EVS in Santiago de Compostela

 Each year since 10 years, Don Bosco organizes a solidarity tournament of futsal for the "Operacìón Quilo". For approximately 2 months, the center collects food in order to redistribute it to people who need it in several places such as 2 parishes San Pedro and Fontiñias and associations (Arela, Cottolengo and Vagalume),  To participate in the tournament each player needs to bring 1 kilo of food. This year, the tournament lasted 4 days starting from Wednesday night and ending the Saturday morning which was the day of the final. During this 4 days, Andrea and I worked in the snack preparing sandwiches/coffees and selling tickets for the raffle while at the same time watching the match and supporting the team of Victor and Angel of Don Bosco.

 Every year for Christmas, Don Bosco organizes “Bosco Nadal”. This year 100 children’s were registered. Some kids came in December, others only in January and a few of them came in during the two weeks in between.

 We were 2 volunteers from Santiago, we stayed 5 days in San Servando Castle in the old part of the city Toledo.   We were 23 volunteers from France, Deutsche, Germany, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Italy... plus 4 trainers.

On March, during the Easter week, I didn't see any procession but I lived one of my most intense EVS experience. Indeed, with three other friends, we decided during this week to do a part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. We had five days to go from Santiago to arrive Fisterra , also known as « the end of the wo rld ». When we left Santiago on Wednesday, 23 th March, it was really sunny. All seemed perfect.

One week before leaving Galicia and ending my EVS, I would like to record what happened last year, what I lived during my experience as a european volunteer. According to me, it was one of the best years of my life. Why ? For many reasons. First of all, I always wanted to learn Spanish. When I arrived in Santiago de Compostela in November, I didn’t speak a word of Spanish. Then, ten months later, thanks to Spanish lessons and local people, I am able to speak Spanish with people, to understand and make me understand, to organise activities with the children of my center, to watch movies in Spanish, to ask at the restaurant.. Even if it was very difficult at the beginning to be in another country without being able to speak its language, now I feel proud to be able to communicate with people and to have done it.

    The truth is that before starting anything, I was worried a little bit or I had a bad feeling about the camps. We had to organize it very fast and as I didn't have much practice in it, I didn't feel that it was quite fair. Despite this, already the first week I realized I had to thank for that we were forced to program because I felt more responsible for the activities as they were ours. Although I got tired enough, both June and July I fond with children and saying goodbye to them it was quite painful. I felt great with the children because they made us laugh or surprise every minute. I remember they “sent me to jail” more times than anyone without being able to comment me the reason but I also keep good memories about the moments when the product of the workshop was showed to their parents or when they told us endless stories. Obviously, there were some not so positive moments but this is part of an unforgettable experience that I will remember for a lifetime.

Jessica and I went to the Intermedaite Evaluation of April, between 18-22, in Mollina. Mollina is 1.5 hour from Málaga that wasn't so clear for me and I went there with the illusion that Málaga would be there at my feet. Well....no. We stayed at the facility CEULAJ that first seemed a labyrinth but that has to do with my non existent skills in orienting myself. From Tuesday til Thursday we had activities from 9 am until midnight that seemed to me too much but Spain has a different pace of life. The truth is that the evaluative activities ended at around 19:30 but after the dinner we had some more funny and entertaining activities leaving more freedom of self-expression. So, Tuesday night we all participated in the Noche Culturcreativa where as a tradition we all had to present our autonomous community in Spain. Acting is not my thing but as I had a viable idea at the time I was indirectly named "coordinator" of this activity. Fortunately, Galicia was about 12 repr...