O testemunho da Romane

If you ever had this little voice telling you to go away, don’t shut it down. I think I’ve had it my whole life, almost. As much as I am unconfident, I was sure of one thing: I wanted to go away. I couldn’t stand growing and staying in that same small town. Sometimes I wondered who the hell I thought I was to have such hopes and pretention. As if a shy girl like me, coming from a city that small, could do such thing. Really, who the hell did I thought I was? Well. Let me tell you this: do not listen to your own voice trying to put you down and fly away. Give it a chance, trust you, and set you free.

Everyone has a different background story with EVS. I’m part of the people who looked for a long time for a project. There could have been many, many other roads I would have taken, but I ended up here, in Lisbon. When my project started, I quickly switched from “why the hell am I doing this, again?” to “This is where I was supposed to be.” And after one year, I can tell I am still sure of it. Between everything, everywhere I could have been, this was the best.

I chose to volunteer at Boutique da Cultura in order to immerse myself in the cultural field and learn more about it. I’ve learnt much more than that. It was the perfect place. I’ve helped set up a stage and I played a librarian surrounded by strange magical animals in an enchanted world for two months. I’ve been managing a book store with my colleagues and I published a book, from the proofreading to the cover. I’ve been on festivals to sell the artists’ creation of Boutique and I learnt how to design a logo. I discovered a lot of things and had fun all the way. But what made this project truly amazing was the community of Boutique da Cultura. I have never seen such a tight and close group of people in any workplace or even association. Thanks to all the people there, the Incubadora de Artes is a place of joy and faith, where people support and help each other. I know that Boutique da Cultura is one unique place and I will never find a workplace like this. The trust and the kindness I received through all the year is one thing I will never forget. For this, muito obrigada a Boutique da Cultura.

Besides the project, EVS is a crazy, busy, incredible journey. I thought my life was busy in Paris, well, it was nothing to be compared to EVS life! First of all, travelling to Lisbon was not the last trip. My first adventure was when I crossed the river and went to Almada, I never thought I’d take a boat this year but soon it became almost a habit to visit my friends over there. I explored the coast of this side, I’ve been to Costa da Caparica, Seixal, Setubal, Troia, Praia da Figueirinha. I will miss a lot this part of Portugal where I’ve spent most of my summer. The beaches in this country are always breathtaking and one of my best memory takes place in Ferragudo, near Portimão, when I was lying on the sand, in front of the sea in a cave, watching the sunset. It was a calm and simple moment but it’s still there in me. Peaceful is one adjective that can apply to many of my most incredible experiences here. EVS gave me so many moments of serenity I will treasure. But it was also a lot of fun! Porto, Madeira and Figueira da Foz were incredible places I had the chance to visit and just thinking of it brings back all the cheerful moments I shared there with volunteers. EVS gives you the opportunity to travel more than you can think and really, never hesitate and go, those moments of freedom and joy are the ones that will remain.

Taking the boat was one surprising thing, but it was something I knew. However, what made this year this awesome was also all the little and new things I experienced in the daily life. Doing theatre in Portuguese on 10,5cm heels was certainly one of the most striking thing I lived at the beginning but it was far from being the last! I learnt how to surf and this was some of my childhood dream, coming from the seaside. The times I spent at Costa da Caparica are by far some of the best, it’s that magical place where you go and everything is fine because all that matter is you, living, in that very moment – which is a feeling I actually felt a lot during EVS. Very often, it happened with music, was it when I tried to play handpan surrounded by nature on the terrace of friends or when I’ve been for the first time to a real music festival, from day to night, ending up lying in front of the beach (again, yeah, EVS in Lisbon will always lead you to beaches). I also discovered the Portuguese-Brazilian music – and even weird international funny bands. Music events in Lisbon are countless and going to jam session became just a classic Wednesday night, as well as Outjazz festival on Sundays. On most unusual things, I scented a very surprising cinnamon tree and admired an incredible tree that was, I swear, gold. I've seen storks flying for the first time in my life – and it was beautiful – and I heard for the first time as well the birdsong of the peacock – it was not that beautiful. I spent nights trying to figure out some silly tricky games learnt during trainings – and now I got it, it’s my turn to trick people with it too, sorry.

I learnt Portuguese, mixed it with Italian, but I also discovered Armenian, memorized bad words in Dutch, tried to say few sentences in Polish and even learnt some things in some rare languages I will never use again in my life. I shared dinners and cooking recipes, tried new food from different countries. I have been in the mud, watching Portuguese people taking out some crustacean with the help of salt. I danced and I drew and I can swear I don’t know how to do any of these, but still I enjoyed it, and this is a first. All these little things, altogether, fulfilled my year. At the moment it might not have seen special but now I left, I remember all of it and it’s what made this EVS life a life of great new experiences and the most rich, intense and joyful year of my life so far. Some of it became soon part of my habits and made Lisbon a home for me and a place I’ll never forget. I never felt this alive than in this crazy year.

