¼ of my ESC in Georgia Completed

Gamarjoba! I’m Sabina, ESC volunteer from the Czech Republic. I’ve just completed the third month of my one-year volunteering project in Rustavi. It feels impossible to squeeze all my impressions, culture shocks and experiences in one short article so I’ll at least focus on some of the highlights I’d love to share with you.

Before applying to the project, I knew nothing about Georgia. My decision to come here was quite spontaneous. I felt it was going to be an adventure, something completely new I hadn’t had a chance to experience before. And it’s really been like that ever since I arrived here!

I just roughly knew Georgia was a developing country but that was about it. I mistakenly assumed there was nothing much left to surprise me after what I’ve lived outside my home country for five years (UK, Belgium, Spain and Poland). But it’s right Georgia that has taught me greater humbleness and that made me to re-consider my life values as well as perspectives on several different matters. For instance, I now focus my attention on little joys that can make me happy every day; I’ve become more creative when cooking from local ingredients; I’ve become more capable of using my DIY skills when fixing or mending the household with the equipment available.

I won’t lie. The first three months have been really tough for me and I wanted to leave Georgia on several different occasions. I suffered from health problems when getting used to local water, food and hygiene. I was doing my best to find my own space in the local community lifestyle and I’ve learnt a lot about myself: I’m a more introverted person than I had thought I was; I prefer being on my own; I don’t need to be everywhere – I appreciate the beauty of slow traveling instead; I don’t need to be away every weekend and rush to see everything; I can just slow down and observe the world around me without chasing it.

Although my first impressions of Georgia are that it’s a country of many contrasts, I’m deeply taken by Georgian level of hospitality. In comparison to Georgians, I’m a stingy and greedy person, haha. Nevertheless, I guess it’s pointless comparing different cultures. They’re all unique in their own way.

However, what nobody prepared me for was the culture shock from local people straightforwardness. Just like that, I’d be asked questions how old I am, if I have a boyfriend, if I’m married, if I have at least one child in my age etc. And because I’ve been already chased up by both men and women, I made up a fictional story of responding to these questions always ‘yes’, meaning that I have a Georgian husband and one child. Even though I found it immoral to lie at the beginning, I noticed how much easier my life has become after applying this ‘sophisticated’ strategy just because a married status is more respected than being a single European woman travelling on her own.

Regarding my daily tasks, I have a great freedom to do everything I really enjoy. Hence, it doesn’t feel like working at all. Although I was the only volunteer in the organisation for some time, I’ve been recently joined by another volunteer with whom we’re developing further activities, events and clubs together. I look forward to the upcoming months and the lessons I’ll gain from them. J

Let’s see how my perspective changes next time when I’ll be already half way through my one-year project. Stay tuned!

ESC Story from Poland

HELLO EVERYONE! My name is Khatia, 20 years old, student of Tbilisi State University, from Gori, Georgia. I’m going to share a little experience about project, which gave me chance to travel study and do something good for others. In the middle of the summer, I found a perfect project, which means: to study for free, to travel for free, meet new people from all over the world and help others who need my help. So I decided to take part in ESC’s project- 10 months in Poland, volunteering in kindergarten in Krakow.

My project starts in September. Volunteers from all over the world are divided in different kind of schools (special school, autism center) and kindergartens in Krakow.  I’m volunteering in kindergarten, with kids. I have kids of all ages (2-6). To be honest, it was hard in the beginning, but because of good teachers everything changed. They helped me to communicate with kids, because I don’t know Polish. But, after Polish classes, I learned some phrases and it is kind of pleasure to work with people, who have just a love.

Being in this project is the best challenge in my life. Every day is full of new relationships, new feelings and new possibility to do something productive for everyone. During this three month I met a lot of people, who want world to be better place for everyone and I am a part of this group.

 

And of course this is not just work. You can have a lot of fun and enjoyment within the project. On 5^th of December was International Volunteers Day. We cooked our traditional foods, made a presentation about our countries and we celebrated this day by our own. 

I'm sure that after this project I will be better version of myself then in the beginning. I recommend this project to everyone, who think that, she/he is ready to take part in challenge, because it is really good adventure in everyone’s life.    

And thank ESC,  IBPolska and GYE, for this opportunity. 

Mariam pipia's ESC story

Hello everyone, my name is Mariam, 18 years old student from Rustavi, Georgia, who's going to share her little experience from the story, which is taking part in one of the most beautiful and interesting city in Europe. In the summer after the end of first year of university, I decided to take part in ESC’s project and I found the best option for me - 10 month in Poland, volunteering in special school of krakow.

