More than 1300 kilometres from my Genoa, here I am in Katowice, a small town in southern Poland.
I’ve only been here for a month but this time was enough to understand how much this city has to offer to young people and I like it more and more every day.
Because the fact of being small certainly does not hinder the internationality of this city. But later I will tell you more about Katowice, now I want to tell you how it started and how my EVS volunteer experience here in Poland is going.
It started early in the morning, from Genoa, with a FlixBus straight to Bergamo after a sleepless night spent to say goodbye to friends and prepare the last things for departure. Arriving in Bergamo I board the flight that will take me to Katowice to live this experience which I can already define as the most important of my life till now.
Once in Katowice I met Iryna who accompanied me to my new Polish home: a single room in a student dormitory, excellent both for convenience and to make new friends.
As soon as I came into my room I had already received messages from the other Bona Fides volunteers: they asked me to meet to get to know each other without having to wait for Monday. I took a shower quickly, ate something and took the first bus to the center. I got lost (unfortunately I typed wrongly when searching the right street on the Maps). But in the end, I could reach the other guys.
From the first moment, the guys and Mariachiara gave me total availability to me: I completely skipped the adaptation period in the team and in the new city thanks to them because they immediately made me feel part of the team, presented a lot of their friends and integrating myself was much easier than one might think. They are really extraordinary people with whom it is a pleasure to spend hours in the workplace and during our free time. They are a great help for the project and for my presentation with super useful advice and also, I was able to participate in their presentations in schools so that I could learn tricks on how to attract children’s attention ;)My role in the project allows me to develop, above all, two skills: the first one, the research of the most reliable information and the second one, (the most important for me) public speaking in English. Not only those ones, however, but also, the fact of having to present a delicate and important topic, like the earthquake in Italy, helps me to improve my skills in conveying concepts and explaining different aspects.
My first presentation of the project, in a school in front of children of 10 – 12 years old, was great. I didn’t even expect it, the children were very interested in the subject :D I can’t wait for the next one.
All very useful for personal growth.
In early November I attended the On Arrival TC. A training course in which EVS volunteers recently arrived in Poland, many volunteers who attended came from Katowice and its surroundings. One of the most beautiful weeks: I had the opportunity to compare myself with 25 boys from 15 different countries, a real fortune.
Working time allows me to have free time for myself. I really like the city for its dynamism and internationality. As I said before, Katowice, even being small, has enough to offer to young people. In fact, it is possible, almost every day, to participate in language meetings, such as Spanish meeting and my favourite the Multilanguage, and other events, with only positive sides: you can speak several languages and make new international friends.
In addition to all of this, there are many courses in the city: dance, cooking, languages and various sports.
In conclusion, guys, I can tell you that I’m having a fantastic experience. I decided to stop my studies to become an EVS volunteer and after only a month I can confirm that I could not have made a better choice than this one. I already imagine what the next three months will be like but I don’t want to think about that now.
An advice for all of you guys: take the chance to do EVS.