Mostly, EVS is crazy thanks to all the incredible people you meet. First of all, I never met that many people in my life! And the more people you meet… The smallest the world becomes, actually. Especially in Lisbon. You meet someone out of nowhere and you can be sure you’re somehow connected to that volunteer with other volunteers. It’s a funny thing that, always, always happen. I met volunteers out of EVS groups and discovered that they were friends with that other person I just met two days ago and who’s also a friend of a friend of mine. You can even meet people connected to people you know in your home country and that is absolutely mind blowing but… Almost normal in EVS, I might say. All this craziness of people can be overwhelming at the beginning but soon these people become your circle and you find your place. It’s where you belong. I was afraid of not meeting anyone I would go along with but one thing I learnt during this year is that you always find your people. Don’t fear that. No matter where you go, even if that’s just one or two people, you will find someone to get along with. I met many amazing people there and all the fantastic stories we shared are such an inspiration. Might have it been just one night of talking, some of the experiences I heard will grow on me and I’ve learnt a lot through it. I am so grateful for all the kindness, the energy, laughs, experiences I shared and had there with everyone I met. I am more confident to meet people and it gave me an inestimable faith. So, to every people I met here, thank you so, so much. You made this year incredibly special and it gives me the strength to go further. Hopefully, we’ll meet again.

So, don’t fear to go. If there’s one thing you must fear when going abroad, it’s to go back, that’s the real struggle. But for now, if there’s ever this little voice whispering to you to fly away, listen to it. I swear it’s that one life experience you’ve been waiting for.

O testemunho do Fran

The people over at Spin asked me to write a blog post to “to share my personal experience with others, as this might help them be aware of the program and get involved”. So I was thinking about what to write about to make you, the reader, involved in an EVS. There were so many topics that came into my mind; I could write about my personal experience, I could write about what EVS consists of, I could describe Lisbon and living in Lisbon, volunteer life, what it feels to leave your hometown for a new place abroad or I could even have the audacity to tell you what to do with your life; do this or do that, how dare you not do this or how dare you not do that! But I will not write about these things. I feel other volunteers have written about all these in a manner and fashion (and enthusiasm) I could not dream of matching. There isn’t much of a point in adding one more to the tens of similar posts in this blog. Scroll down (or up) if reading about the aforementioned topics is what you seek.

But, I have to write about something, therefore I would like to give you a small piece of advice. I strongly recommend you, volunteer in potency, to do your research before joining an EVS. Before engaging in a project like an EVS, which usually implies having to move far away from your house for at least 3 months and up to a whole year, try to understand what becoming a volunteer implies. Get a clear understanding of conditions, tasks, responsibilities and expectations (both yours and from the people you’ll be working with). Go through any information available about the project you are applying for and talk to the people working there to inquire about any doubt you may have. If there were any older volunteers contact them to get a clearer image of the whole picture. Doing and EVS can be a good decision, but shouldn’t be a lighthearted one. 

I might have made it look a wee bit grim, didn’t I? But dread not. I did not mean to scare anybody. In fact, I hope the opposite! EVS is (or at least, can be) such a wonderful experience in one’s lifetime that it is a pity when people do one without really knowing what they were up for and end up having a subpar experience because of this. 

The bottom line is; EVS can be a great option but get to know where you getting in before doing one. If you are interested in doing one, do your research. If you feel the whole thing fits you and what you want to do, go for it! 

Anyway, here goes the third picture.

O testemunho da Maria

Um ano da vida só parece muito antes de começar. Depois passa em piscar de olhos. A minha experiência SVE está quase a acabar. Valeu a pena? Valeu! 

Antes de chegar ao Portugal, o meu estado podia ser descrito pela letra da música de Peggy Lee “Is that all there is?”

Tinha um bom trabalho, um namorado, uma casa, amigos, mas sentia-me como se constantemente remasse contra a maré. Então, a vida adulta é isso? – perguntava a mim mesma e ficava cada vez mais frustrada. 

Depois vim a Lisboa e... mudou tudo. 

No primeiro momento o sentimento foi de pura felicidade: “O meu Deus, estou aqui, na minha querida cidade de Lisboa!” Foi o sentimento de liberdade, de possibilidades sem fim. Ainda não havia rotina, podia moldar os dias duma forma completamente diferente e conforme as minhas necessidades. 

