Keep Calm and EVS

Article by Elena Friso - EVS volunteer

Mostly of the people that decide to leave for an EVS programme don’t know the exactly reason for which they are moving, what they can find and which kind of experience they are going to live. The only certainty is a luggage full of things that you can need during their period abroad. You don’t know exactly what could be necessary but running the experience you start understanding that the real and important necessary things are around you and that when you’re coming back your luggage is full of new useful tools.
The first tool that you start to put inside your EVS luggage is “sharing”. Since the beginning you share time and space with people from different countries, from different culture and with different background but you also start sharing the reasons for which you find yourself away with others. You don’t know exactly what you are going to discover but together everything is possible.
Everything is possible because you understand that for your experience you need “being open mind”. Living away you commence to knock down mental barriers about you, your culture and the once of the others. You start to feel part of one world where the borders are just political and historical prejudice that until that moment prevented you to be and feel a better person.

Until the moment you leave for your project probably you just have heard about “seeker of adventure” without understanding the real meaning. Your home is not going to be just a building anymore but a way of living. Since you starting moment plan everything you would like to do and especially try to discover everything: places, peoples, cultures and activities. Everywhere you are going to do your EVS don’t limit yourself to stay just in one place: make a good use of your opportunity and start exploring for sure you will never end.

“EVSing” you become a richest person in values, in skills and in friends. You start to have another vision of your future and of your life, you decide to plan something new for your life path that may be, after your EVS, you decide not covering alone anymore. It will be a travel from which you’re not coming back again: you’ll bring your new luggage, every time, every day, everywhere with you.