I finished high school in my hometown in Germany before I came to Bolzano, where I am living and working at the moment. I didn’t really know what I would like to study after, so I decided to do a gap year. There were two possibilities: The first one was to work and travel, but I thought this wouldn’t suit me well. The second one was to do a voluntary service either at my hometown or abroad.
I was really interested in living abroad and that’s how I ended up in my room searching for different options to go to any country in the European Union to learn new things about a new country with its language, culture and people.
One of the few things I knew for sure is that I wanted to work with children and youths, to get in contact with them, play and just have a fun time together.
Ideally I’ve found the perfect project for me in Bolzano at VKE. It is an association which has created a space for children to spend time playing, talking and being free as a child. In Bolzano there are two houses where children and youth can play. In my opinion these places are the places where it does not matter what's your origin, your ethnic background etc. They are places where children and teenagers can express themselves, share experience with others and communicate about so many things.
My expectations were of course totally different to the reality, but not in a bad way. I just thought that it would be somehow a little bit more like in Germany.
Maybe it’s because VKE doesn’t symbolize the typical kind of educational institution. But the relation between the kids and the educators can be described as a relationship with a friend. The children have to accept rules and everything what's important to create a nice atmosphere of course, but while spending time with them in general, there isn't that authoritarian feeling, neither for me nor for the children.
Furthermore there are other things I didn’t expect like this, for example my accommodation. I share a flat with 2 other women. We have separated bedrooms, but we use the same kitchen and bathroom. For me it’s the first time living without my parents. When you live with your parents, there is always somebody home, there is mostly a person who you can talk to if you are in a bad mood. In Bolzano I imagined that I might need some months to feel home, to get used to so many things.
But when I arrived some weeks ago, my flatmates offered me some meal. They took time to sit at the table with me and tried to get to know me when I was a little bit shocked and afraid of the first impression of the city. Furthermore they connected me to other volunteers directly and helped me with the orientation.
Concluded I can say that I don't feel alone at all, because here are many people who're having and have already experienced the same.
Nina Dentler
Bolzano, italy
