Hello to all who have followed my blog about the time of my year abroad! I've been over a month back home and now again fully arrived in everyday life. I took my previous job back and spend my free time with friends and in my usual environment, for simplicity I present the official final report on my blog, which was sent to my supporters. I would first like to thank you again to all who have expressed interest in this project and hope one or the other brought peace service in the near abroad to have. Allen Sicily and Italy, especially the course especially to the future Riesi volunteers I want the best year in life so far!
Ciao Alessandro
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final report volunteering year Riesi / Sicily
2008/2009
Alessandro
"And you're glad to be back home?" This is probably one of the most common questions I get asked since my return. To be honest this question after a year living and working abroad for me not to answer with a simple "yes" or "No". I remember it very well, as I did over a year packed my bags and so my plan was suddenly very fast becoming a reality, while I made a lot of thought among them was the question of what clothes I leave home and what I take even the smallest. A rough picture I had made to me by the testimonies of past volunteers, Sicily itself, I knew by then only by the holiday.
questions like "Will I get through a year without friends and family, without my familiar surroundings?" or "Will I find everything again so when I return?" Fortunately, I did not doubt my resolve to give the military service into a benefit in a social setting and so I pushed to the questions until it is answered by itself over time.
Although I fanned twice the gap year through visits to Germany, I returned the last six months not to go back home and concentrated me on the other hand fully on the here and now in the somewhat forgotten part of Sicily, in Riesi. Of course, I was talking over the Internet to date, so as not wholly unprepared to go home. However, take the situation away as Germany never so true than when one is on site. I also have to admit that the last time I deliberately spent less to read the German news or I talk to friends at home. The last days of conscious experience is a flat easier if one is not with the head in away as Germany.
So I stood in the morning at 6:45 to have breakfast first in peace, do little things like laundry or cleaning up to do. At 8 clock then started my working day, my boss at the time Pepe was always to run to be employed on the land and to organize the work for the day. With such a large institution like the Servizio Cristiano and kindergarten, school, guest accommodation and the site in general, there was always something to do. Replace
less pleasant work, such as drains or along a future access road for days to bury an empty pipe with pick and shovel were just as necessary as the repair of the playgrounds of furniture. My job was, therefore, as broad, so I can say, daily collected a lot of practical experience have.
this were to get the daily trips to the craft shop to part with time as routine as the subsequent Bringing Café (espresso) for Pepe or other employees. Since Riesi is a small town, you meet when leaving the Servizio Cristiano on familiar faces to greet someone to be seen and discovered small everyday situations can have a chuckle.
I observed locked when driving through the village to our family agency which was a side street and a few people around loudly discussed. A startled wasps nest claimed a whole day different "specialists" with questionable Methods to the road to next day to make passable. Arrived at my place of assignment should I wear the crumbling wall of the building so that the cars parked near the neighbors gotten nothing.
prompt presented to the neighbors in the back alley plastic chairs or stood in small groups to get me to watch at work. Some well-meant advice on how to proceed could I kept me more on the work, I was quickly identified as foreign and the topic strayed to the allüblichen questions like, "Oh you're from the Mount of Olives, right?" (Meaning it is the hill where the Servizio Cristiano is) or "Where are you from from Germany? - Ah Munich - Oktoberfest? , No, because I was not, but in Stuttgart, Cologne and Wuppertal I was 20 years ago ", etc. The lunch break was
daily from 12pm to 14 clock, ate in the staff and volunteers together for the rest of the table and I do with time spent sleeping or small stuff. My day usually ended at 17 clock, and it often happened that I have chatted with Pepe and still had to clean up something, and after work you see every now and then little things that are quickly repaired.
In the time of my stay was very much changed in the Servizio Cristiano that could be given at the beginning a management change. A young director, younger than most workers will breathe new life into the stalled habits of the people, what with many compromises and perseverance succeeded in part.
It was nice to be able to contribute as a volunteer in the construction and maintenance of the Servizio Cristiano part. The everyday repair work, for example, to the stone walls of the device illustrated to me: Such a place needs care in order to continue to exist, a maintenance level, for which I was in charge of the Caretaker.
After work, I spent the hours until dinner so that, little things to buy in town to eat ice cream or to go to fitness training. After the dinner, which always turns two of us volunteers were assigned cooking we went almost every day with the others in the city to us to mix with the crowd.
this small town, this relatively large number of localities, which occur weekly music groups, or where people meet to football games to see. The square is always busy, as many locals eat together in the city center for dinner, the adjoining restaurant served while their respective tables. At some point we then decided in a weekly meeting with the director, on Wednesday to explain to the Community Day to be cooking together or going out.
With increasing Italian as well I could very well maintained over everyday matters or matters of principle, which is always fun and very interesting was. Annoying it was for me whenever my incomplete vocabulary allowed only a limited degree of expressiveness. In most cases, it is so that one understands more than can express themselves. The constant rewriting of keywords, however, was a habit, so "drop" you never had an issue of lack of communication possibilities. In general was very considerate deal with us and sometimes a little bit more often explained, but often with the admixture "now you're been here so long and understand the still do not. "The next time we went for it will become more fluent.
Most weekends I spent with excursions to different parts of the island, it has Sicily so much to offer that one year is not nearly enough to do everything worth seeing can be . Because the coast of Sicily are busy, it took me most of the sea nearby towns and villages but also to the Etna for skiing or camping at a lake in the Nebrodi mountains.
I still remember the expectations that I had at the very beginning of the introductory seminar in Torre Pelice / specified northern Italy. "I want to know the culture and lifestyle of the Italians better learn the language and Gain experience. "Now when I think about it, I get a lot of differences in our cultures to tell their experiences.
Also I think it gives me a piece of managed well, I add in the way of life, inseparable from that position solid language skills. On Most, however, I benefit from the experience and excitement for my future career and personal life.
Even now, three weeks thinking of my return, I still often take the time to be part of me now until things clear, the advance appeared opaque.
In this time working up the experienced and the same time settling into everyday life, has in its environment, but some changes, it can be a simple answer to the question "And you're glad to be home?" not to. But is unconsciously and reflexively the answer is obvious:
"Of course I'm glad to be back home, even if` s been pretty down "
Best regards and many thanks to my supporters
your Alessandro
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