O testemunho No.1 da Alice (Crescer a Cores)

 

I arrived in Lisbon on September 7th. I remember that the first week here was very difficult: I was confused and disoriented, I didn’t really know why I had decided to leave and abandon my comfort zone, and I was scared of not finding anyone I could truly connect with and of being in a place I didn’t consider my home.

Little by little, however, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and met many wonderful people. I created my own group of friends to go out and have fun with, and together we try to see as many places in Portugal as possible. I’ve visited cities like Porto and Braga, I went to the Azores, and I did a two-day hike in the Algarve.

Beyond all this, I now consider them an integral part of this experience, and without them, being here wouldn’t be the same.

As for my project, I work in a nursery school called “Crescer a Cores.” When I arrived, I didn’t have many expectations about the service or the educational staff, but after these first months here, I can absolutely say that it is one of the most welcoming and stimulating places I have ever worked in.

Everyone speaks Portuguese, and I am slowly trying to learn it. Despite this language barrier, the educators are all so kind and have always tried in every way to make me feel like part of their family (because it truly feels like one). I remember that during one of my first weeks here, a colleague announced that she was pregnant and told me as if I were an old friend. She hugged me as if she had known me for a lifetime, and that was one of the first moments when I realized that the people there are truly special. It’s a place where you can feel such a strong sense of family that it makes me forget I am far from Italy.

To sum up these first months in Lisbon, I can definitely say that I feel really good, free, and light. I can’t wait to discover what the future holds for this experience.