Tell us about yourself. Why did you decide to be a part of ESC?
I didn’t know anything about ESC projects before. I just did a youth exchange for one week in my city with people from different countries. But I started searching for information when, after two years of studying, I realized that I did not have clear what I wanted to study at university. I wanted to take a break in my studies and go abroad for one year. Not only I needed a change because of my studies, but also because I wanted to experience the fact of living alone. I needed to spend a bit of time away from my city, my family, and my friends to discover who I really am.
When I decided to do an ESC project, I started searching and applying for different ones. In the end, I decided to do this one in Szczecin, Poland, working in a kindergarten. One of the best decisions of my life.
How well did this program live up to your expectations? How has it influenced your life?
In the beginning, I didn't have high expectations because I didn't know what these projects were about; Apart from that, I didn't speak to anyone who had done this before so all I expected from this project was for it to be a great experience from which I could learn a lot.
After all these months, I can say that I achieved the main objective for which I came to Poland and that it was much better than I expected. Working with kids was amazing, as well as living and spending time with people from all over the world. It all showed me different cultures. In this project, I learned many things. Now I know myself better and what I really want to do in the future. All this time gave me the opportunity to think, travel and to gain new skills and experiences. All of it helped me to be a better person. Right now, I can affirm that my life changed completely, and my perspective changed too. I realized how important it is to use and enjoy every moment because those little things that already happened will never happen again.
What were the main challenges you faced during the project?
All the project was full of challenges that we had to face but I think that the biggest challenge for me was living with young people from other countries who came from different cultures Also working in the kindergarten was not easy.
Kindergarten was quite difficult because of language. Just a few teachers know English and kids don’t know English almost at all, so we were basically using nonverbal communication. And living with people from other countries was also difficult for me because of the manners that everyone can have. When you are living in the same flat, I think everyone should adapt, but it’s not as easy as it seems.
Would you like to share the most memorable moment of your volunteering experience?
I don't have a special moment that I want to highlight, all the days included memorable moment that I will remember forever. But, it’s true that we had two amazing experiences that I didn’t expect and that I really enjoyed. The first one was the on-arrival training in Warsaw and the second one was the mid-term training in Torun. For me, those two weeks were amazing, because I had the chance to meet new people and to spend time doing different activities. Somehow, it was like two other projects within our the project. These were two opportunities that we had to disconnect a bit from the project, where we could talk to other people who were doing more or less the same things as we were. Also, in both cities, we made a city game that allowed us to visit different places and learn more about their history.
What would be your advice for future volunteers?
My message for future volunteers is that they should have this experience, that you can only live once in your life. Do it, think a little bit about it, but not that much. Don’t be afraid of leaving behind your family, your friends and your home for a while. Go and be out of your comfort zone, I promise that you will learn and gain a lot of experience and new skills. And you will have in your memory all those wonderful moments.
The most important thing is to use your time properly. While doing this project, you have the opportunity to travel, live, work and spend time with foreign people but also local people and that’s what you will appreciate more after. Don't be afraid of languages; It's normal that at the beginning you will have problems, but it should not be a reason to not have this experience. Do it and enjoy every moment as if it was the last one.
Interviewer: Marika Gulordava