My project started in September. Volunteers from all over Europe are divided in different schools and kindergartens of Krakow. As I already mentioned, I'm volunteering in a special school of krakow, where students with special needs study. To be honest this school is little heaven in Poland, because of energetic, careful, lovely teachers who are in love with their job and students, who are also smart, lovely and super interesting. This school made me realize, that human abilities really have no limitations. I hope after the end of this project I’ll continue working in this field in Georgia.

With working in the school, this whole project is the best year of my life. Every day is full of new possibilities, new relationships, new feelings and crazy adventures. During these 3 month i meet the best people, who are trying to change the world for the better. Working and living with them gives me more energy and motivation to take part in these big changes. 

I’m sure after the end of this project, I'll be a totally different person, who’ll be ready for any kind of challenges, more determined, with more goals. Thank ESC and GYE for giving me this opportunity and I advise every young person to find projects which will be interesting for them and take part in them, Because ESC’s every project can be the best adventure of your life. 

                                                                                                                 

ESC Story from Poland - Nino Karanashvili

Working as a volunteer in the integrated kindergarten in Poland is a big experience for me as a future teacher. Here I practice how to deal with different situations. I have a wonderful opportunity to be surrounded by small children and spend my time in the warm atmosphere. I provide Georgian and English lessons and help in the group activities. At the same time I improve my Polish language skills.

Meeting other volunteers from all over the world is the beginning of a new chapter in life. We share our cultural knowledge, help each other and have fun together.  

Volunteers make presentations in different villages or towns in Poland. We organize activities for the youngsters. The activities provide additional education and fun for young people. We come up with new ideas and fill ourselves and each other with positive vibes.

ESC Story from Slovakia - Nino Sherazadishvili

I’m Nino Sherazadishvili, 27 years old Georgian girl from Tbilisi, and I would like to, share my volunteering story. 

I arrived in Bratislava four months ago and since then I have been working as a volunteer in one of the non-government non-profit organization called SPOSA. Its main goal is to integrate children and young people with autism spectrum into society and help them in various ways.

If you ask me what is the most interesting thing about all this, I will tell you that not a single day and not a single minute are alike when you spend it with a person with autism. This type of project requires daily innovation and challenges from the volunteer. It is a glorious feeling when you allow yourself to break all stereotypes and find another,  completely different world, very special and in memorable colors. 

During my stay here, I found out, even more, the profound differences that exist between our countries. The quality of life of people with fewer opportunities and their involvement in the community's life. That is why I think about what we can do better in Georgia to see the current situation with a different eye and eliminate problems.

I think this is the main goal of the European Solidarity Corps volunteering. 

And Beyond these, to get to know the country and the culture where I live and work.  Now I can say with confidence that participating and getting involved in this particular project in Slovakia, Bratislava, was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life

Mariam Kozlova ESC story from Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia

Let me introduce myself.

My name is Mariam Kozlova. I am a 23-year-old student from Georgia and I would like to share my volunteer experience with the European Solidarity Corps.

My project takes place in one of the most charming cities in Slovakia, Banska Stiavnica, a former mining town and a UNESCO site. For me, as an architect, life in such a wonderful historical place was beyond dreams, but dreams usually tend to come true.

Over the past 6 months, my colleagues and I have been working on the restoration of the Kalvarija church complex, which dates back to the Baroque era and was destroyed during the Soviet era. Now this place is one of the most recognizable in Slovakia, and I am very proud to take part in this project.

In addition to the workplace, our project gives us the opportunity to travel not only in Slovakia, but also in neighboring countries, and in fact, due to its location, Slovakia is called the “heart of Europe”. During my stay here I have visited Italy, Austria and Hungary, and I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Every new day here brings me something new, new impressions, new knowledge, new people around me. Living in a foreign country gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture, now as a tourist, but with the views of the locals in mind, and it's so amazing.

In some ways Slovakia reminds me of my homeland, Georgia with breathtaking mountains and nature, but it is still a new country full of new experiences and new challenges, which usually forces you to leave your comfort zone and start thinking outside the box. And this is probably the best part of my experience.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my Georgian and Slovak colleagues for the opportunity to live and study here, in Slovakia,to explore new cultures and learn a lot of new things every day.

