Hello everyone! I am Inga, one of AICEM volunteers. In this article, I will try to tell you why I decided start volunteering, how I am feeling doing it and why it is worth to do it! Well, last year was really important to me. I started realize who I am, what I want, what are my strengths and weaknesses. I decided to study at university, but before that I realised that I needed to improve my communication in English. I understood that if I want to reach my goals I have to push myself, get out of my comfort zone. It doesn't matter that I am afraid( I think it's a totally normal feeling, we all are afraid of something). I thought that international volunteering could be a good opportunity to improve my English, general communication skills, meet new people and get to know another culture! I have to try this experience, because when if not now? So, my first step was to do research and find out what volunteering opportunities are (and there are really a lot of them!). I found out about ESC(European Solidarity Corps) and offered volunteering programs. Every single day I was looking for suitable volunteering program (the main area of work with children or young people), was doing interviews with organizations. Finally, AICEM responded and offered to go for 12-months volunteering adventure with them! Start volunteering in Italy, in local community (SEAS, Mentana). Several weeks passed from our interview and I have already sat down on the plane going to Italy and speculate what waits for me. How do I feel about started volunteering abroad? A few weeks passed already when I started and everything is still new, different and amazing to me. I had to get out of my shell from the very first moments and I am very happy about that. I’ve already gotten to know my local organization and colleagues, and I’m getting to know it every single day. Although due to the difficult situation in the world, it is not easy to run projects freely, but step by step me together with others volunteers have already started! Also, I had already explored main places of Rome, main paths of Mentana! Italy is definitely a beautiful country full of surprises. I don’t know how I will feel in twelve months. However, I feel that I made the right decision to volunteer abroad, because from the very first moments I started to grow in every sense. So, if you are thinking about volunteering abroad, I would say do not hesitate! Maybe this opportunity only happens once in a lifetime! The experience of volunteering will let you grow, learn new things, experience a different culture, meet new people and it will fulfill you of unforgettable memories!
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