Tell us about yourself. Why did you decide to be a part of ESC?
My name is Marika Gulordava and I am 23 years old. I come from Georgia. I have a
bachelor's degree in Economics. Before coming here I was an intern in an
accountant department. My future, let's say was not clear, because I was
feeling kind of lost. I didn't know what to do, which job would match my
interests. I got stuck in one place without moving. I needed changes in my
life. This opportunity appeared at an exact moment, I didn't have any idea that
such a program like ESC existed , but after discovering it, I started
searching for projects immediately and found out the best organization I could
do my volunteering in.
How well did this program live up to your expectations? How has it
influenced your life?
My main goal was to overcome my fears and complexes. What I can say now
is that the difference between a person who came to this country last year and
who is leaving soon is infinitely huge. Improving ourselves is a part of our lives and it can't have an end, but what I got during these eleven months was more than I was planning or expecting.
When I am analysing what is the power of these kinds of programs, why they
change a lot in our lives, what comes to my mind is having an opportunity to
meet and learn from new people from different countries, with different
passions, cultures, interests or life experiences. You see how diverse
an environment around you can be, you become more open-minded, you start
accepting your mistakes and failures and start enjoying every moment.
What were the main challenges you faced during the project?
First of all English; I was worried about it. I was working in the office and one
of our tasks was to give a presentation at schools. In the beginning, it was so
stressful for me, but step by step, I improved my language skills and now I am
much more confident in this area.
In general, I would say that I challenged myself many times and it helped me
to grow up as a person.
Would you like to share the most memorable moment of your
volunteering experience?
It won't be too much if I say, that every single day, every experience was memorable for
me from this project. It just can't be in another way, when you live a life you
couldn't imagine before.
But if I have to name certain ones, I would definitely say that the on-arrival training in
Warsaw was where I realized what was going on in my life. I met amazing people there
and discovered that I was part of the big ESC community. All of us were on the same boat. We had the same fears, expectations, hopes and I wasn't the only one with
those feelings. From that point I started changing and I knew that it was only
the beginning of one of the most important chapters in my life.
In Torun where we had the mid-term training, I spent one of the most memorable weeks of my life. It involved spending time
with great people and I could definitely see how and what has changed after five
months of the project.
What would be your advice for the future volunteers?
If you have already decided to do your project in Stowarzyszenie Polites you are in
the right place. You just have to be open and ready for a new experience.
My main advice to you would be: love yourself and don't waste your time.
Don't be scared of difficulties, mistakes; They teach and make us who we are. Enjoy
every good moment, discover about yourself as much as you can, because you
know, a time machine doesn't exist and you will never go back to this period again.
And everything has to have an end; Don't live in the past when your project is
finished. life is infinitely beautiful and unexpected as everything is on our hands and we can
always have better days and chapters in our lives.