ESC story from Slovakia- Lana Katsarava

Greetings from Slovakia! I am Lana Katsarava, 22 years old. I am volunteering in one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia, called Banská Štiavnica. Banská Štiavnica is a small town, which still keeps its medieval character. The town is on the UNESCO list and hosts so many tourists every year.                                                         

Everything started in May, when I applied for the project and got an invitation from the host organization. I was so spontaneous and happy at the same time, so I didn’t hesitate. I packed my bag and came to Slovakia on the 17^th of May. My organization is the "Calvary Fund". The mission of the Calvary Fund is to restore the Calvary—a sacral complex of churches and chapels. They are also running a youth hostel in the town and a scout campsite in the surrounding mountains. I work in the Calvary exhibition room. During the service I am responsible for opening the churches, providing information to tourists, and selling souvenirs. During the summer, we organized a summer scout camp, prepared the whole area before their arrival, built tents and other wooden constructions.

From the day I started the project, I met many people from Germany, France, Latvia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Czechia , Spain, Hungary, and so on. I developed my language, communication skills, traveled around Europe, tried paragliding and climbing, exchanged cultural and social information. My project will be finished in December and I already feel sad to farewell my new friends and places here. I am grateful for the memories I have collected in Slovakia and want to thank ESC, Georgian Youth for Europe and my host organization for this opportunity.

Salome Chochua ESC story from Poland

Hello, I am Salome Chochua, 23 years old. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and I’m planning to study educational sciences for Masters. My European Solidarity Corps volunteering project in Caritas, Gdansk, Poland is coming to the end. 

The main goal of project was to integrate foreign volunteers into group of Children in Need, to give them a chance to experience new culture, connect with new, international people and develop new academic and social skills. Simply, we the project is trying to make sure that every child has a safe, happy and secure childhood.

During my stay here I have been working with children. I, with local teachers, was trying to build trusting relationships with children within the group. We conducted workshops, and different projects on important topics. I was supporting the project, planning, implementing and evaluating programme events, seminars and other national/international events, providing input and supporting with creative ideas for strategic development of the center. I took part in implementing outdoor, cultural and educational activities.

The city, by itself is amazing. Beautiful, cosy and friendly atmosphere of the city created my stay here unforgettable. Here I made lot of new friends, met with international people from all over the world. I believe this project helped me a lot to develop cultural awareness and open-mindedness. I think I’ve gained enormous growth in confidence and independence, a sense of achievement, and became aware of possibilities.

Thousands of interesting and useful ideas in my head - ESC Story from Romania

Hello, I am Nino. 8 months ago I decided to use the pandemic period productively, take on new challenges and gain life experience. I took part in an exchange visit announced by the European Solidarity Corps and I went to Romania within a month. I am very proud of myself because I accepted this challenge and despite all the fears, language barriers and I moved to a completely foreign space.

The place was called Empowering youth academy, where I spent 8 months, completely changing my worldview for the better. I worked at a youth center. My job was to prepare social-emotional, art therapy and mindfulness activities with other 4 international volunteers for children ages 6-12.  This place has become my source of inspiration! I was motivated to do civic activities when I returned to my homeland. If not for the people around me I would probably find it very difficult to adapt to a foreign space.

I can’t fail to mention how much experience I have gained working with children. The relationship with the little ones turned out to be very interesting and rewarding. During this time I discovered a lot of things in myself.

It was extremely interesting to live with 5 international volunteers. I learned a lot from them that will be very useful in life, thanks to   them. Romania has become my second home, I got so used to the place, the lifestyle, the culture, the traditions and the people that it was very difficult for me to go back. Traveling with friends and discovering new spaces has motivated me to travel and enjoy new sights.

  

This exchange visit, these eight months made my life more exciting. There are thousands of interesting and useful ideas in my head. Most importantly at this moment I know exactly what I want to do in life and how to be happy.

 

 I am happy

ESC story from Latvia - Ia Artmeladze

Hello! I am Ia Artmeladze. I am 23 years old, volunteer from Georgia. My project “100 words about Europe” (2019-3-LV02-ESC11-002815) started in Latvia on 7th February.

The project directly involves learning and teaching foreign languages (English, Latvian), explore Europe values and doing activities with kids in Augšlīgatne kindergarten “Zvaniņi”. Now I teach English to 3-4 years old children and introduce them with Georgian culture. 

