O testemunho final do Victorien (SPIN)

To describe a 12 months experience in a few lines could be an easy job if I wouldn’t have spent in Lisbon at Spin association, and especially in that special period.

My ESC experience started on November the 1 st of 2020 and ended a couple of weeks ago in 2021. Along with this ESC program, I could live a bunch of experiences that absolutely impacted my life on most of the fronts. And I am going to try to share as much meaningful as I can.

Unfortunately, I obviously had to deal with Mister Covid that apparently didn’t want to let us live as we were used to doing. However, the pandemic had, in a way, amplified some periods of my program. During lockdown and restrictions, we couldn’t meet with the other volunteers properly, the work at Spin was hardly makeable and we couldn’t either discover properly Lisbon and Portugal. 

During “free time”, in last spring and summer, on the other hand where we could finally meet between all the volunteers, travel all around and achieve some tasks with our organization. And maybe because of those long and tough times, I have the feeling to have experienced these moments way more joyfully, that I hardly still believe it.

First of all, I’ve been really glad to be part of Spin team. The spirit that I could find with my colleagues and especially with my tutor Giulia who has been fantastic and really helpful during my whole experience. She could help through some tough times as well as support some ideas. In the meanwhile, this ESC experience gave so much on the personal aspect. I could embrace a city and a country that totally matches my expectations.

I’m still so amazed to discover Lisbon, it’s a city full of characters, colors, kind people, and opportunities. As well as Portugal, a mind-blowing country for such a small territory, it looks like they are a place to discover in the entire country. With a step back, I think this year has been decisive in a way. I could achieve some personal and professional achievements such as playing music as a DJ in many places in Lisbon and starting doing it kind of professionally. I could start to work properly in English, improve my Spanish and discover the Portuguese language.

On the professional aspect, I’m really glad to have started French classes with Spin team and some volunteers. It has especially given me the courage to start it professionally and I am super proud to be able to keep on doing it as one of my main activities from now on. Also, during the first meetings with Spin, I expressed my willingness to learn and do some video editing. And thankfully Spin, proposed I do a video-volunteers-portrait project where we could create some video content to describe and promote how is it to be a volunteer with Spin. It was a really nice project that I realized with another volunteer. We could do it freely and I’m really happy to have done it from scratch to what it is. I could learn how to use video editing software and I’m once again glad to have added this skill to my list thanks to this ESC program.

Anyway, I think you would have understood that I barely find words to express my gratitude to SPIN and the ESC program. I found myself extremely lucky to have been part of this program and especially

during those tough moments. Extremely lucky to have done it with Spin team and to had the opportunity to achieve some long-time desires. Extremely lucky to have met all these volunteers that became friends and with who I could create strong links. Extremely lucky to have done my program in such a stunning city as Lisbon and such a wonderful one as Portugal.

Cheers SPIN !

O testemunho No. 2 do Victorien (SPIN)

 Here’s Victorien from France and this my second testimony. 

“Time is running”, a random quote that takes absolutely all it sense here in Lisbon. It has been already eight months that I arrived from France and I barely can’t realize it. 

First of all, everything has changed when I decided to move to another flat from the one that my hosting organisation proposed me. I had really good time in the first one and met some of my close friends of now on. However, this change helps me to meet new people and new group of friends that I have here. I really created close relation that I was looking for. 

Obviously the second lockdown from mid-January until the end of march had a hug impact on my volunteering experience. First of all, some tasks that gave me SPIN were stopped and globally the tasks were really few, meanwhile my personal life was pretty quiet. To face this difficult situation, I went to the south of Portugal in Algarve, doing a workaway experience and keep on working with SPIN at the same time. It has been the best idea I had since I arrived in Portugal. I loved the experience, the place and the people which are my friends from now on. It really helps me to enjoy fully my experience here in Portugal. The following weeks has been better along the sanitary situation was getting better as well. The volunteer group came closer to each other and we start create friendly relation between all of us. This feeling is definitely the best one and I am so glad to have been able to make it and being part of it. The following months after the lockdown has been amazing, intensely full of life and activities. We were visiting different side of Portugal every week-end and socializing a lot during our days here in Lisbon. 

