O testemunho No.1 da Gohar

 

Finally made it to Lisbon! 

My journey with SPIN started a few months ago when I first applied for a volunteering opportunity. I was thrilled to be selected, but life had other plans, and I couldn’t join at the time. Luckily, a second chance came knocking just two months later and this time, I was all in!

For me, this adventure was all about stepping out of my comfort zone. As an introvert, it was a bold move to say yes to something so different, but I wanted to challenge myself, grow, and pick up new skills along the way.

Now... let’s talk about getting to Portugal, because WOW, that was a journey in itself!

It started with a visa process that tested all my patience. It took nearly two months to get approved, and just when I thought the hard part was over, chaos hit again. I was supposed to arrive in Lisbon, enjoy a concert on April 30, and start my volunteering project with SPIN on May 1. Instead, my flight got caught up in a massive power outage, leading to cancellations, rebookings, and SPOILER ALERT!!! I missed the concert and arrived five days late.

Despite the rocky start, I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I got from the SPIN team, especially Catarina, who was incredibly kind and kept me going through it all. And my fellow volunteers? Absolute gems! Each of them brings something special to the table, and it already feels like a little community.

Now that I’m finally here, I’m hoping for smoother days ahead. I’m excited to dive deeper into the project, soak up the experience, and make the most of this amazing opportunity.

O testemunho do Tiago (Union Plaani ry)

A minha experiência com o ESC foi, genuinamente, a melhor coisa que já fiz na vida. Heinola foi a melhor casa que podia ter pedido e é uma comunidade onde o desporto juvenil tem um papel fundamental.

Como parte do voluntariado, tive oportunidade de trabalhar de várias maneiras dentro do Union Plaani. Atuei como monitor de campos de férias de futebol e de outros desportos variados, desempenhei o papel de treinador adjunto de uma equipa de sub-14, ajudei com a logística nos dias de jogo da equipa principal, participei de programas de futebol depois da escola nas várias escolas da cidade, entre outras pequenas funções variadas.

O ambiente foi, durante todos os quatro meses, fantástico. Tanto o staff do clube como os meus colegas voluntários foram o mais acolhedores possível, nunca tinha experienciado tanta bondade de tantas pessoas ao mesmo tempo. Saí de lá com imensa vontade de voltar.

Para além do bom ambiente em Heinola, tivemos também uma boa quantidade de tempo livre que utilizámos para viajar no norte da Europa. Fomos à Lapónia, Suécia, Estónia e Letónia.

 

O testemunho no. 2 da Julia (SPIN)

 Hello, I’m Julia, and welcome to my second testimony.

I know that you had to wait for a while to see it finally, but to be completely honest, writing this was super difficult for me. I found it super hard to summarize all these experiences in just a couple of sentences. Every time I was starting writing this I was in a different mood and another big feeling in my heart that I wanted to express. 

Sometimes, I wanted to write how heartbroken I get whenever I have to say goodbye to someone too soon. At some point in my volunteering time, I turned from newcomer to one of the oldest volunteers, and that means that in the meantime a lot of people finished their projects and left Portugal(luckily some stayed also). Recovery doesn’t come this instant. After a hard period of grieving, you begin to feel happy for them- happy that they figured the next step on their path of life, but you still let yourself miss them sometimes, and hope to see them anytime soon. 

Sometimes, I wanted to write how happy I feel for taking part in my association daily life and being a volunteer, connecting with people, and discovering the strength of the volunteer community. I am really glad about this, it was something I truly wanted to do and since day one I knew that it was a good choice. 

Sometimes, how scared I am to miss a thing because time is relentless and passing fast, and you always want to get more and more out of this experience, because you know that before you notice it’s going to be over. But then what you also realize is that being chill, warm and cozy is a very pleasant part of it.

And sometimes, how blessed I feel to live in a climate with weather that allows you to spend time outdoors during wintertime. I even managed to throw my birthday party in the park in November, take on the most cycling in January, not to forget swimming in the sea on the 31st of December!. As a person coming from Poland, where none of those things are possible in this period because of the freezing cold, I really appreciate it.

