Syria’s Experience at Udruga IKS – Reflections of an ESC Volunteer

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Syria, our ESC volunteer from Italy, came to IKS thinking she’d stay for a few months – and ended up staying eleven. What started as a breather after university turned into a journey of growth, new friendships, and discovering a version of herself she didn’t know existed. Read her reflection below.

My name is Syria, I am 24 years old and I come from Italy. Before coming to Croatia, I had already had several volunteering experiences in my hometown because I have always thought that helping others is, in some way, also a way of helping yourself. When I started looking for a volunteering experience abroad, however, my motivations were not entirely idealistic. I had just finished university and was increasingly feeling the pressure of what I called “the real world”: finding a job, becoming financially independent, paying rent, bills and food and, at the same time, figuring out what I actually wanted to do with my life. In other words, I needed an escape for a few months. Instead, after only a few days at IKS, I started feeling that I did not want to leave. I liked the environment, the activities, the people and, above all, the feeling of being part of something. I was interested in the organization’s projects and wanted to contribute. What was supposed to be three months became eight and then eleven and, in the end, this experience became much more than the small escape from my responsibilities that I had initially imagined it would be.

One of the first things I appreciated about IKS was the way we work together. Activities are not simply assigned to volunteers: they are discussed, designed and adapted to the needs of different groups. We start with brainstorming, develop the idea, organize materials, roles and timing and, once the activity is finished, we reflect again on what happened. At first, taking part in these discussions was not easy for me. I was embarrassed to suggest my ideas, especially in English, and I often preferred to remain silent rather than risk saying something wrong. With time, however, I started speaking more and more and became one of the first people to suggest ideas. I learned that an idea does not necessarily have to be perfect to be useful and that someone else can take what you imagined and make it even better. This was not always easy for me to accept because, for most of my life, I have tried to do things on my own and in the most perfect way possible. This experience taught me to at least partially let go of my need for control and my need to excel at everything. An activity can work perfectly one day and fail completely the next, even if it is exactly the same activity. The reason is simple: groups are different, just as their needs, moods, experiences and expectations are different. I learned that not everything can be controlled and, most importantly, that when something goes wrong, it does not necessarily mean that it is my fault. Asking for help, delegating or allowing someone else to do things in their own way does not mean being less capable. Sometimes it simply means trusting other people. Communication also became an important part of my personal growth. At the beginning, English was probably one of my biggest challenges. My level was basic and I often had to translate what I wanted to say in my head before I could actually say it. Being surrounded by international volunteers every day gradually changed this: at some point I stopped translating every sentence in my head and started having complex conversations directly in English. This made me much more confident not only in everyday conversations, but also during meetings, while planning activities and when writing articles, captions and other texts for the organization. Croatian, on the other hand, has been a completely different challenge. I quickly realized that even knowing a few words could make a big difference in my relationship with beneficiaries. I attended lessons, learned from local volunteers, used online courses and prepared small vocabularies for specific activities. In some situations, however, words were not even necessary. With young children and people with limited verbal communication abilities, I learned to use gestures, facial expressions, drawings and, above all, simply taking part in activities side by side with them. This was one of the experiences that made me understand most clearly that communication does not necessarily mean speaking the same language. Today I understand some Croatian, I can form simple sentences and during some activities I find myself communicating directly in Croatian. I know how to interact in shops, introduce myself, explain who I am and what I do and handle simple everyday situations. A real conversation, however, is still far away: I get embarrassed, panic and partly return to the same feeling I had with English at the beginning.

The international dimension was a fundamental part of the experience. During these months, I met people from very different countries and backgrounds, with whom I shared not only work but also everyday life. Some became important friendships and I hope to stay in touch with them after the project ends; others will probably remain connected to this particular period of my life. Having people around me with different backgrounds, experiences and ideas gave me the opportunity to discuss a huge variety of topics: from feminism and the role of women to religion and politics, from music and cinema to the way we see work, travel, Europe and the future. We did not always agree; in fact, sometimes our opinions were completely opposite. But this is exactly what taught me to live with differences in ideas. More importantly, I started talking much more about what I actually thought, without constantly being afraid of other people’s judgment. For a long time, when interacting with new people, I listened a lot without really managing to express what I thought, often because I was afraid of being judged or saying something wrong. During this experience, I learned how to manage this insecurity and today I feel much freer to express my opinions, even when I know someone might disagree with me. Some conversations strengthened my beliefs, while others challenged them. In both cases, I learned something, not only from the topics we discussed, but also from simply being able to take part in these conversations without feeling blocked.

Living in Croatia allowed me to get to know the country in a way that probably would not have been possible as a simple tourist. I discovered traditions, food, music, political discussions and everyday habits that were different from what I was used to in Italy. I went hiking, took part in local festivals, visited different cities, spent time with Croatian families and got to know the communities IKS works with better. Little by little, Croatia stopped being simply the country where I was volunteering and became a place I had actually experienced and lived in. This also made me look at Italy from a different perspective. Living in another country inevitably means making comparisons: asking yourself what works better, what you like less, what you would like to change and what you previously took for granted. I discovered practices that I might like to bring back home and, at the same time, realized that there is no single correct way of doing things. The cultural exchange, however, was not one-way. I cooked Italian dishes for Croatian friends and international volunteers and organized a basic Italian course for the local community, which was extended from two to three months thanks to the participation and interest it received. Sharing my own culture and discovering other people’s cultures became part of everyday life, rather than something that only happened during organized activities.

