My volunteer project with the European Solidarity Corps started on September 1st. My first impression of Chios Island, and thereby my new home for the next months, was really positive. The surroundings just seem unreal. The ocean and the mountains, the little streets, the old stone houses and the monuments of ancient times everywhere, the palm trees, the kind local people and the crowded restaurants. It is a really beautiful place, and after almost 3 weeks, I still have not gotten used to it. Just look at the pictures that I included here and see for yourself how pretty my surroundings really are!
As you can tell, these are really nice basic conditions for my new home. I started all of this with no expectations and that is probably another reason why I am so positively impressed by everything.
I was the first volunteer for my project, so the first week alone gave me some time to settle down, explore my surroundings and getting to know my work here.
I offer my voluntary services to the 3rd Kindergarten of Vrontados. It is a nice building and the teachers welcomed me very cordial and kind. Right from the start, I got the feeling to be a great help for them. We prepared everything for the start of the new school year, and while doing so, I got to know some inside information about the Island and their culture by talking to the teachers. Additionally, the kindergarten is a great place to learn Greek. With little learning games, the poster with the alphabet and vocabulary which I could partly make myself, it is an easy way to get to know the new language.
Also, the computer work, which is to be done in the evening and the other part of the volunteering, is quite fun. As I like to be creative and enjoy making things, others can profit from, this is an perfect activity for me. The many different websites I get to work on make it quite varied and the two mentors of my hosting organisation here are always there when a helping hand is needed.
For this reason I did not feel lonely, even though I was alone for the first week. There were just so much new things to look at, and there still are that I simply do not have the time to feel lonely. And as I mentioned earlier, the people here are really open and if they talk English, most of them are there for a little talk with you. Even if people do not speak English at all, a smile is also of great worth. After all I can say that the whole environment and especially the people made me feel welcome from day one.
Nevertheless, I looked forward to meet the second volunteer and my new roommate. I was really excited to live together with like minded people and to share all the experiences we will make here. Even the little things like cooking or taking care of the house together seemed pretty enjoyable to me. I hoped for someone from a different country, so that it would be possible to get to know an additional culture. My wishes came true with a girl from the Netherlands who arrived one week later than me. Luckily, everything worked out and we got along very well. I could show her some of the places I visited in my first week, including some really pretty beaches, Chios city or just the walk to the water spring.
Furthermore, we could work together during the computer hours and -most exciting of all- participated in a ceremony for the first day of school and kindergarten. This was a really interesting experience, as it is an important part of their culture here. I really enjoyed getting an insight in this more or less religious event.
It was also really great to meet the children for the first time. Even though thee is a language barrier they accepted, respected and included me to their community right away. Within the first week, they understood that I am just at the beginning of learning Greek and got better at showing me the things they want to tell me or patiently explaining it to me a few times. I really feel like I can support the teacher in his daily work and at the same time make the children happy. The smiles you receive when playing something with them, helping them opening their lunch boxes or just simply listening to them or looking at their pictures is really rewarding. Moreover, I know that the handicrafts I do for example by making a letter game so that the children learn to spell their names are in many ways helpful. The teacher got less work to do, the children get new educational games, and even I profit from it. For example, I am pretty confident writing Greek letters by now.
In our free time, we often just went to one of the beautiful beaches around or spend some time outside, just getting to know each other. I really like hearing some traditions or words in dutch, just because it is pretty different from what I know. Of course, we also want to learn Greek. Especially because it would make things easier with the children in the kindergarten and also to understand the culture on this island a little better. As culture is always connected to language. Therefore, this was another huge part of our free time activities.
The following week, another new volunteer arrived here. For now, we are three in this project. I also really liked the new girl just from the start. Again, we could show her around and had a lot experiences to share. Meeting new people and getting to know each other is always fun in my opinion. Being responsible for our house and everything that is included by that is also a challenge, but since we are three people now, it is helpful to share the daily tasks. I really enjoy the life as a living community. It is like a little family and if everybody is open to participate it is really fun and not a problem at all.
I really think that I am going to profit from this experience here. Getting more independent, knowing how to deal with responsibility, widening my horizon with a new culture, learning a new language and interacting with new people. Hence, for now I just can say positive things about the beginning of my journey here. And even the small or bigger problems which at some point may appear, are just going to be another challenge and an experience you can only grow from.
Also, the support you get from the organisation as well as the European union is really nice. Today I just started my On Arrival Training. Which is basically a huge gathering of all the volunteers of the ESC that are in Greece and began their project at the same time as you. Sadly, due to COVID it is all online but still a very great opportunity for networking and meeting people. Additionally, you can learn so many things about the whole project, their mission and experiences from pears. The trainers are happy to answer you any questions and you will get to learn about the “Youth Pass” and what opportunities you will have because of the volunteering you do. I really like that you can ask all your questions and that you always have somebody to talk to.
With that being said, at this point I can only say “do it” to you. Just find the right project for you and be confident about who you are and what you can achieve. I guarantee you a volunteering service like this will bring a lot of positive impacts to you and others and it will help you to grow as a person as well as help others. I believe that a positive mindset is all you need for this.
I know I am still at the very beginning of my journey but I am pretty sure about what I am writing here. In the end you will have to figure it out by yourself. Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoyed reading the start of my personal journey here on Chios and that I could inspire you to try this or something similar yourself.
