The learning goals resume is always something very difficult and complex for me. I usually start this resume-process making a list of all the most important things I’ve learned in a specific experience: achievements, changes, competencies, satisfactions.
But every time I wrote this list for some specific “official” reasons, I realized that something was missing: all the reality and the moments related to learning disappeared behind words like improvement, increase, professional, all words we usually use to write our perfect CV.
To describe my European Voluntary Service, I’m going to write something different, and I used a small experiment to do it.
I’ll write something more personal, something which can give you a better idea of what it was the EVS for me, and about how I achieved (or not) my goals in the last months.
The experiment was very simple: I asked all my colleagues to give me a random word, a relevant word for their lives. Then, starting from the words they gave me, I wrote some stories about my learning path.
For each word a story about learning. Because learning is not just related to studying or working: learning can also be a message in a small post-it on your desk, and I will show you how.
MAGIC
The day I realized that I could express in a good English all my thoughts, ideas, feelings, a magic door has been opened. I could communicate with all the world around me. I could share, exchange, and talk with people from everywhere.
RESPECT
I’ve never had the opportunity to implement so many ideas and projects as I’m doing in this period. Sometimes the things to do are too many and, despite I love them and despite they represent for my inspiration and energy, I realize that I cannot always expect to have the highest level of performance because I can be mentally and physically tired. I’m sure I’m describing something very normal, but if you don’t accept to rest and take your time to breath, this can be something you should learn. In these months I learned how to respect my time, my energy, how to balance my efforts, I learned to say “no” and to stop for a break, I learned ABOVE ALL how to respect myself more.
JOY and HAPPINESS
I’m exactly 1814 Km far from my family and my country. In the last months I’ve learned how to keep and treasure the precious joy and happiness I feel when I have the opportunity to meet them; it’s never enough.
INSPIRE
“For my Clara: Aspire to Inspire” a small post-it that Marianna, a colleague of mine, stuck on the desk where we usually seat. I learned that, sometimes, friendship is just sharing a desk.
FAI (FOOD)
Cyprus and the food: a sad story started when I discovered that in the island the chilli peppers are in almost all the dishes (and of course I’m allergic), and it continued when I discovered that the Cypriot adore more pork and meat in general than any god. I’ve learned that the barbecue’s smell is the daily life’s smell in this country, and I’ve learned to accept it. Maybe because of this, I’ll become vegetarian- actually I don’t know if they give the residence permit to vegetarians- but I know and I’m happy to know that “If there is souvla, you are home”.
CREATIVITY
“Rosalia e lo sfincione delle meraviglie” is the story I started to write since I came to Cyprus. It’s a story about the adventures of Rosalia (the protecting’s saint of Palermo) who decides to discover the human feelings, after centuries of heritage. The places, the voices and the faces of Sicily inspired me and led the story. I learned how to transform nostalgia in words and creativity.
POSITIVE/ HOPE
I already knew that when you work with vulnerable groups, with people who suffered and who are still suffering, you have to accept that sometimes your effort cannot reach the point you wanted to reach. I spent 11 months in a Shelter for unaccompanied minors: adolescents without any adult’s care, who are fleeing from war, terrorism, fear, persecution. This time more than all the others, I’ve learned how to be positive and to try to give positivity to someone who has so many reasons to be lost and negative. I learned how to put all my effort in this, and I discovered that even in the worst situations, there is always a reason to have hope.
ADVENTURE, NATURE
Storm, Akamas reserve, nature, tent on the beach, dark: I learned for sure how to survive with real adventure spirit!
FORGIVENESS
I offer my forgiveness to all the people that start with “Pizza”, “Spaghetti”, “Mandolino”, “Espresso”, and last but not least “Mafia”, every time they understand I’m Italian. I forgive who use the stereotypes about Italians, and I forgive them even though they have no idea about what a real coffee is. I forgive them, even though they think that if they move hysterically their hands they speak Italian.
LOVE
I learned that the best travel companion you can have, discovering a new country, is the person you love.
PERSISTENCE, PASSION, DREAMS
Persistence is the essence of volunteering. Volunteering means finding the motivation in what you are doing, every day despite many difficulties. Why am I going every day to give my contribution? Being a volunteer means a couple of euro in your pocket but many dreams: you accept to give your time for a common goal and for some common beliefs. Just persistence with a good dosage of passion can be the perfect receipt for volunteering, especially in the most challenging moments, that’s what I learned.
CHAOS
A night drinking out with many volunteers from many different countries can be a huge linguistic chaos: I learned how to start a sentence in English, and then how to continue it in French, Spanish, Greek or Italian. Brave nights, great communication experiences!
THANKFULNESS. Dedicated to all the people who supported me in this wonderful and challenging year.