No segundo momento dei-me conta como mudou a minha atitude em relação às pessoas. A irritação foi substituida pela curiosidade. Não conhecendo todos os códigos culturais, deixei de julgar as pessoas que encontrava na rua, nos meios de transporte, no trabalho. Eram apenas seres humanos, diferentes de mim e por isso interessantes. O meio social, educação, convicções, tudo isso deixou de ter qualquer importância. 

A partir do terceiro momento começou a aprendizagem à sério. Houve altos e baixos, mas sabia que, como cantou Gloria Gaynor, “I will survive”.

Havia momentos quando senti-me mal psicologicamente e fisicamente (malditas mal aquecidas casas portuguesas!). Havia momentos quando voltava da Junta com dores de cabeça de tanto me esforçar para acompanhar longas reuniões sobre assuntos até então desconhecidos. Havia momentos nos quais questionava as minhas maneiras de trabalhar, que até então tinham funcionado para mim, mas neste novo contexto estavam inúteis. E os momentos mais frustrantes eram aqueles em que sentia- me incapaz de me expressar plenamente. A solidão, o sentimento da isolação, a superficialidade de contatos, tudo isso faz parte da experiência SVE. E tem também as suas consequências físicas. A maioria dos voluntários ao passar pela inevitável crise psicológica, luta também contra o seu próprio corpo (que reage duma forma violenta contra as mudanças do clima, novos habitos alimentares, etc.) 

Felizmente a experiência SVE não é só doenças e mal estar. O corpo cura com o tempo à medida que se descobre novos modos de pensar, novas maneiras de resolver problemas, de trabalhar, de se comunicar e, pouco a pouco, cria-se novos laços, novas amizades, novos costumes. 

Quais então são as minhas conquistas deste ano? Tendo como coordenador o Eduardo, Técnico do Gabinete de Desporto e Juventude, sempre cheio de trabalho, decidi ser a mais independente possível. E isso soube-me muito bem. Criou-se entre nós um sentimento de confiança, do reconhecimento, do entendimento que fez me acreditar mais em mim própria e enfrentar com sucesso os novos desafios. O Eduardo reconheceu logo a minha área de interesse e estimulou o meu desenvolvimento. Ao mesmo tempo dou-me muita liberdade que fez o processo de aprendizagem muito mais agradável. Graças a sua atitude não tinha medo de cometer erros e propor coisas que, provavelmente, muitas vezes não faziam muito sentido. 

Os meus problemas com a coluna passaram a ser mais uma lição. Ao acabar o meu SVE vou a ginásio pelo menos 3 vezes por semana e faço regularmente exercícios em casa. Descobri também meditação que ajudou-me imenso em lidar com o estresse e pus todas as experiências numa perspectiva. Volto a Polónia mais calma, mais independente, mais contente comigo mesma e mais em paz com o mundo ao redor. Volto como um “vencedor”. ;)

Neste textinho falei só de mim mesma, mas o SVE não é uma experiência solidária, muito pelo contrário. São as pessoas de cá (outros voluntários, mentores, coordenadores, a equipa da Spin, a equipa da Junta de Freguesia, moradores de Carnide, treinadores de cursos de chagada e mid-term, desconhecidos encontrados aqui e ali – dezenas de nomes que eu não vou enumerar por ter medo de me esquecer de alguém) que me apoiaram neste processo de descobreta e de autoconhecimento. Sem cada um de vocês, a minha experiência não seria tão enriquecedora. À todos que encontrei pelo caminho dedico esta famosissima canção polaca de Czesław Niemen “Sen o Warszawie/Sonho sobreVarsóvia”. Obrigada por terem-me acolhido. Agora é a vossa vez! Venham a minha terra, estou lá a vossa espera!

Tradução: 

“Sonho sobre Varsóvia” 

(…) Se quiseres ver 

Vístula ao nascer do sol, 

Parte comigo hoje para lá. 

Vais ver com os teus olhos 

como Varsóvia 

nos acolherá. 

Eu como tu, 

Tenho a minha cidade, e nela 

O meu mundo mais belo, 

Os dias mais bonitos, 

Deixei ali os meus sonhos coloridos (...).

O testemunho da Roberta

It’s already my 10th month here in Lisbon. My heart is full of emotions, someone already left, someone else is almost leaving, but right now I’m pretty sure to be in the right place to grow up in different ways. Volunteering in the Junta de Freguesia de Carnide is allowing me to discover what I really want to do in my life. Volunteering at Junta de Freguesia means that you pass through really different kind of works. What we prepared, and planned during autumn and winter became “real” starting from Spring. We realized many many projects and events in different neighborhoods that belong to Carnide, in partnership with other organizations of the area, and always with the involvement of the whole community.

