Farewell, Aida and Leo

Leo (18yrs old, from Germany) and I (Aida, 19yrs old, from Ireland) arrived in October in Xylokastro and are now at the end of our journey here.

We began our work in the Youth Centre and the Youth Information Office. Our first event was the Erasmus day. It was a first look into what Orfeas is. We also took part in many workshops, for example, a bullying workshop, Christmas event, water saving workshop, Europe day and Halloween workshop. On Fridays, we went to the open market  and collected fresh fruits and vegetables for families in need in the area. We also took part in painting in a school in Xylokastro.

Leo worked in the Youth Centre and worked with kids for his nine month stay here. He developed great relationships with the kids and enjoyed his time there greatly. He even learned how to communicate with them despite the language barrier.

In the Office I learned many skills. I learned a great deal about social media and how to more efficiently use different applications on the laptop, and how to collaborate and delegate when working in teams. Moreover, I got the opportunity to present workshops and get out of my comfort zone.

It was the first time either of us have been essentially independent, maintaining ourselves. We learned how to better cook for ourselves and to take care of ourselves. I believe we both benefited from this experience very much. We both gained a lot of confidence and many new friends, and we are planing to visit each other and many of the other volunteers we have met.

Over all the experience was life changing and we both couldn’t recommend it more. It is an opportunity to meet others from different backgrounds and make friends with people you thought you never would. The work is enjoyable and you have a lot of free time to travel and keep up with any hobbies or interests.