ESC in Rustavi - Katia's Story

Hello everyone! I am Katya, a volunteer at Georgian Youth for Europe. I came from Poland, even though I am originally from Belarus. 5 Months have already passed since I landed at Kutaisi in December to spend several months in Rustavi.

I had previously visited Georgia and was excited to come back! Georgia for me is a country of hospitable people and amazing nature and all these months I have spent here so far can only prove it.

My main activities as a volunteer include English lessons for youngsters and organizing various cultural and educational activities. For examples, in February we organized the first edition of YOUth TALKs, an adaptation of the TEDx format, where young people are able to share their personal stories. I have also organized a series of workshops related to Human Rights issues and political discussions on the topics such as the “Relations between Russia and Ukraine”. Apart from this, I am involved in some bigger projects such as Erasmus+ youth exchange that we had in April for young people from Georgia and France; I had a chance to prepare and conduct some of the activities. Currently we are planning a training course for Georgians about Hate Speech and how to deal with it.

My free time I usually spend with other volunteers from GYE or Scout Center or some GYE participants. Therefore, we sometimes explore Tbilisi together. I really love this city for the variety of things you can do there: I have been watched the spectacle in the theatre and visited an art exhibition. I have also managed to travel a bit and see the mountains in Guria and Borjomi and the seaside. But the most impressive for me were the mountains in Kazbegi as I have never seen such high mountains! The view was stunning! I hope to travel more and come to the neighboring Armenia as it is getting warmer.

I would encourage everyone to take this challenge to live in a new country as it is truly unforgettable experience!

ESC story - Shota Gelashvili

I can tell my story started from the Moment the plane landed in Vilnius. It was the 10th of January almost 3 months ago. From this moment I knew I had an amazing time ahead and I was not wrong. On the next day my coordinator took me to my work place at the Technic Center where we met my colleagues, children and the staff. 

It took me about two or three weeks to adapt with the new workplace, new people, new environment and the harsh weather of Lithuania, coldness and frost. The month started with already planned classes with children who are taught robotics, coding, new technologies, inventions and new programs. It was a wholly different experience for me. I've never been in touch with coding and programming. I had to learn everything from the bottom. We also had some chemistry and physics as well as some crafting classes. We are of course made robots again. I spent some time with all the volunteers and they are amazing, adorable, intelligent people. We plan meetings together, we moderate conferences together, we plan Mutual projects together which are going to be about minorities, their rights and future possibilities in post-soviet societies. In February , pretty much everything was the same. There are classes which are already planned. I have to help teachers check for supplies, charge all the robots and iPads, and come up with some new ideas regarding the follow-up classes. 

In the beginning of the March 4-5 days we had on-arrival training in Trakai (Lithuanian Bakuriani) . I met so many new people and new volunteers from other cities like Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panavejis and Vilnius. We spend time together. We came up with new ideas. We exchanged our opinions regarding their personal projects. In the end I got acceptance from some volunteers that we are going to plan one project together which will not be a personal project but a group project for all volunteers.

 After we arrived it's been kinda ironic. because we live 3 together in my apartment, me, one from azerbaijani, one from Turkey. In February Turkish girl had covid, in march azerbaijani girl got positive and now I'm infected too, so Covid doesn't give us any chance to travel around to see new places, at the same time the weather is not perfect shining, it's always cloudy and cold that we are waiting for summer to come. 

One of our teachers' ideas was to create a Lithuania country shape from computers and electronic details. I loved this idea from the moment she told me and we started working on the project. It was from February till March 11th. On March 11th Lithuaninans have another Independence Day. to be exact its independence restoration day. so this project took us 2 weeks to prepare all the materials for the shape, To make that shape smooth and representative. The project was so massive, the shape is about 2 meters in length and 1 meter in width. It drew the attention of national television and we were on one of the afternoon programs. The teacher and I were talking about how we did it, what the main idea was, what challenges we faced and also I mentioned about volunteering, the awareness in society and what volunteering means in general. so many people do not know about it as I'm not living in the capital. I live in a small city called Siauliai. We also mentioned the war in Ukraine. This topic is crucially important for Lithuanians as well as for Georgians because North's neighbor is Russia for us, and Lithuania has borders with Russian plus Belarus. 

I also have to mention my presentation which took place on 24th of February in one of the schools our Center has educational activities. I explained to little children where Georgia is, what language we speak, what Georgian people actually look like, and how the Georgian alphabet is completely different from everyone else's. They got so interested they learned some Georgian words such as, Gamarjoba, Madloba, Nakhvamdis. After that we had some quiz about Georgia, main questions like what the currency is, what the capital of Georgia is, what language we speak, and so on. The winners got some Georgian coins as a souvenir and they were so happy. With Legos we built Lithuanian and Georgian flags.

I also have to mention the interest people show when I say that I'm from Georgia, but actually I don't say that I'm from Georgia I say I'm from Sakartvelo, and they know what I mean by that because Lithuania is the only nation which decided to call us by our own name, as we call them by their names and it's Lietuva, not Lithuania. I feel included and warm-hearty welcomed here. 

