Sandra took the “last call” for her EVS experience in Croatia. She was already 29 when she decided to do her short-term volunteering for two months.

Why did you want to do this volunteering?

I want to take a break from my career as a psychologist and I decided to do a short-term project and I found Alfa Albona’s project (On Facebook, I think…) then I asked for more information, so they sent to me the info pack and I like what I saw The defining moment was when I made the Skype interview with Ivana, she was so kind and sweet.

I love to work with young people and the project was too different very different from my work. Also, the country, Croatia, attracted me.

Did you ever travel before or was it your first time? (If it was your first time, did this travel make you want to do more?)

Yes, I did it before, during, and after the EVS.

It started when I was in Germany doing an Erasmus Grant, there I discovered that I enjoy traveling, meeting new people and cultures, and learning languages.

Do you recommend this experience?

Yes, I do, ABSOLUTELY. Actually, since I came back from my EVS I have been collaborating with an association in Valencia that sends and receives EVS volunteers.

Would you have liked to stay longer?

I don’t have like to stay more, not in this project. Our project was perfect for 2 months but not for longer. Maybe in another project or in another place…

In my project, we were two girls, Jule and me, and as soon as we arrived there were some problems with the former volunteers (6 long-term EVS volunteers). Actually, they leave the project before it ended. It was a bad environment for us but we could manage perfectly and it was so motivated for us and was an opportunity to deal with the frustration and learn and it. It made us be closer and build a nice friendly relationship. Also, the girls in the office took care of us a lot.

Would you like to come back to Croatia?

Sure. Croatia is amazing, the cities, the beaches… but what I enjoyed the most was the people. They are really hospitable, we have lots of stories about people being generous with us.

Did you do your EVS during or after your studies?

In my case, I made the EVS when I was 29 years old after finish my studies. Actually, I was working and I stopped it to do the volunteering. For me was an unforgettable experience however I recommend it to do before you to start to study.

How could you define your experience with 3 words?

Amazing, funny, necessary.

What skills and knowledge have you acquired during the project?

I learn to be more flexible, team working skills, tolerate frustration and deal with expectations. Moreover, I learn to be more open minded and more creative.

The thing that I learned the most was, as I said before, deal with frustration. To go on an EVS is most of the time easy and funny but also it could be difficult or stressful (especially in a long term EVS). The project may not be what you expected; sharing a flat with people from other countries, ages and countries could be hard and of course be away from your house, your family and your friends. That’s why you need previous preparation and be aware of this.

 If you can handle all this and enjoy your EVS and your project when it finishes you’ll be very proud of yourself, motivated, and prepared for what’s coming next.

 

Sandra je uskočila u “zadnji voz” i odlučila odraditi svoje kratkoročni EVS u Hrvatskoj u dobi od 29 godina. Njeno volontersko iskustvo trajalo je dva mjeseca.

Zbog čega si se odlučila na ovo volontersko iskustvo?

Trebala mi je pauza od karijere psihologa te sam se odlučila na kratkoročno volontiranje, pronašla projekt Alfa Albone (čini mi se na Facebook-u), zatražila više informacija. Nakon što su mi poslali info-pack, svidio mi se projekt, a ono što me potpuno „kupiko“ bio je Skype intervju.

Volim raditi s mladima, a i ovaj projekt je bio totalna suprotnost od onoga čime se inače bavim. Također, privukla me Hrvatska kao zemlja.

Jesi li i prije putovala ili ti je ovo bilo prvo takvo iskustvo?

Putovala sam prije, tokom i nakon EVS-a. Počelo je sa Erasmusom u Njemačkoj gdje sam otkrila uživam u putovanjima, upoznavanju novih ljudi i učenju jezika.

Bi li drugima preporučila ovo iskustvo?

Definitivno DA! Zapravo, od povratka sa EVS-a surađujem sa organizacijom iz Valencije koja je akreditirana za slanje i primanje EVS volontera.

Bi li voljela da si mogla ostati duže?

Što se tiče ovog projekta ne, jer je predviđeno trajanje bilo dva mjeseca. Možda na nekom drugom projektu ili na drugoj lokaciji.

U ovom smo projektu bile nas dvije cure. Čim smo stigle došlo je do nekog problema sa dugoročnim EVS volonterima, njih šestero, te su morali prekinuti svoju službu prije isteka iste. Iako je ova situacija stvorila poprilično loše okruženje, mi smo iz svega izvukle ono najbolje, dobile priliku za učenje i snalaženje u nesvakidašnjim okolnostima. Upravo nas je ovo zbližilo i poboljšalo naše prijateljske odnose. Također, cure u uredu dobro su se brinule za nas.

Bi li se voljela vratiti u Hrvatsku?

Naravno. Hrvatska je prekrasna, gradovi, plaže… ali najviše su mi se svidjeli ljudi. Vrlo su gostoljubivi, u mnogim situacijama su se prema nama odnosili velikodušno.

Jesi li EVS odradila tokom ili nakon studija?

Na svoje sam se EVS iskustvo upustila sa 29 godina, odnosno nakon što sam završila studij. Zapravo sam već radila, uzela pauzu te se upustila u volontiranje. Za mene je ovo nezaboravno iskustvo, a svakako bih ga preporučila prije početka studiranja.

Opiši svoje iskustvo u tri riječi.

Nevjerojatno, zabavno, nužno.

Koje si vještine i znanja stekla kroz EVS?

Naučila sam biti fleksibilnija, stekla vještine rada u timu, tolerirati strahove i nositi se s očekivanjima. Postala sam otvorenija i kreativnija.

Ono što bih naglasila kao najvažnije je nositi se sa strahovima. Iako je EVS iskustvo u većini slučajeva vrlo jednostavno i zabavno, također može biti stresno i teško (pogotovo kad je u pitanju dugoročni projekt). Ponekad projekt ne zadovolji tvoja očekivanja – dijeljenje stana sa ljudima iz drugih zemalja, različite dobi zna biti teško. Također, nije lako biti daleko od kuće, svoje obitelji i prijatelja. Zbog toga se važno prije pripremiti i osvijestiti o tome.

Ako se možeš nositi sa svime time i uživati u svom EVS-u, po završetku ćeš biti vrlo ponosna na sebe, motivirana i spremna na sve što ti život donosi u budućnosti.

 

Ovaj članak dio je aktivnosti “Mobilni ambasadori” u sklopu projekta Centar za mobilnost Labin odobrenog od strane Ministarstva za demografiju, obitelj, mlade i socijalnu politiku. Mobilni ambasadori će u svojim pričama podijeliti vlastita iskustva na projektima i programima međunarodne mobilnosti.