O testemunho No. 3 da Katia (Associacao Spin)

 

With simultaneous rain and sun and hazelnut breakfasts my European Solidarity Corps in Spin Association is coming to and end with all its endeavours and smiles. And what a nice experience it has been to be part of the Spin team for the last 10 months, with its online meeting, park  language classes, welcome lunches in the office, working from home and all that comes with. Now I feel free and ready for the next steps, next continuations and I'm happy for deciding to stay in Lisboa for yet a while. So this is more of a transition than an end, all though it marks a goodbye to some daily activities and routines, some collaborations and activities which I will miss dearly. 

Almost nine months past and what an incredible experience this has been. I could never expect to do all of these things. i especially thankful for all the wonderful people ive gotten to know or crossed path swith in these past months. I’ve definatly made som friendships for life. Especially it feels very heavy to break up the Spin family.

For me one of the most important things has been to aquire a new language. Im in love with exploring portugese and the poetry of this language.

Going around and holding presentations in schools have teached me how to be somewhat more relaxed about this. It’s definately something I will use later in life.

I’m happy to have thrown out many ideas to spin for the growth of the assosiation. even if most of these will probably not come into life, at least now the hostel has green sprouts, fresh vegetables and water kefir.

Im going to miss you Portugal, and especially all your delicious pastries! 

Allthough not all of my expectations has come true, there are no sprouts, I never went to any schools and the kefir grains fermented their ways to other places, these spring thoughts are still somehow true and can stand for their own. 

Hope to see you soon!

O testemunho da Katia No. 2 (Associação Spin)

Months pass by and I’m halfway in my ESC in Lisboa. Covid-19 have reduced my tasks as a volunteer to receiving

email and sending emails, mostly prefabricated, weekly meetings in enjoyable green areas of the city and the occasional creation of web-based content. Summer has almost certainly played its role in this aswell. This means that I have had more time for new experiences and activities outside of Spin’s office hours, which I’m very grateful for. I’m trying to avoid touristic activities, as this has more clearly than ever shown itself an unsustainable form of transactions, but I’ve had some nights under the moonlight with sand between my feet. Another learning has been to seek out and support splaces that show solidarity and generousity in their doings. Lisbon has quite a good network of solidarity centers and many warm individuals that burn for this! 

Doing right things is increasingly tiering in this setting though, as resting in a restless place is difficult. My dreams and expectations for the last part of my ESC here in Lisbon is to have a small mobile place for resting my neck. Let’s see how it goes!  

O testemunho do Katia No. 1 (Associação Spin)

Calamity

As the international mobility and international crisis might not go so well in hand, the european solidarity corps troops closes its doors and opens its laptops to enter into the phase of teletrabalho. I sit in the dirty streets watching the occasional tourist throwing coins into a bucket attached to a string from some balcony where three rugged musicians are playing fado-punk. (I guess street musicians are technically always doing teletrabalho, if they live on the streets?). In this calamity it is easy to overlook the beauty of the houses of Lisboa, with colourful mosaique tiles uniting to stand out in their identicality. I guess soon many will be full with people, pasta and toilet paper, and others remain empty as the air between the hanging bucket and the street.

I walk towards the green metro line. I think about the difficulty I have of separating utility fromfutility, and I worry about staying in the comfort zones of passivity. As a volunteer I am helping in the preparation for the Live it Lisbon summer school which will bring together people from all over the world for community work, cooking and learning portugese, in addition to all the little gestures that happen when making a group. Stroking her hair behind her ear, stretching an arm out to pat him on the back, shy smiles aimed at the one next to you. Hoping all these gesures will happen, I look out to the underground passing through Roma, the platform almost empty. Since I don’t take so many pictures, I give you this list instead of suggestions of things to do inside your house:

- watch lifehacks videos and try out as much as possible

- write long letters and spray them with desinfectant

- meditate

- learn how to make infographics

- read portugese books

- play solitary

- grow sprouts

- take and old t-shirt and cut it into reusable toilet paper