O testemunho da Niki (Associacao Spin)

I spent almost 10 months in Portugal instead of the original 9 months because I managed to extend my project. I am delighted that, thanks to this possibility, I could enjoy more time with my friends, whom I found through volunteering and active social life in Lisbon.

I've experienced a lot here. NGO environment, parties, entertainment, evenings next to the river and long night talks, trips, language exchanges, jam sessions, walks around city and parks, cooking dinner together with friends, feeling of happiness, love and coherence.

I also experienced how the Portuguese bureaucracy and health system are not working, unpleasant people, a bad mornings in which I did not even want to get out of bed. Ups and downs.

But I would never have experienced all this without ESC. And I'm grateful for that. For all the positives and negatives that Lisbon has brought me.

And I will have my closest friends and Lisbon forever in my heart. Well, thank you Portugal.

Let's go to start a new chapter.

Niki’s testimony No.2

t’s already 4,5months. Exactly half of the project. Time flies so fast. When I’m thinking about it, I still feel, we are just in the beginning. Actually, before, at home, 9 months looked like a long time and now it’s opposite. I feel like, it’s not enough time for everything.

But, at least we are trying! We are traveling, visiting new places, enjoying time with our new friends, meeting even more amazing and interesting people, trying new food, new hobbies, and gaining a lot of new skills…

It seems to me that we live in a bubble, but, I have to say, I don’t mind at all. I found people in whose company I feel good, whether at home or at work. The only sad moment is when some of them leave. It has already happened. And we will leave also, but it’s not our time yet! 🙂 Now is the time to look forward to more experiences and trips. We go to Madeira, to the Azores, to Spain, we have a lot of fun, we spend evenings by the river with a bottle of wine and we talk a lot. About everything. About life, about love, about joy or problems.  After 4,5 months I feel, like I know some of my new friends few years.

At work I spend time with almost the same people. We mostly work in the office or in the hostel. I can say that at 80% I do exactly what I enjoy – graphics, social media, new blog, articles … and other things such as a summer project cooking workshop … at least I know how to prepare my favorite Slovak food now :D.

So, I still think it was a good choice to come to Portugal and to this project. Many things are very good here, many no, but at least now I appreciate more things in my country. And that’s also very important. And I also appreciate every single Slovak or Czech person I meet here, because I miss my language a lot. Unfortunately, I can count them on the fingers of one hand 😀 Let’s see what time will bring next months.

O testimunho da Barbára

Estou há pouco mais de um mês na Bratislava e minha experiência de voluntariado tem sido incrível! No meu caso, tenho desempenhado tarefas variadas o que ajuda a semana a ser mais dinâmica e nem um pouco maçante: até agora para além das atividades do dia-a-dia, tivemos a chance de ir falar com jovens do high school sobre as oportunidades de Erasmus em uma cidade pequena, próximo à fronteira com a Hungria.

Para além da atividade em sala de aula onde começamos a quebrar o gelo e explicamos os programas de ESC e Youth Exchange, levamos os alunos para fora para conduzir uma atividade mais dinâmica e descontraída e que prezasse pelo maior envolvimento dos mesmos.

Ter estado nesta cidade e conhecido esses jovens me fez descobrir diversas questões sobretudo históricas e culturais sobre esta parte da Eslováquia, para além de ser bom ter um dia de atividades produtivas fora do escritório e conhecer uma nova localidade.

Nas semanas seguintes, ingressei em atividades promovidas também fora do escritório. Junto do Career Center, participo de um workshop de aconselhamento profissional voltado a imigrantes em um centro comunitário da Mareena, onde consigo obter não apenas uma perspectiva sobre o mercado de trabalho local mas também ouvir sobre a história de colegas de outros países que buscam a inserção no mercado de trabalho eslovaco.

Na European Youth Week nós estivemos em um festival na beira do Danúbio com um stand junto de outras organizações para falar com as pessoas acerca das oportunidades de voluntariado, Trainee e Youth Exchange e foi um momento muito interessante onde pude conhecer pessoas trabalhando com a temática e descobrir um pouco mais sobre outras organizações e até mesmo as outras pessoas do stand, visto que eram de pontos distintos da Eslováquia e me ensinaram coisas sobre o país além de darem dicas de localidades para visitação.

Recentemente estivemos também em uma feira para promover as atividades e oportunidades para jovens sob a égide do programa Erasmus + onde pudemos conversar com pessoas de idades variadas e explicar o passo-a-passo para os interessados. Ter contato constante com as pessoas traz uma nova ótica sobre todo o processo e tem sido enriquecedor em muitos níveis!

O testimunho da Nikoleta

Hi, I´m Niki, and I´m from small town in the south of Slovakia. I´m doing my 9 months ESC project at SPIN from first of March 2019.

But how this all happened?

In my third year of University my roommate showed me projects and some Slovak asociations with words: “Look, I’ve never tried this, but it looks cool, this is a great option – we can go, learn a lot and travel all around a Europe and it is almost for free.” I was almost sure, it’s not true, that couldn’t be real. 

Why someone offers to young people chance to travel around the Europe almost for free?

Yes, of course I skipped this option. Maybe I was too scared, maybe too lazy and I felt so good in my bubble. Safe one. You all know this feeling. You wake up every morning same bed, same food, same people around you, same school, after school gym, friends, family, just regular life.You know what to expect. Every single morning. Yes, for some of you it is scary. Now, I feel the same, but it was hard to change this stereotype.

I don't know exactly what happened me to, but one day after my bachelor degree I woke up and decided to move for few months to Netherland. We worked there hard in meet factory and I was sure, this is not what I want. This experience changed me a lot and my master degree was totally different... I was on my first Erasmus + youth exchange project, moved to Prague, did my Erasmus, my internship and travelled a lot – thanks to the person who supported me and always stayed by my side. Then one day, after my studies I found nice job in Prague, with amazing people around, but I still missed something. I missed new challenges, intercultural environment, different traditions, traveling…

And that was the reason why I decided to find ESC. Yes, I had some favorite countries… but Portugal just happened. I was searching more than 1 year, and I really wanted to work in position connected with marketing. I love what I studied, and I was also working on this position. And than I found this project – work for SPIN – marketing, graphic design, propagation, project coordination… I was sure. YES! It is this one!

Leaving Prague was a difficult moment in my life. I have been talking about this step for many months. My family thought it is just my crazy dreaming, I am so glad it wasn’t!

I felt positive energy and friendly environment from first contact – Skype interview with Ines, and this feelings are still the same, maybe even deeper. 

I came here only few weeks ago, and Lisbon is for next 9 months my home, volunteers from all around the Europe my family. I live in shared flat with them. Our flat is full of posters, marks, links, pictures from previous volunteers and in the air I feel something what makes me feel at home.

I didn’t know very much about Portugal, about Lisbon or people of Portugal. I´ve never expected that I will live here once. But, now I am here, and I have 9 months to explore all country around, help to Spin with their projects, realize my own ideas, find good friends and find myself. 

Lisbon, here I am, and I am ready for you!