Hi, my name is Marta and I am a Latvian girl living in Berlin, Germany. I have been living in Rustavi, Georgia for 6 months. Six months may seem like a short time but if you think of it as half of a year it might seem kind of a lot.
Moving to a
different country, kind of far away from home, gives you a lot of insight into
so many things, not only about yourself but also about work and future work
opportunities. It is a great chance to get to know yourself better and
experience a whole new self.
I’ve been
working on many things, helping out at schools leading German classes, teaching
English at a kindergarten, helping out at youth exchanges, leading an English
conversation club for kids, diverse arts & crafts workshops, planning
events and participating in writing a project. It’s quite interesting to try
out so many things and find what you want to work on. Especially seeing when
the work you did is showing progress with the people you are working with and seeing
them enjoy the activities you prepared.
I will be
honest, these past six months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. There have
been times when I felt as happy as I can be and there have been times when I
had panic attacks and cried for hours in my room thinking that the only option was
to quit and go home. But this is exactly what volunteering is, volunteering is
to fully step out of your comfort zone, to fully feel how it is to be
independent, to feel how it is to establish a life away from home and how to
integrate yourself into a completely new environment.
It has been
a great time so far and I can’t wait for the surprises the next and last three
months are going to bring to me. I’m excited about the upcoming projects and the
adventures that are going to come along with it. I’m excited to spend time with
people that have become close to me. Nevertheless, I am also happy to go back
home.