All-time I wanted to write about amazing people that feel like home to me and the big city that very often feels like a small village.

About how grateful I am for all the expected and unexpected. All the cheers, laughs, meetings, festivals, gatherings, coffees, beers, dinners, random meetings on the street, breakfasts, sunsets, visits, smiles, sunrises, lunches, trips, DJ sets, jam sessions, walks, hangouts, concerts, hikes, parties, games, workshops, after dinners, street parties, dances and anything else there is, all the magic that happened and all the magic that will happen.

And for the beaches, I’m very thankful for the sea, the sun, and the beaches. And for all the love and all the hugs. I’m very thankful for way too long hugs.

O testemunho No. 1 do Ertuğrul (SPEAK)

 Pôr do sol ☀️

With the sunrise in the morning, I rose to the sky. I got lost in the clouds with a metal bird which was the most beautiful proof of mankind's love for the sky and flying for centuries. After 5 hours, as the sun was setting, I came back to earth from the sky. Later, at the airport, I was greeted by a flatmate that I had never seen before, but she was friendly as if we had known each other for years. The adventure that I started in the sky continued into the underground. It seems that mankind got bored of its love for the sky, and put a metal snake underground. After passing through dark tunnels and a few stations the names of I didn’t know, I got off at the station called Marques de Pombal and reached the earth again. 

I got lost in the streets of this city, which was designed for me to lose the weight I gained during the corona time, with the sounds of the wheel of my luggage. While looking around like a curious child, I followed my flatmate. From the very first day, Lisbon thought me that once I go down to a hill, I have to climb back up over and over again. Just like that, I reached my new home, the Casa de Bernardim, and what actually made me feel like home were my new flatmates, who always had smiles on their faces. After a couple of days past another flatmate arrived from away. Then my roommate arrived and he was late because he came from farther away. Finally, the Casa Bernardim family was completed.

Since I had a couple of free weeks before my welcome day with my coordinating and hosting organizations, I started exploring the city of Lisbon with its ups and downs. I walked and walked, sometimes I got lost by chance and sometimes I wanted to get lost discover something new. After climbing the slopes and steps to watch the sunset at the beautiful “Miradouro’s”, this fairy-tale city taught me that “to see beautiful things, we have to go for it even tho sometimes it's hard and we can be sure that it will always worth it.

Finally, I met with the Spin team at the welcome day and also with the SPEAK organization that I volunteer at and after I met with my coordinators and other colleagues at SPEAK. The SPEAK office has a great atmosphere. I felt welcomed and motivated about my project. The purpose of SPEAK is to connect newcomers with locals living in the same city through a language and culture exchange program that has two main activities: language groups and community-organized events. We work with many ex-pats, immigrants, refugees, and students. My main responsibilities are interacting with Buddies in Almada city in general and developing the community there. I give online training for new buddies, explaining to them the purpose of SPEAK and providing information about language sessions, events. I also get feedback from buddies and help them with their questions and problems about the language sessions. 

In addition, I currently lead a language session and prepare a guide for Turkish buddies. My colleagues at SPEAK always help me and teach me new things, and this is a great opportunity for me to improve myself. At first, I had a little difficulty because there was a lot of new information, but then everything fell into place and I continued my project more comfortably. Within a week, I had a Christmas dinner with both the Spin and SPEAK team. At both events, I met people from other countries. In these warm family environments, I felt as if I had been in this city for years and knew these people. I also started learning Portuguese thanks to one of our volunteer friends. 

I am always grateful for being at the same table for dinner with my flatmates, the little trips we take on the weekend, the conversations we have while cooking in the kitchen, the Miroduro's we go to catch the sunset, and me always being late, the sweet reproaches of them, the activities we did with other volunteers in the Casa de Bernardim. Countless feelings, smiles, conversations, sunsets, stairs, drinks, songs, food, sweet discussions, new places, new people, and stories …

I laugh, I learn, I see, I taste, I try, I share, I tell, I understand, I experience.