On the side, I used all this free time to focus on a musical project that starts having some results. I could play for the very first time in a kind of club in Lisbon in may and I have some shows planned for this summer. Its has been a really long process, starting from the scratch and I am fully glad to see all these efforts starting being rewarded along that seeing my skills improving in music. 

Regarding the volunteering experience with my organisation, beside the quiet months of the beginning of 2021, I am super excited to see that the organisation is working well and see my tasks going as well as new tasks coming over the months. It is such a pleasure to see my proposition accepted by the team and that I can work comfortably. The team is adorable and really open minded regarding the conditions of work, which allows me to travel a lot while working. 

To conclude, I can just say that my expectations were so high before to come that makes me a bit afraid to not live it at 100% but somehow, the reality has been forward the expectations and satisfied me in a way I couldn’t imagine before. 

See you soon for the third and last testimony. 

O testemunho no. 1 do Victorien (Spin Association)

 

I arrived on Friday the 30^th of October in Lisbon, leaving France the first day of a new national lockdown. It gives an idea of the global context. And so, here I am, escaping France to the sunny and free Lisbon.

Firstly, I spend three days visiting a lot of Lisbon. I have been to the mains districts such as Chiado, Alfama, Bairro Alto, monuments such as The Castelo de São Jorge and Jerónimos Monastery. On the other hand, I wanted to visit less touristic districts like Ajuda and Almada on this other side of the Tagus. The idea was to spend those first days in place where I may haven’t reason to go once in my daily life in Lisbon.

The most impressive aspect of these days is the feeling of being in a city less populated than usual. While speaking with locals, flatmates and expats living here for a moment, I understood the pandemic has stopped mass tourism and we can see it directly. According to the opinions I heard, it’s a previously unseen situation. In some points, it has positive consequences because of the saturation of the infrastructures and city centre when tourism was at its peak. However, most of the feedbacks I heard were sadly impacted by this sensation of not seeing Lisbon as much buzzling and exciting as before.

I can’t say that much because I have no way to compare. However, as far as I am concerned, I really enjoyed the vibe of the city, built between mountains and the Tagus. This special environment gives to the city an amazing and unique soul. From France, the rhythm looks slower and more peaceful what I love. The first days were the the opportunity to try different dishes, specially fishes but also cheese and wine which I really enjoyed.

I set up in the flat proposed by SPIN, situated in Anjos, a lively and multicultural district, away from touristic neighbourhoods. Anjos looks like really authentic. I am sharing flat the with four flatmates: Marco & Elena from Italy, Angel from Spain and Nabil from Morocco. The three first quotes were former volunteers from SPIN who decided to stay in Lisbon while Nabil is doing his ESC program in street football centre at Bairro Padre Cruz. Seeing that the former volunteers were staying here is pretty positive and promising 😉.

I had a warm welcome and we had dinner together on first Friday and Saturday. On the first Saturday, Marco proposed me to visit the Coleção Berardo Museum which is fantastic and then we could try the famous Pasteis de Belem. A place well-known for making the “best” pasteis de nata. Usually, overcrowded, the place was finally really accessible because of Covid-19.

I also had the opportunity to meet all the new volunteers in SPIN and in the different associations linked to SPIN such as Viver Telheiras, SPEAK and SPEM during a welcome day. Also, were present four volunteers from SPIN (where I do my volunteering program). This welcome day is a chance to all get to know a bit better with a presentation of the staff, a delicious lunch made by the SPIN volunteers and a presentation of each new volunteer. Such a brilliant way to start the program.

What I am really impressed by is all the efforts and organisation made by SPIN for make yourself comfortable. The association seems really involved in your first days and strongly want to meet everybody progressively. It could be stressful and anxious to move to a new city where you don’t know anybody or don’t speak the language and SPIN is making everything possible to reassure you.