O testemunho No. 1 da Cynthia (Boutique da Cultura)

Today is my 20th day in Lisbon.
I still can't believe I am here.

Everything has been going super well so far. All the people I’ve met (other volunteers, ex-volunteer, members of my association) are super nice and I am very excited about those next 9 months! 

First of all, let me introduce myself. Hi! My name Is Cynthia and I am a 24 years old girl half French/half Portuguese! 

I decided to apply to this project because I just graduated with a master's in culture and communication and I didn’t want to start working in a company 8 hours per day behind a desk, sad and without purpose. I wanted more, I wanted to have a meaningful experience, explore the world and meet new people so this project was perfect! 

I started my project in Boutique Da Cultura 2 weeks ago and it’s going super great! I already went to the theater twice with my organization, once here in Carnide and once in Albergaria-a-Vehla.

For now, I am currently working at the Oficina Local in Carnide with Raquel and Joan who are super nice, and we are doing a lot of stuff like candlesticks, jewelry, toys for our Christmas Market which will take place on the 5th and 12th of December in front of the Boutique Da Cultura (you have to come!)

When I am not working, I love to have a walk in the city just to explore, eat Pastel de Nata and watch the sunset (from a miradouro or the beach of course) with my flatmates who quickly became my second family! When I was on the plane and then the taxi to go to the apartment, I was a little nervous to meet them but when I arrived, I saw a sign at the door that said ‘’Welcome to Casa Bernardim” with a drawing of 4 girls, balloons and hearts.

I immediately felt reassured, and I knew that everything would be fine. For the first night, we all had dinner together and talked about everything, it seemed like we had always known each other! Now it's almost a tradition we have dinner together at least once a week to chat and laugh about everything. I really enjoy living in this house with those wonderful girls who had each other's back.


I am so grateful to be here and can't wait to meet other people and learn new things.