In short, I am feeling alive.

O testemunho No. 1 da Elizaveta (SPIN)

I’m living a fairytale here in Lisbon!

Hi! I’m Lisa, I’m 28 and I’m from Russia!

I’ve been applying for this ESC opportunity 3 times for the last two years. And finally, I’m here! So never give up on your goals and you’ll definitely get the life of your dream 😊

Being a volunteer in Portugal means sharing an apartment with other people. I was really curious about this experience, but I could never imagine that it’s gonna be this good! Oh, we are not just flatmates, we live like a big family of 7! 

We get along just fine even though we are from different countries: Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, Estonia, France, and Russia 🤪 The house is filled with laughter, hugs, and positive vibes! We share meals together, celebrate holidays, and go out on weekends. Any event I go to in Lisbon I never feel alone, I know my family is gonna be there ❤️

As much as I enjoy my new family, I enjoy Lisbon as well! The city is bright and filled with colors! I go out almost every day to visit some new attractions: parks, viewpoints, cafes, etc. And even after two months, there are still plenty of new places to discover! I think this city never gets boring 😍

Well, I arrived in Lisbon in December, so the whole month was about holidays, gatherings and meeting new people. I enjoyed it a lot! But still, I’m looking forward to getting more engaged in Spin association activities!

So far I took part in Christmas dinner preparation, receiving “Re-generation+” projects participants, joining Erasmus+ program promotion event at a local school. I also assist with video making and editing during the events, as well as making some graphic designs! All of it with the guidance of amazing coworkers and mentors from Spin office and in the company of my lovely fellow volunteers 🤩

Anyway, I really do love my every day in Lisbon! This volunteering life is just beautiful 🌺 I can’t wait to join my on-arrival training next month! Also looking forward to joining the upcoming events at Spin and exploring the city in warm weather😁

O testemunho No. 1 do Amr (SPIN)

Hi Everyone, This is Amr from Egypt.
I'm 24 years old.
I can't believe it's been more than a month now for me in Portugal. 

 

I came for a 9-month project at Spin's association. Coming here was after a couple of delays in the project and then for Visa Application, it was a messy process, I'm glad that it all came to pass, I was in contact all that time was my tutor and Coordinator Giulia and she's been friendly and helpful and made me even more excited about the Project.

When I first arrived in Lisbon, I was Welcomed by two Beautiful people (Ertugrul and Lisa) with whom I took my first walk into the City and it was Breathtaking, I got introduced to a whole new and diverse daily structure and different Cultures and as I come from a different continent it felt like a different world and I was in a Cultural shock, Also I came to know that Portuguese people are so nice even though I don't speak Portuguese as I should, but they try to find a way to communicate as much as possible.

I had my welcome day with Lisa and Ertugrul at spin's office on the seventh of December and We had a nice conversation with Giulia and she made everything clear and simple for us we also got to meet a lovely Portuguese person, Katrina with whom we could find out more about the neighborhood of Bairro padre Cruz, We also had an information session with Nelson at a school in Amadora to promote the program. 

Later on, I met awesome volunteers and Ex Volunteers and everyone seemed excited about their projects and I was amazed By How Friendly and Nice they all are, I Went with some of them to Different places in Sintra and Lisbon it's been wonderful, which makes me look forward to exploring more in Portugal.

One of the Things that I Truly Cherish in Portugal is the fact that I live with, my flatmates, whom I didn't actually know at first but shortly after and within a week they became just like a family, they gave me a beautiful impression about Portugal and with them I had the best birthday party ever.

In Conclusion, I'd say I'm Happy to be Here,  Portugal is a Warm and beautiful country with a variety of Cultures, I love How colorful Houses are in Lisbon and also the amazing view of all Houses with Red Roofs from Above and the Mesmerizing Architecture, lovely places and of course the view of the Sea, and I'm Also Looking forward to getting more involved in more work and activities at spin.

