Luckily mine was a rewarding one.

                                                               HOME 2019

Then there is my project, my initial reason for coming to Lisbon for a year, voluntary work in Spin association. I would again mention how glad I was to be able to help implement the training course ‘’From crisis to chance’’ . I loved spending this time with the people from around the world who dedicate their lives to helping people who have had rough experiences to not get stuck in them. We all go trough deep puddles in our lives, it’s important to come out of them and to support each other in that. 

I also managed to create some recipes for a food bank.

And thank you Lisbon for being so multifaceted! For the 10th generation Alfacinhas, for the people from Mozambique, for the ones from Brazil, Venezuela and everywhere else in the world who have come here for longer or shorter time. For all who I met! I hope the ones who came here to find luck will do so and the ones who want to go home can, in peace. Thanks Lisbon for being so traditional and stubborn and so fluid and liberal at the same time, for keeping me guessing. For having almost no rules and leaving so much room for humanly mistakes. For teaching me all the patience in the world to wait in lines. For the 300 days of sun I never had in a year. 

Thank you Portugal for the stunning coastline and big waves, for having the nature for me to explore! 

Now I feel that I am ready to go back home. 

Appreciating what I will leave here and what is waiting for me at home.

Beijnhos!