Well, it’s time for my second report. With disbelief, I realize that eight months have already passed by so quickly. I remember just arriving and meeting new people, watching the “older” volunteers heading to their MTM and thinking, “Oh my god, they’re halfway through their experience and so much has already happened to them.” Now, I’m that volunteer for others, and new people probably think the same about me.
Indeed, a long time has passed and many things have happened, but you don’t really notice them. I’ve just been living my life here and letting things be. Only now, looking back, do I start evaluating it.
To be honest, these past months have been challenging in ways I never imagined. I’ve had many projects, traveled a lot, and haven’t really had time to rest. Meanwhile, life continued to happen while I was away working or spending hours in the office, and I struggled to keep up.
Only now do I feel like I’m starting to make friends and have “the volunteer experience,” even though it’s nearing the end. My mind is filled with thoughts about my future, figuring out my life after September, and deciding what to do next. Sometimes I feel powerless, as there are so many things that I can’t change, but they will influence my future. Yet, I just have to learn to rely on chance and trust the process since there’s nothing else I can do.
I plan to dedicate my last 3-4 months to myself and solving all the problems and looking for new solutions.. I’m grateful that my work allows flexibility and I can decide for myself what I want to focus on.
This autonomy has been both a gift and a challenge in my volunteer experience. It’s comforting to depend on yourself and decide your own path, but it also made me feel lost initially, as I had to find my own responsibilities and arrange everything myself. Now that I’ve figured it out, it doesn’t feel bad anymore, but it took me quite a bit of time to reach this point.
So, you’ll hear from me in four months when I’m done and free. Who knows what the future holds for us?
Sofiia is hosted by LidiceHaus on our project co-funded by the European Union.