I was planning a new lesson for kids in second and third grades with robots. Oh, they have to code the way on Georgian maps. For example they have to go from Tbilisi to Kutaisi or from kutaisi to Batumi, but it will be on a code map with robots, they have to use some symbols, front, back, turn and recording puzzles and get their own way through. Now I got tested positive with covid-19 so probably I have to stay at home for the next two weeks and I will have some time to think about and get my project more sophisticated and come up with new ideas as well. 

While I'm volunteering here I also study in Georgia Ilia State University online and this is 1 + challenge for me too. Maybe because of the distance, time difference and that overlapping schedule. But I do what I love the most, I talk with children, I'm in a creative environment and I meet so many new people who are absolutely adorable. In the meantime I made friends with future leaders. I would say as currently we are working on projects which will help European solidarity Corps raise their standards. To make it short everything is going great and we keep working. So my project is supposed to be 1 year. It's been just three months. I have nine months left. One fourth of my project is already covered and I used this period to get used to the environment, people, social rules and the country in general.

Ana Dekanosidze - ESC Story from Lietuva

Hi everybody. I’m Ana, 25 years old. I’m doing volunteering in Lithuania, Telšiai. Telšiai is a small city with beautiful lakes.

I work with youngsters to help their informal socialization. This is a long-term volunteering program and I will stay in this country for one year which I believe, is a perfect opportunity to get to know this country well, expand my horizons and acquire new skills.

I studied Cultural Studies at University and that’s why for me it is extremely important to meet new cultures and people. While I’m staying in Lithuania, I’m learning Lithuanian language which helps me to understand this culture and people better.

Volunteering is about giving and being happier, however, it can be challenging as well - prior to my arrival here, I was thinking that I would interact with youngsters in English, however the reality partially met my expectation; A lot of them do not speak English at all and thus, that was a huge challenge at the beginning of my volunteering. That’s why, I decided to find other ways to interact with them: such as entertaining and educational activities to improve communication with them.

It has been only 2 months since I am here and I already overcame challenges I faced, made friends and gain a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. ESC volunteering gives you an opportunity to discover new passions in a relatively less stressful environment and helps you to broaden your perspective in many directions.

Nino Karanashvili ESC story from Poland

It has already been five months of my voluntary project coordinated by AKWEDUKT in Kwidizyn, Poland. I work in the integrated kindergarten, where children different diagnosis and healthy children go together. I am absolutely in love with my job. I like to help the kindergarten staff in daily life. Most of all I like to help the children to achieve a small daily success. We do handcrafts, we sing or play.  Now, wonderful spring weather gives us opportunity for walking and outdoor activities. Working in the kindergarten is the job where I find myself the most comfortable.

Together with AKWEDUKT organization, we made Culture Days for children in Kwidzyn. During two weeks, volunteers from different countries have organized particular days to introduce their culture with the children. We created very happy, interesting and memorable days for the children and ourselves.

Besides the job, I traveled in Malbork and Gdansk - wonderful Polish cities. Together with volunteers we celebrate birthdays and make parties when we share our cultures and emotions. Our coordinator organization AKWEDUKT has accepted many volunteers from Ukraine. We support each other as much as we can.

In future, I plan to organize Georgian and English workshops for teachers in the kindergarten. I also plan to travel in different European countries and finish my Master’s studies that I do online. Some of my co-volunteers plan to visit Georgia in the summer.

ESC story from Portugal - Natia Lelashvili

Ola! My name is Natia Lelashvili, 29 years old, from Sakartvhelo, also known as the nation of Georgia. I came to Portugal as a volunteer of the European solidarity corps not knowing what to expect, but my life has forever changed with this program.

Prior to coming to the program, I’ve always loved exploring the unknown, and worked in my country as a tour guide, offering people the chance to experience the remarkable beauty of my country. Selflessly sharing the things I love the most inspired me to get out of my comfort zone, and do the same, in a faraway land!

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived, but I fell in love with the beautiful coastal cities, the warm hospitality, and most importantly, the feeling of life slowing down.

I was greeted in the program with like-minded, kind and fun people, who shared a passion for creativity, thinking out of the box, and exploring different ways of learning to push themselves forward.

During my time, the program has challenged me in many exciting ways that have made me want to continue to improve myself. The day-to-day tasks always felt like a new adventure, that ranged from dancing, teaching, solving puzzles and most importantly, working with the local youth to uncover modern day issues such as global warming, pollution, and ways to solve them to create a greener, brighter Portugal. Every interaction felt like a positive impact on the local community that left me with a sense of fulfillment!

Amongst our team, together we had a chance to experience the Azores, that instilled a sense of family and unity. All the leaders, mentors and mentees put work aside and explored the island life together, in a beautiful and relaxed setting. Together, we swam in volcanic hot water springs, indulged in meats steamed underground from the boiling volcano water, and interacted with the charming local people. 

My program will end in April.  I am honored and beyond grateful to meet such wonderful people, engage in an exciting project, and get a chance to open my eyes to a new culture and way of life!