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We present you Marta Cuesta, an enthusiastic and cheerful girl who returned from Italy a few weeks ago after doing her EVS there. Despite the fact that it can be difficult to live away from home and to face different things, she has used that opportunity to learn, discover and grow a little more as a person. Marta has been a very active and eager to learn, and she has found an experience that she surely will not forget. We will share her testimony with you.
My name is Marta and one month ago I arrived from Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. I have been a volunteer for 8 months in one environmental organization there. I had the advantage to speak the language of the country because I had previously been Erasmus student in Rome but it was a personal challenge for me because for the first time it was too much time away from home and too much time being alone. I perfectly remember how nervous I was the night before leaving, in my head I was imagining how my flight was going to be, how would I meet my host organization and one volunteer, Lucie, who was accompanying me in this experience.
The first day I was walking like crazy around town, trying to memorize the streets. I didn’t stop raining and humidity was in my bones every time I left home. I am Valencian girl, not used to that weather.
Then we started the Italian course offered to us by our organization. At first, I was speaking English with Lucie and the other volunteers but after one month, everything was in Italian. Then the formation of arrival happened, which was the best experience where I could meet other European volunteers and compare experiences. I made some good friendships that I have kept until today.
During my volunteering I was helping my organization to do historical and natural trekking over the city of Verona, we were going to primary and secondary schools to give talks on environmental education to boys and girls there, and three times a week we were helping to clean garden called Parco delle Mura, a beautiful park of world heritage that citizens had forgotten. In the summer I managed to make a summer camp with children between 12 and 14 years in a house in the mountains near Lake Garda. During weekends we organized concerts in a small church in the center of the city to raise funds for its restoration.
I have to be honest, I had some hard times and ups and downs but this experience has made me learn a lot in every way. I discovered a part of me that I did not know. I am a strong, independent person that values the good things of life. I have lived in a different culture, I have perfected my Italian, I have tried dishes and fine wines and especially I have met wonderful people that I will never forget.
I want to thank Jovesolides for their help and good way to work. They have always helped me when I needed them and they have been very supportive. I encourage all young people to do an EVS because I think it is a great opportunity to grow as a person and to learn.
And I leave you with an Italian saying that I learned there which says:
"Learn in your youth, and you'll know in old age"
Marta Cuesta García
European Volunteer in Verona (Italy).