Children are very fun, sociable and active. In a short time, I visited some very interesting and impressive places for me – Līgatne, Sigulda, Zvārtes iezis and learned some Latvian words. I have high hopes that by the end of the project I will gain a lot of experience and learned a lot of interesting things. I wish you a lot of success!

ESC story - Ana Margishvili

I am Ana, from Georgia an ESC volunteer in Poland, Bialystok. I am a Bachelor of  Psychology and I have Master’s degree in Special education. In my country, I worked as a special education teacher and I have the experience of working as an ABA therapist in abilitation center with children who have different disabilities. At present, I am focused on special education. I wanted to learn more about the situation in Poland in regards to the field of special education. I was looking forward to discovering more about achievements and activities which are offered to adults. I knew that Poland had great practice with adults with different disabilities, which was the reason I chose this country and this school.

So, everything started like this: That was my first visit in Poland. I was a little afraid of what would happen here, new country, new culture, new people, new school and etc…But I can say that it was the best experience of my life, especially the school. My expectations came true. In school I had new practice, which is going to be useful in Georgia. It was quite interesting for me to see all this differences between the two countries. I participated in activities such as: Gardening, cooking, hoteling, revalidation and so on… The school opens new doors, lessons prepare the   students   for   the   future,   they   give   them knowledge, teach them how to live independently and show them activities they can do after school. However, what I like the most is the relationships between students and teachers. The love and respect they have for each other makes them very friendly.

I can confidently say, that the experience has shown me that, the support of students at the school is huge, this helps them to prepare for international days, there are different workshops for students, where they are able to prepare handmade things, work on zero waste activities, make exhibitions and so on... The most valuable experience for me was the friendship I built with students, these people have become very dear to me.

I can say that this project increased my knowledge and also improved my language skills. my personal and professional skills have also got more advance. Here, with the help of ESC project I got to know new incredible people and we became really close friends. 

In addition, I enjoy travelling, so it was a fascinating opportunity for me to get introduced to Poland. It was a great pleasure to get deeper knowledge of the culture and traditions of Poland. Also my hosting organisation “ANAWOJ” was really hospitable, attentive and thoughtful.

For me it was big challenge to go to another  country and live with other people. So it changed my life and views about many things as it broadened my horizon. I'm very grateful, that I was able to take part in this project.

I have two chapters: My life before ESC and after ESC

Hello. I'm Gvantsa, from Georgia. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in special education. I’ve always been interested in working with children with disabilities, that's why I've been working in this field for 5 years. I have never stopped learning in my profession. I always wanted to do more for my students and to get to know to foreign countries’ practice. During this period I thought about what I could do to develop myself in my profession. When pandemic period started in Georgia it was very stressful. COVID-19 has changed our daily lives, but even in these difficult circumstances, unexpected good news happened. I missed active life and live communication with children and people, because I worked online. That’s why I decided to participate in European Solidarity Corps Voluntary project.

To be honest, I was a little scared at first, but I also was excited to participate in this project. For me it was a new challenge. I thought that it would be a great chance to gain some experience, living in a foreign country, getting to know to new people and culture. Also, I was happy that I would be able to share my opinions, points of view, knowledge and would broaden my horizon.

When I started living in Poland, it was very delightful and exciting. As a foreigner, I would be happy to share Georgian traditions to people. I would meet a lot of children and teachers here at school, collaborate and cooperate with them, as well as learn many fun and useful activities. For instance: supporting children in learning process, handmade craft and zero waste activities, cooking, dancing and language classes, sport activities, preparing workshops: New year, Easter, Georgian and European weeks, and etc. I learnt new methods, which I’ll use with my students in my country. I’m sure that this experience will undoubtedly improve my professional knowledge.

Besides, this project was the great way to learn a lot of things about myself because I’m really getting out of my own comfort zone with meeting and living with other people. I’ve finished my volunteering project. This period has really fulfilled me with positive emotions and unforgettable moments including my travelling with other volunteers in Poland and in different countries. During the project, we had a lot of interesting and significant activities connected to the main topic. Also our hosting organization “ANAWOJ” was kind, hard-working, hospitable and really supportive throughout the project. 

Now I can say without doubt: ESC has changed my life and I am so glad to have had this opportunity. My expectation about this project came true. I really believe that ESC is an experience that no one ever forgets. It happened to my life and I believe, this can happen to your life also, if you never give up on your dreams and do your best to participate in this project. ESC is really one of best opportunities, if you want to change your life. Now I can boldly say, I have two chapters: My life before ESC and after ESC.