When we first shared Maya’s story about her departure to Wrocław, Poland, her volunteering experience with the European Solidarity Corps had just begun.
She had nine months ahead of her in a new country, with a new language, new people and a new working environment. Today, at the end of her journey, Maya can look back on those months with a completely different awareness.
Her experience reminds us that going abroad does not simply mean living in another country for a few months. It means challenging yourself, stepping outside your habits and discovering new sides of yourself.
Everything is new. And that is exactly why you can grow.
At the beginning, Maya says, everything feels different:
“I think that an experience like this is a way to test your limits, to meet new people and discover new cultures.”
The language, the people, the work, managing money, the places and everyday habits: suddenly, you find yourself in an environment where you have to learn how to find your way and adapt.
It is not always easy.
But that is exactly what makes a mobility experience so valuable: you don’t have everything under control, and you learn, day by day, how to deal with what is new.
Maya experienced this every day while working in a bilingual kindergarten, alongside children and an international team of volunteers. This experience allowed her not only to contribute to the project’s activities, but also to develop autonomy, interpersonal skills, adaptability and confidence in her own abilities.
From an unfamiliar place to a place you can call home
At first, Wrocław was simply the place where Maya would spend nine months.
Then, slowly, it became something more.
There were the people, the friendships, familiar routines, favourite places and all those small moments of everyday life. What initially felt unfamiliar became familiar.
Until she reached that feeling that often comes at the end of such an intense experience:
“Little by little, you feel more and more like you belong to the place you are in, and just thinking about leaving breaks your heart.”
And perhaps that is one of the clearest signs that an experience has truly left something behind.
Don’t go abroad just to go somewhere. Go to discover.
Volunteering with the European Solidarity Corps gives young people the opportunity to make a concrete contribution to a project and to a local community, while at the same time becoming an important journey of personal learning.
You learn by doing.
You learn when you have to communicate in a language you don’t know perfectly.
When you have to work with people from different cultures.
When something doesn’t go as planned.
When you have to make a decision on your own.
When you realise that you managed to do something that, before leaving, seemed impossible.
And in the end, you take home much more than you expected.
New skills.
New friendships.
New perspectives.
More independence.
More confidence in yourself.
And, above all, a new awareness of what you are capable of.
Maya’s testimony
Maya concludes her experience with these words:
“At first it isn’t easy, but little by little you feel more and more like you belong to the place you are in, and just thinking about leaving breaks your heart. It is an experience you will remember for the rest of your life.”
🌍 For us at Sportello in Spalla, these are the experiences worth sharing.
Because behind every European opportunity there are not only destinations, projects and activities. There are people who leave with doubts and come back with something more.
If you are also thinking about having an experience abroad but don’t know where to start, Sportello in Spalla can help you discover available opportunities, understand which one may be right for you and prepare your application.
Because you don’t need to have everything figured out already.
Sometimes you just need to decide to go. You learn the rest along the way. 🌍💙
