O Testemunho da Inka

Now that I’m halfway through my volunteering project in Lisbon, it feels strange to realize how quickly time has passed. When I first arrived, everything felt new and unfamiliar. The city, the routines, the language, even the everyday rhythm of life here. Now, after a few months, Lisbon has started to feel a little more familiar.

At the same time, life here continues to teach me new things. One of the biggest adjustments has been sharing a house with more people. When I first arrived, there were only five of us living together, but now the house is full, with eight people in total. Living with roommates from different backgrounds can be both fun and challenging, and it has taught me a lot about communication, patience and compromise. There are naturally moments when things feel overwhelming, and living abroad also comes with periods of homesickness, lower motivation, or simply feeling tired from constantly adapting to a different environment and routine. However, I think these experiences are also an important part of growing, learning to live independently, and understanding myself better.

Another thing that continues to surprise me is the climate. Coming from Finland, I am still not fully used to how early warm weather arrives here. Even during spring, there have already been days that felt like summer to me. It is funny to hear people here describe the weather as “not that hot yet” while I am already searching for shade and carrying sunscreen with me everywhere. At the same time, temperatures around 20 degrees that used to feel pleasantly warm now suddenly feel quite chilly! Adjusting to the climate has definitely been an experience of its own, and I think conquering the summer heat might be my biggest challenge yet.

The international aspect of the project has probably been one of the most valuable things for me. Meeting people from different countries and backgrounds has given me new perspectives and helped me become more open-minded and empathetic. I’ve had many interesting and important conversations about culture, identity, future plans, and everyday life in different countries.

Now that my project is at its halfway point, I feel much more settled and confident than I did at the beginning. At the same time, it already feels a little bittersweet knowing that this experience is temporary. I still want to make the most out of the remaining months: explore more places, improve my routines, and continue growing both personally and professionally.

Even though there’s still time left, I can already say that this experience has changed me in many ways, and I’m really grateful that I decided to take this opportunity.