O testemunho no. 2 da Mari (SPIN)

Hello there, 
Hope you are having a great day!

I feel like I have been here for two or three months, but It's been on this fantastic journey for seven months already. I have gathered so many remarkable memories, I have met so many beloved ones, I have made dear friends, traveled places where I experienced lots of emotions and tears of happiness.

I learned a lot during my stay, with my organization, life experiences, new cultures, different people, their psychology, to be a more empathic person, how to be a better version of myself every day. I believe everything happens for a reason and I'm very grateful Portugal happened to me.

I can openly say Portugal has majestic energy, colorfulness, incredible calmness/chaos together, breathtaking nature, tasty food, everything that made me feel good. I am soo grateful for this experience and the chance to be here today and experience all of this. Lisbon, you will always be in my heart.

With love, Mari.

O testemunho No. 3 da Veronica (Junta de Fregusia do Lumiar)

Hey folks! Well.. What can I say... my volunteering is finished. No way. So sad.

If I could rewind everything, I would love to live this amazing experience one more time. 

I feel so grateful and happy about my ESC year. I haven’t been really lucky with the timing: two weeks after I arrived, the covid pandemic started. But anyway, despite this situation, I feel that I am one of those few people who can say that the year 2020 has been amazing. I have met extraordinary people, very good friends with whom I have lived my everyday life in the city, the travels and many adventures in Portugal. 

This year has run so fast. I swear, it seems yesterday when I arrived at the airport and Tavi picked me up and bring me to Casa Bernardim where Ana, gave me a super warm welcome in the house preparing a party for the new volunteers. I remember that could barely have an English conversation, but the environment and the people were so great, that after some time and a bit of patience I managed to break the language barrier. 

I’m so glad of having had this experience, it was something that I really wanted to do and, since the first day, I understood that it was the right choice. If I look at myself, I realize some of my flaws and some good qualities that before I didn’t know I had. I realised that I don’t like when people feel sorry for themselves, whine, look for excuses, blame others and never do any change. You cannot expect different life, mood, emotions, if you are not willing to change anything within yourself.

In these months I had the chance to get to know many different people, with different backgrounds and stories. For me it’s really surprising to see how so different kind of people can have so many things in common. This stimulating environment leaded me to approach many aspects of life from another point of view and gave me the chance to share and compare me and people from different cultures. I really have to thank all the people that I have met, especially some friends that I’m not afraid to call Family here in Lisbon. 

Thanks also to my colleague of Quinta dos Frades, that welcomed me super well. I had a great time with them. I jus would have liked to spend more time with them and learn more about their beautiful job.  Unfortunately this pandemic didn’t help. Anyway, I’m very glad for the time spent with them, because thanks to it I re-discovered the beauty of being so alive, simple, creative, and so reach of imagination like only kids can be. And it could sound like a cliché, but I think that this is the best way of living the life.

And finally, thank you Lisbon, for all the colors, for the greenness of your parks in the city centre, for all the miradouros, where I enjoyed almost 365 sunsets. Thank you for the super bock (or maybe not?), for the music in the street, for the art in every corner around the streets, for the people full of life despite this difficult and strange global moment. 

Last but not the least, thanks to myself, that I finally took courage to leave everything and come here to live such a great experience.

I still cannot figure which path I will take next, but one thing I know for sure.. This experience hasn’t been just a bracket in my life. I really would like to live other experiences abroad like this one. 

My final comment for all the ones that are thinking about doing this experience..? 

Hey you! Just do an ESC. Leave your hometown, your family and your friends and go abroad. Better if Lisbon. One of the best things about being part of the European Union, is having the possibility to participate to an Erasmus+ project, whatever it is. 

I’m convinced that everybody should take advantage of it and living this experience, at least once in life. Why? 

Because life is so short and the world is so big, and you have already spent 25 years living in the same place. Aren’t you tired? 

Just go!!