Some months have passed since the last time I wrote, it’s almost five months that I’m in Italy. Madonna, the time is flying. These last months have been ups and downs, like life that is cyclic. I’d like to explain you how much I enjoyed the little things: I’ve gone for long walks on my own around Bolzano, because since February here we are in a strict lockdown; I could start enjoying the change of the weather, so I took the advantage to take a book with me and read at some nice place under the sun; and I’ve noticed that Italians love ice-cream because the shops were opening in February!

Besides I’ve decided that this is the best moment to live the local experience, so that I enrolled to the library. There I choose a novel that could give me an insight of the social/historical situation on my region, South Tirol, it’s called Resto qui. To be honest I don’t understand so many words, but I’m trying my best.

A part from that, I feel very comfortable at work; I remember you that I work with kids. It pushes me to apply the knowledge taken at university, while I have a lot of fun. Even sometimes I feel I need much more theory and practise. So we could say that this experience is reassuring the idea that I want to continue my formation.

Take care!

-Marta Forcada

24.01.2021

It is exactly one month since Christmas and Monday will be the first day I will be allowed to go upstairs and work with the elderly in the elderly home I work. I have to admit I am so relieved that this change finally came because honestly I couldn’t stand one more day making decorations for festivities we cant even celebrate this year due to the corona situation. I am very excited to meet all the people I will be working with and collect different experiences. But on the other hand I must say I am a little afraid my basic italien knownledge won’t be enough to understand the elderly. Still I am looking forward to find myself in a new surrounding with new challenges.

Since the last time I wrote to you we developed a close group of friends of us five girls. I am grateful that I met them and built such a close relation in such little time. They helped me to see a more positive point of view on the current Corona situation. We had now more than enough time to go home to our families for Christmas and come back to explore our region (Alto Adige). We got to know the nature of the Alps and saw little villages covered in snow. I still hope we soon will be allowed to travel between regions but I recognized that my current situation wasn’t so bad as I thought. Of course my social service experience is different as I thought but that doesn’t mean it is bad. It just means that it is different.

 

-Leah

 

It’s been a month since I arrived in Bolzano and even it’s not a lot of time I feel that lots of things have happened. Starting from the beginning, I left Spain in the moment where new restrictions came up and no one could move their cities, then I arrived in Italy and two days later Süd Tirol started a new lock down. Yes I know what you thing: a girl with a lot of luck!

The first weeks where basically: exploring my neighbourhood, the supermarkets and nature around me, which here is abundant and I love it. Unfortunately I couldn’t do much more, not even go to my work place, which I didn’t know where it would be. Even though before coming I knew it would be hard moving to another country in this situation, until I arrived I haven’t realized how though it could be being by myself for almost three weeks. Not having the possibility to connect with people. However, in the end, I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to realize: how important is for me to be surrounded by meaningful people and how much joy brings to me. Fortunately step by step I could find very kind humans here and a new learning together with it: being patient and active towards what I want because in the end it will arrive.

At that moment it’s been a week and a half that I started my work in a Youth Centre and I love both the kids and my colleges. I’m so happy to be living in such a special city and exited to see what is going to come.

Marta Forcada

I always knew I have a great family and the best friends I could ever wish for. But as I left Germany I left them as well. And with leaving them behind I left a part of myself at home. I was afraid that especially in this situation there wouldn’t be people to fill this empty space. But I met wonderful kind and open people. And it is only a few weeks since I arrived in my new life. Don’t get me wrong it is still hard to be away from home when everything is so uncertain even more than at a “normal” volunteering experience. Especially when I videocall my friends or my family and I see how everything there is still the same, just without me.

And because of these special surroundings I found myself in a rather overwhelming situation when Marco from Trento asked me to call him immediately because of an emergency while I was having breakfast with my mom in Bolzano 2 hours before I was supposed to move into my new apartment into my new life. In this emergency call I had with Marco he explained to me that I have to come to Trento instead of Bolzano for 5 days because my flat wasn’t ready to be moved into yet. Therefor I packed all my things and got back into the car for a long 45 minute drive to my new home for the next few days. You can imagine that I felt along uncertainty many other different and confusing things. Nobody could really tell me what was happening, or if they did tell me I wasn’t really able to process it, so it seemed like everybody left me purposely in the dark.

But as soon as I arrived in Trento and I met the wonderful girls – my roommates on time- I felt relieved. My feelings changed I wasn’t bothered anymore that nothing turned out as I expected it to be. It was almost fate that even at this situation that I was able to meet these extraordinary girls I hope I can see soon again. They made me feel less alone, less uncertain, they gave me safety in a situation I felt lost. Because I knew and still know that I can bother them at all times with even the smallest of all problems and they will help me with welcoming arms.

The time in Trento moved by faster than I expected and I drove back to Bolzano with a car full of my belongings. Let me tell you it is the strangest thing to see that your life can fit into one little Italien family car. Anyhow we did arrive safe and sound in Bolzano in another new flat and another new city with more new people to meet. I thought that I couldn’t have more good luck like in Trento meeting amazing people. But I was wrong. Because fast I learned that you don’t need many people to not feel alone but few people you feel safe around and know they have your back.

Please don’t get me wrong of course I felt alone or strange sometimes. I do miss going out with my best friends or just chilling at home together. I missed the ability to just walk over the hill and being at my boyfriends. Or taking one bus and being at my cousins. Or crossing the garden and seeing my grandparents. Or living with my sisters and parents in one house always close to each other. I don’t have that luxury anymore. But surprisingly a little bit of home came to Italy because when you hear German around every corner you don’t feel so helpless. There is always a good chance that the lady in the supermarket not only understands your wild gestures but maybe even understands what you mean when you ask: “Avete…Äh,,,la Klopapier (toiletpaper)?”.

Hopefully I didn’t scare you away from going away from home alone. Even if it seemed at first like it is going to be a disaster. Now I am so happy that nothing worked out as planned. Because that is when the best things happen in unexpected situations right? Even the first five days I wasn’t allowed to go to work because I wasn’t confirmed negative yet. In the end I am happy that I had more or less a little extra vacation where I got to explore my neighbourhood and making myself comfortable in this new situation. So be brave and do not scare away from new uncertain situations (like now) maybe something great will happen.

Leah Maisenbacher