A stay in Molfetta Blog dei volontari

I had the wonderful opportunity of working as a volunteer in the adorable Southern Italien city Molfetta.
A year that gave many experiences I definitely would not have gotten if I had stayed in Denmark.

Accepting a possition as volunteer through the Erasmus+ program is a good way of experiencing what it is like to live and work in a foreign country. When participating, you get assistance with all the practical stuff required regarding integration into your new job and the society, that in most cases will be vastly different from your own. 

My project revolved around a minor organisation (Inco) working with the Southern Italian youth with the overall goal to promote the possibilities Erasmus+ can offer.
I assited the staff in their daily tasks as much as possible, but since I did not speak Italian I was mostly rather challenged.

When picking the project, it was very important to me that there would be other foreigners in the city; luckily Molfetta offeredlots of projects, so there were plenty of volunteers. These people were all amazing and I am lucky enough to still be in contact with some.
However, I also valued meeting locals but found it kind of difficult to befriend Italians, since my Italien was and still is hardly existing. In addition, most Italians (in my experience) struggled a bit with English, but I managed to join a sportsteam (rugby) and they quickly became like family.

My life in Molfetta was slow-paced compared to my previous life in Denmark and I actually enjoyed myself. I realised that you don't have to always be in a hurry; things will come in their own time.
This was of course a neccessary realisation encouraged much by the sorroundings; since most things come with a delay, you might as well get used to it and drink a cup of coffee while you wait. 
Molfetta was located next to the sea so in the night the promenade would be full of people, the fishing boats would light up the sea and you would sit somewhere with your pals eating a pizza or something and just watch it all. Sometimes I wish I was back so I could take in the atmosphere and the smell of the sea. 

Unfortunately, my project was cut rather short due to Corona and everything, but the time was still well spend. I got to experience the Italian culture of friendliness and understand their fondness of food. I had an amazing time even though I never got to solve the riddle of why pineapple doesn't go on pizza.
In addition, I got lots of friends from other countries I can later visit on vacations.

I would do it all again, even if I knew it would be cut short by corona or whatever random world event. It is such a great experience that you most likely will not get again, so just go. It will not be what you expect, it will be so much more. 

So to usm up; Erasmus+ is a great opportunity, don't miss it for the world.