For example, we organized 3 community moments, the “Dia do Vizinho” to celebrate one simple thing: relations between people. Each day of the “Dia do vizinho” took place in 3 different neighborhoods. In all these three moments we worked in synergy with a lot of association with theatre shows, traditional dances, children activities, sports activities and of course traditional foods! We also had an event for children and families, “Feira de Expressões”, making sure they were having a lot of fun, while wearing traditional and also mascots costume (You can’t imagine how much you can learn being a mascot, giving love and hugs to children). We realized four different “Caminhadas solidárias”-solidarity walks- to promote a healthy life style with a 4 km footpath in Carnide area and to involve participants in solidarity actions. During the organization of events, we ask for the participation of inhabitants and for the participation of all the entities. In august we realized the "Festa do Migrante", to involve all the different cultures present in a same neighborhood . During reunions with our partners we collect experiences to understand potentialities, necessities and to find strategies to motivate all the people to participate, with the collaboration of each organization/association of the Freguesia. We try to give education of citizenship, articulate plans and dynamics to create contacts. We created moments of sharing, moments of solidarity. Each action is a participative action based on cooperative and social responsibility for a sustainable development to support social programs in different areas and make impact in the quality life of the community.

I received a lot of trainings in the social area, having formal meetings with some social assistants, psychologists. You never stop learning in Carnide! I’ve been also mentor in the “Animações de verão o”, a program organized by JFC for children and young to pass summer days having fun at the beach, swimming pool, radical activities, parks, museums. I realized how much important is playing games in our life. You learn how to work in teams, you better know yourself and the others and all of this having so much fun! All of this working side by side with my tutor, who is also a Social Assistant. There is one day per week where we give free social care to people of Carnide area, providing people with bad living and/or working conditions, people who suffer of isolation, with information that helps them to get out of a sticky situation, and get back to being themselves.

Even if sometimes can be really frustrating to be in this role, my tutor has been there for me every day, I never felt alone, she gave me a strong basis of formation in each area, she explained me since the beginning what seemed to be simple for everybody and for me was really difficult to understand due to differences in the language, in the culture and in the organization. She gives me daily support, she gives me a hug when I need and some strict rules when necessary 😊 We create a great relationship to work together and to spend a lot of hours together making fun also in demanding situations.

Also, I really like being in such a collaborative environment with people who also care about people wellness. All the workers in Carnide do such a challenging work that to achieve important things for the sake of the community, they never stop to give me support, to smile every day, and a nice environment where to learn, and having fun at the same time. I learnt from all of them the power of values such as the community responsibility, solidarity, involvement of the community, participation, perseverance.

But EVS is much more, EVS is full of experiences. I met wonderful people thanks to my project, and thanks to Spin. I feel lucky to have met these wonderful people that shared their stories with me. We visited together so many beautiful places, and travelling around helped us to deeply know each other, to build a strong friendship that won’t end with the end of the EVS, because you can’t forget who you share this wonderful experience with. The EVS is a self-growth learning phase, and a way to deeply meet diverse cultures, a way to build bridges. EVS experience, with its ups and downs has been a great challenge and an amazing opportunity to expanding my roots as a bridge from one side to another, trying to embrace two different cultures, to accept differences and leaving those differences. It helps you learn to look things from a distinct perspective, choosing to see those differences to learn. EVS offers to aid you in finding how you can contribute in making the world a better place. And of course, thanks to the great “Associação Spin” for helping and making my year a wonderful year 😊 

Roberta

My first SVE month in Lisbon

Almost one month since I am here. 

Time passed by so fast, and I've been doing so much that I could hardly sleep. No, it's not all about work, even though I felt really commited to my project.

What I can already say is: this is so challenging and exciting. I am now working in the organisation of cultural events and activities. It looks like something I was born for. I am feeling home and I am in touch with people from several other countries.

I speak portuguese quite well, but an intermediate/advanced level course has been set up and I really want to attend in order to learn more and more and improve my working skills. Lisbon is a great place, the weather is amazing, the views are stunning, the sea is freezing. It is definitely the place where you can say "summertime, and the living is easy". 

Im not going into more worke details, 'cause I have just started and I feel like there is still so much to know before I ll be able to depict my experience properly. But I have to be honest: I am full of energy and my team is great, I feel unstoppable and I am sure the best is yet to come!

Paolo