My EVS in Bolzano Blog dei volontari

Sometimes it’s good if you don’t get exactly what you want.
I started my EVS with exactly this experience.
I wanted to go to France for 6 months. But instead of this I got accepted in Bolzano for a project of 7 months.
It was the best decision I have ever made to take this place at the youngCaritas and go to live in South Tyrol for more than half a year.
The team of the youngCaritas as well as InCo were extremely supportive and it didn’t take long for me to get integrated. They gave me the opportunity to work very independently and also develop my own projects.
I designed T-Shirts, I wrote articles about social topics, I got an insight into the immense variety of work which the “Caritas” is doing and a lot more.
My colleague I for example started to do workshops at schools concerning topics like: What is a culture?”, “Cultural differences”, “How to solve a conflict?”, “Social problems in South Tyrol” and so on…
Whilst doing this I had the chance to have a closer look at the special situation and relationship of Italians and south Tyrolean’s as well as the problems and chances which can occur in an autonomous region.
But I did not only get to know South Tyrol. I also travelled a lot through Italy. I visited Rome, Venice, Verona and other cities and we had the two EVS-Training-Courses at Florence and Napoli.
These meetings were also very enriching! We had the chance to get to know young people from all over Europe and thus learn something about other countries and traditions. To have been given this opportunity of exchange I am very grateful. I got to know so many interesting people and we had so many great conversations and discussions about language, food, politics, TV-Shows, Christmas, nature, jokes, etc. (To just name a few) that I have the feeling that just for these EVS-Meetings it would already have been worth doing the EVS.

The fact that it is already time to leave is mind-blowing. Seven months went by far too quickly and during my last week here I won’t be able to do all the things I still would like to do… The only comfort is for me the knowledge that I have made friends here which will, at any time, welcome me back and which will always remind me of the great time I have had here!
I wouldn’t want to miss a second of this experience and right know I am just searching for the “Reset-Button” on the remote control of my life to just start it all over again…
So, if you have the opportunity to do an EVS: I recommend you to not hesitate! Just go for it!