Recently, someone asked me “if you knew what your life will be here before coming, would you have chosen to go anyway?”. I did not know immediately how to answer this question. I had to take a step back.
What I can say for sure is that I do not regret at all joining this project, it is a once in a lifetime discovering opportunity. Volunteering abroad is an emotional roller-coaster, you go through every state of mind possible in a very short period of time. Sometimes it gets really intense, sometimes everything is slow. This experience is really hard to describe for someone who never lived it, it is at the same time exciting and challenging. Deciding to join this project was not a hard decision to take but I had no idea what to expect. Knowing on the paper your missions and the place where you will be living for one year is very different than actually experimenting it.
Now a little bit of my story: I arrived in Germany in the beginning of October, looking for something different, that will push me out of my comfort zone. I was tired of the routine created by studying at the University. I needed to change things in my life so I decided to take a gap year, to have the opportunity to live abroad and open my mind. I wanted to do something that really makes sense for me and not just staying all day seated in a classroom listening to teachers talking. I am glad I left my well-ordered life in France, to do something less ordinary and start making my own choices.
Here I am, the sustainability volunteer for NaturKultur. What I like about my position is that I am doing very different tasks. I am learning a lot, as much regarding skills as personally speaking. I know myself better, what I like to do and what my limits are.
Surprisingly, at one third of my project, I cannot say that until now I have really found my marks. Germany is still a stranger for me, it is challenging to adjust to the language and this environment. Hopefully, I am not alone. The volunteer community in Bremen is helping a lot to feel surrounded, I found friends. We all share the same experience to be abroad, far away from everything we know so it brings us closer together. I am really grateful for the people that I have met.
I am looking forward to what is next!
Lou
Lou is hosted by NaturKultur e.V. on our project financed by the European Solidarity Corps and Jugend für Europa.