Pred kratkim je pri nas svoje prostovoljstvo Evropske solidarnostne enote zaključila Ana. Z nami je bila 2 meseca, o svoji izkušnji pa pravi takole:

When I think about everything I’ve lived during my volunteering experience in Slovenia, now that it’s only hours away from ending, I’m surprised by how much I’ve learned without even realizing it. I arrived with no expectations but with the intention of contributing my work and skills, and still, I never imagined that just two months could transform me so much both personally and professionally.

One of the things I value the most from my time here has been sharing moments with people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ways of seeing the world. Working with local people allowed me to learn more about their culture and traditions, and living with others helped me understand how to adapt to different personalities and coexist with people who have habits very different from mine.

Another surprising part of this experience has been traveling around Europe… by bus. In Spain, hardly anyone considers doing international trips this way. People usually fly, or simply don’t visit so many neighboring countries because it’s not as accessible. Here, however, I discovered how easy it is to cross borders in just a few hours. Being able to get on a bus and suddenly find myself in another country, with a different language, food, and architecture, is something I’d love to do more often. It taught me that traveling doesn’t always require a lot of planning or a big budget—sometimes all you need is the desire to go and a small backpack.

My daily routine also changed completely compared to living in Madrid. I used to spend more than three hours a day on public transport just to go to work and back. Here, on the other hand, I had the chance to walk to the office. Something so simple ended up transforming my quality of life, and it’s something I never would have appreciated as much before.

Slovenia has a completely different rhythm from what I was used to. It’s a less frantic country, where people enjoy nature more and make use of their time differently. At first it was difficult to adapt, but little by little I started enjoying my own company again, in a new environment, far from my family, and using that time in a much more conscious way. It has been a space to get to know myself better: to understand what I need, what calms me, what inspires me, and what kind of life I want to build for myself.

All of this, combined with my work, the projects I took part in, and the people I met, has made this volunteering experience much more than a professional opportunity. I will return home carrying new learnings, new friendships, and a way of seeing life that is more open, more mindful, and more peaceful. And most of all, with the certainty that this volunteering experience has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and one I would recommend to anyone who is curious and open to living something like this.