Time flies so fast! To me, it feels like it was just days ago when I had my interview to come to Portugal to do volunteering. It’s been three months already, and I’m finally here!
Hi, my name is Šimon. I am 25 years old, and I come from Trencin, one of the bigger cities in Slovakia, though in another country it would probably be considered a small town. And this marks the beginning of my adventure here in Almada, a city I can’t fully describe yet. On the day of my arrival, it was raining, so there wasn’t much I could see from the foggy window of the train that took me from the airport. The only thing I know so far is its location—on the bank of the River Tajo, right across Lisbon. From the short walk I took to my office this morning, I got small glimpses of it. The district I live in feels quite familiar; to me, it resembles certain parts of Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. The only difference is the exotic trees all around.
Why volunteering and why Portugal, you may ask?
Well, the answer is not that complicated, but it does require some explanation.
Let’s start with the first part of the question. Last year, I finished my bachelor’s degree and during my final year, I started to feel like I was burning out a bit, craving more tangible experiences and longing to travel and see the world. At that time, I found an amazing offer to go to Iceland and teach photography in environmental camps for foreigners. That whole experience, and most importantly the people I met there, gave me so much that I knew I wanted to do more.
As for Portugal—this country had been on my radar for quite some time. When the chance presented itself, I jumped at it! I was looking for another volunteering opportunity, and I wanted to do it somewhere warm, as Icelandic weather had taken its toll on me :DDD. Another requirement for was that the project needed to involve something creative. So, I was thrilled to find this project, which combines it all!
I hope you will follow me as I embark on this journey, trying to learn and improve as much as I can while doing IT and arts.
Thank you, RATO adcc, for giving me this opportunity!
See you soon.
