A Wonderful Experience I Would Repeat Without a Second Thought.
My name is Silvana, I am 23 years old, and I performed my volunteer duties from August 2023 to May 2024. Looking back, these 10 months of volunteering went by in the blink of an eye, but they were filled with many memories, new friendships, laughter, tears, and travels. For me, this was a new chapter in life, as I moved to another country, separated from my family, learned something new about the culture, and most importantly – the language.
At first, the arrival seemed stressful because I didn’t know anyone, but everything turned out well. I was warmly welcomed, settled into an apartment, given three days to rest, and then I met the staff at Pax Christi (the coordinating organization in Germany), who explained my duties to me again. In those first days, I went on my own to enroll in a German language course and register at the foreigners’ office. My prior knowledge of the German language greatly helped me in communicating with others, but of course, most people know English, which makes it easier to explain things when you don’t understand something in German.
My volunteer experience began at Achterstraße Vinzenz-Heim in Aachen, where I met eight residents with special needs. My duties included making them tea or coffee, helping with laundry, spending time together, taking walks, playing board games, cooking, and having fun. They became my little family here, as I spent the most time with them. Everyone was very kind from the start, and they were glad that I came to work with them. My colleagues were also fair, and I had no problems; we always coordinated everything, and I was satisfied with the arrangements. After a while, I began assisting with the residents’ care, which was something new for me since I had never done it before. What I liked the most was that every month there was a different festival or an important date for them. We celebrated Christmas together, and we had a party where everyone bought small gifts for each other. We went together to the Tivoli stadium for an event, which is their tradition where everyone lights candles and sings Christmas songs, with about 25,000 people attending. In the winter, the city was in a Christmas frenzy. The city is always full of people walking around, whether it’s raining or sunny, and cafes and restaurants are always packed. The cinema, theater, zoo, Aquis Plaza shopping center, Elisenbrunnen, Aachen Cathedral, and the market are the most visited places in Aachen.
In addition to volunteering, I attended two seminars, the first in October and the second at the end of February. There, I met many people from different countries, and it was very fun to learn something new about each country, as well as about their experiences as volunteers. At the seminars, we could discuss any problems we had in the organization or anything we were interested in. At the first seminar, I met a volunteer named Sema from Azerbaijan, with whom I stayed in contact, and we traveled together to Luxembourg and Maastricht in the Netherlands. We have the advantage of being able to travel to Belgium and the Netherlands because the border is near Aachen, and France and Luxembourg are not far either. So, anyone who loves to travel and see something new has that opportunity with the DB card, which is paid for by the organization.
In addition to all that, I found a side activity: I started carnival dancing. I even had my first performance in February, and with the other girls, I celebrated the carnival, which I recommend to everyone who loves a good time. They should visit Aachen or Stolberg in February because it’s an unforgettable experience that you can’t experience in Bosnia.
In the end, we held a farewell party for my departure, where I cooked for all the workers and residents. The girls from the dance group made a video that brought me to tears.
It was a beautiful experience that I would repeat without hesitation. My emotions were mixed—I was sad because everything ended so quickly and because I wouldn’t see them as often, but also happy and proud because I proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to and that nothing is difficult if you have love, respect, and a smile on your face. I am grateful to my family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who supported me during my volunteering. They gave me the wind at my back and believed in me, seeing that everything I do, I do to make others happy but also to further develop myself both mentally and physically as a person and to reach my goals.
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The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is a European Union initiative for young people aged 18 to 30. It offers an inspiring and empowering experience for young people who want to help, learn, and develop in another country.
