My ESC in Trento

Hello everybody! I’m Nina from Georgia and I’m gonna tell you about my volunteer’s experience. I always wanted to be an international volunteer and my dream came true last year. I’m doing my project at the nursing home in Trento, North Italy. “Stella del Mattino” is a place, where elderly people live their quiet life. I’m happy I got  a chance to brighten up their days. At the beginning we had a language barrier, but despite of this we understood each other. They were very patient with me and tried to teach me Italian even with body language.

Every day starts with the gym, where old people spin the exercise bikes and do some simple exercises to stay healthy. Then there are some activities which include drawing, painting and making decorations. I already prepared some crosswords for mental activities and I was amazed at their knowledge.One of my favorite activity is “Tombola” – old lotto game, where everyone hopes to win a small present. It makes me happy to see the sparkle in their eyes when they get a gift. During this short time these people became very close to me. Some of them remind me my granny. I got so much warmth and love from them that I’ll always keep in my heart. It’s priceless to see smile on their faces. Each of them is individual and everyone needs a special approach. Some of them don’t speak, they just hold my hand and see my face well, touch my hair and smile to me and at this moment you understand you can bring some warmth and happiness to them, who needs it most of all. And now I’m writing this story I remember them and miss them so much.

Thank to this project I met another volunteers from different countries and I really enjoyed spending time with them.This project gave me a chance to discover myself, to see how I can act in different kind of situation and how to live abroad alone without family. 

I recommend every young people to participate in ESC projects which give us so much nice opportunities and chances.