O testemunho No. 2 da Silvia (Bola p'ra frente)

Hey, Silvia’s back!

Now it’s almost 6 months I am here in Lisbon... WOW! So many things has happened...

But First I want to start with a question my flatemate asked me yesterday: A year ago would you have expected to be at this point of your life now? NO. I decided exactly one year ago that I wanted to do this experience, but I would have never imagined it would have been so fulfilling and enriching. Lisbon teaches me how to enjoy the moment without stressing out about the future or the past: just let life flow. Even when there is no plans, this city is so lively that you will never feel bored or lonely.

I look back at the pictures and at all the moments I have been living in the past few months and it seems like years has passed from when I arrived in November. There has been ups and downs, like the streets of this city, but after a steep road, you know that there will always be a wonderful landscape and miradouro waiting for you. Maybe you will make an effort at the beginning but then this city will marvel you with its beauty. 

One of the beauties of Lisbon are the people... because here you can meet the world, it’s like traveling without traveling ahahahh. I’ve discovered a lot of cultures, languages and traditions. I had the chance to meet people from different parts of the world, and besides the cultural differences, it felt like what connects us it’s more than what divides us. I am glad for every single wonderful soul I had the chance to meet here.

Last but not least, my project: from February and March I’ve started to get more confidence with portuguese, so also with kids and youngsters. With the help of some collegues I’ve started to teach english, always trying  to find funny activities and games, in order to learn by having fun. Moreover, I am everyday helping and supporting more and more the team. 

I am very grateful for the chance of living this experience and I can’t wait for what I am still going to learn and encounter on my path here in Lisbon.

Até à proxima!

O testemunho final da Miriam (Viver Telheiras)

 

A couple of weeks ago, I said goodbye to the office, to my tutor and to the amazing team of the Associação Viver Telheiras. Leaving my key in the key stand on my last day was an emotional moment that all of a sudden took me back in time to one year ago when this experience had just begun and little did I know that I would have become a Telheirense by adoption. 

It has been maybe the most fulfilling year of my life, full of personal growth, healing, beers with amazing landscapes and friends. I am forever grateful for the chance I had to do my ESC in Lisbon; grateful for the experiences I lived, the skills I learned, and all the people I met here. 

I am thrilled by the fact that I decided to stay in Lisbon some more time and I challenged myself to continue supporting my community in Telheiras as a personal volunteering project. Volunteering at Viver Telheiras taught me that people’s daily involvement in society is real and satisfying, that neighbours can join and create something amazing for their community; that interaction and cooperation with the authorities are possible; that change is possible.

After one year, I can really say that ESC changes lives, it broadens your horizons and offers new perspectives to look at the world around you, As I said in my very first testimony, when I arrived in Lisbon, it felt like I belonged here. Antonio Tabucchi, “the most Portuguese of Italian writers”, wrote in one of his books about travelling in Portugal that a “place is never just a place”, somehow, unknowingly, that place is part of us, we were carrying it around, until when, one day, we arrived there, by chance.

You know, I am not really sure I arrived here by chance, but maybe it’s true, I was carrying this country in my heart until the moment I set foot here and who knows this will be my place still for a long time. Obrigada, ESC. Um brinde à vida, um brinde a Lisboa, um brinde à Europa!

O testemunho da Clara No. 2 (SPEAK)

Lockdown in Lisbon – not bad after all. 

When people tell you that time flies, you should believe them. I arrived in November and, in a few days, I will start my sixth month here in Portugal.

These last months have been intense. Despite the lockdown and the strict restrictions, I tried to keep a positive attitude and to get the best of this experience. I had the chance to spend more time with my flatmates and to strengthen our bonds. We managed to create a very good environment which is fundamental when you share a flat (especially if you spend most of your time at home). We developed our cooking skills, started training together, and enjoyed the sun on our ‘patio’.

Besides that, I continued working daily within the project framework. After the first months at SPEAK, I decided to become a BUDDY and to start sharing Italian leading a language group. This was quite a challenge, since I have never taught my mother tongue language and, above all, I have never led an online language group. Challenging myself was fun. I enjoyed my time with participants, and I believe that, later, I will have the chance to meet them in person as well. Moreover, being a BUDDY made me realize even better the mission of SPEAK, why it exists and why its work is so fundamental for newcomers and migrants. 

I am very satisfied with my project. I like the fact that I have been involved in every activity of my department and that I feel like a member of the team. SPEAK central team is very active and always proposing interesting activities. These are very useful not only for the workflow and the objectives of the organization. They also aim to the development of personal skills. Some highlights: a training on design thinking and creativity and a diversity journey, where to reflect on topics such as integration and inclusion. I am looking forward to the upcoming months and tasks. 

Finally, after five months of work, I decided to take a break and to have a “taste of summer”. Indeed, last week I decided to leave the capital and reach the south of Portugal – the well-known ‘Algarve’. Together with some other volunteers, we decided to join a ‘work away’ project. I am very grateful for these days. Spending some time detached from the screen, doing manual works, connected with nature and living the communitarian life for a week was a great relief. I loved paintings walls while singing and getting to know better the other volunteers. A good experience that I will certainly repeat later on in my life.

Full of positive and good energy I am now back in the city, ready for the ‘desconfinamento’ and ready to experience Lisbon.

The small takeaway of these months: Be patient, enjoy the little things and carpe diem.