FRANEK

Hi! My name is Franek, I’m 20 years old and I’m currently on a 6 month volunteering project in H2O Arrouquelas, Portugal. I’ve been here for 5 months now and it has been a life changing experience.

I love the calm and rural atmosphere this small village has, it brings a vibe that is harder and harder to find these days. I live in a big house with other volunteers and we have to take care of a lot of things here too, not just at the institutions we go to.

We have a lot of animals at home, such as a dog – Bela and some farm animals too. I had the chance to build a chicken coop from scratch which required a lot of hard work but was very satisfying in the end. Not long ago we planted some vegetables and we are now waiting for them to bloom.

We also take care of things around the village, there is a fountain built by volunteers who were here earlier and we often go there to take care of the various plants or even just to hang out together.

On work days, I go to a school in a nearby village and help in a kindergarten section. The kids are very friendly and the atmosphere is very nice.

On the weekends we like to go out with the other volunteers and have some fun, relax after a week of working. My daily habits changed a lot after i started living here and I also changed a lot in the way I live.

I’m going to miss this place very much after i come back to Poland, Arrouquelas will always have a special place in my heart.


PAULINA

Living abroad has been a very interesting and rewarding experience for me. It has allowed me to learn many new things and become more independence, especially by living on my own in a foreign country and managing everyday responsibilities.

What makes this experience special is the opportunity to live in another country not as a tourist, but as someone who is part of daily life there. This allow me to understand the culture, traditions, and way people live.

During my stay, I mainly work with children at school, which I really enjoy. It is both fun and meaningful, and every day brings something new. Despite the language barrier, we always find creative and  funny ways to communicate, which makes the experience even more unique.

Overall, this has been a very valuable experience for me, and I am really happy to be here and be part of it.