From a professional perspective, this experience allowed me to use the skills I had developed during university in a real-world context. I worked on communication, social media and the creation of promotional materials. I designed logos and visual identities for several projects, including LVC, OlimpIKS, Girls Action Lab and Life Outside The Box, created templates, edited videos and organized an internal workshop to teach my colleagues how to use Canva. I wrote emails and articles, created questionnaires, organized activities and learned how to adapt ideas to the needs of completely different target groups: children, older people, people with disabilities and young people. There were also experiences I had never faced before. With OlimpIKS, I proposed that my hosting organization develop a project for a public funding call and worked on the application, activity planning and budget preparation. Although the funding decision is still pending, the project allowed me to understand concretely how much work goes into an activity before it can even begin. I also developed a completely unexpected skill: cooking on a large scale. Since I was used to living alone, before this experience I would normally cook for five or six people at most. During these months, however, I found myself preparing more or less complex dishes for 20, 30 or even 50 people. Managing quantities, timing, ingredients and the organization of a kitchen is completely different when cooking for such a large group, and this also became a small but concrete exercise in organization and responsibility.

Being a long-term volunteer also changed my role within the group. I saw many new volunteers arrive and gradually found myself helping them understand how IKS worked: how to design an activity, consider the target group, organize their time, use Canva, write an article and simply understand the organization’s daily rhythm. Becoming a point of reference for someone else made me realize how much I had changed since my first days. I arrived with many insecurities and, without even really noticing it, found myself explaining things to other people that someone had had to explain to me at the beginning.

Life outside the office also played an important role in this change. I had already lived away from home during university, but I had never shared not only a house but also a room with people from different countries and with completely different habits. It was not always easy. I had to learn to be more assertive, say when something bothered me and find ways to live with people who did things differently from me. At the same time, I had to work on my tendency to prefer being alone and learn to participate more in group life. I did not always feel like going out, talking or being around other people, but I realized that completely withdrawing whenever something made me uncomfortable also meant missing part of the experience. Learning to be around others, put myself out there and stop stepping back every time I felt insecure therefore became part of the same journey I had started through activities and conversations. Little by little, I learned that I do not have to feel completely confident, prepared or perfect before participating: sometimes you simply have to take the leap and learn by doing.

Overall, I think this experience taught me above all to be more understanding towards myself. I started with many expectations, even if I wasn’t always aware of them, and with the idea that I should be good at everything I did. During these months, I realized that I can have a bad day, not know what to do, make a mistake during an activity, fail to communicate perfectly or simply not have the energy to always be at my best. I also met other people who were going through moments of doubt, worry or confusion about their future, and this helped me realize that many of the insecurities I considered uniquely mine are actually much more common than I thought.

And this is exactly why I think it is important to clarify something for anyone considering an experience like this: simply going to another country does not automatically change you. It is not getting on a plane, bus or train that makes you a different person. You have to allow yourself to change; you have to allow yourself to get involved. You can spend months abroad and still remain inside the same bubble. You can work, go home, speak almost exclusively with people from your own country and never really connect with the place where you are. The real value of an experience like this comes when you decide to participate: when you try to speak a language you barely know, when you suggest an idea even though you are afraid it might be stupid, when you agree to take part in an activity, talk to someone completely different from you, try food you have never tasted, go somewhere you have never been or simply accept feeling outside your comfort zone for a while. Making mistakes, having disagreements, failing or realizing that something doesn’t work are also part of the process. If everything were always perfect, there probably wouldn’t be much to learn.

For this reason, I would recommend an international volunteering experience to anyone who is thinking about doing one, especially those who are still unsure or feel that they are not ready. I believe it is something everyone should experience at least once in their life and, if possible, in a context that is very different from what they are used to. Not necessarily because a distant country is automatically better, but because the greater the distance from your everyday life, the greater the opportunity to truly challenge yourself. Going abroad allows you to step outside your comfort zone and look at your own country from a different perspective. You start noticing what works and what doesn’t, what you appreciate and what you would like to change. You may discover good practices that you could one day bring back home, while also realizing that there is no single correct way of doing things. You can improve your language skills, but also develop abilities that are much harder to measure: independence, adaptability, communication, problem-solving, teamwork, patience and the ability to deal with uncertainty.

I do not believe that an experience like this is always easy, nor do I think that every day has to be extraordinary. There will be moments when you feel out of place, tired, frustrated or simply want to go home. That is normal. It is part of the experience just as much as travelling, successful activities, new friendships and evenings spent together. The difference often lies in how you choose to deal with those moments: you can close yourself off and wait for them to pass, or you can try, even just a little, to let yourself get involved.

I arrived at IKS thinking I was postponing for a few months the moment when I would have to start seriously dealing with my future. I still don’t know exactly what I want to do, where I want to live or what my life will look like in five years. But today I have a few more certainties: I know that I can enter a completely new environment and find my place. I can communicate even when I don’t know the language perfectly. I can make mistakes without everything falling apart. I can ask for help, take responsibility, take initiative and, sometimes, even lead and take on a leadership role without dying of embarrassment or allowing insecurity to take over. I have learned that I can put myself out there, speak up and lead something even when I don’t feel completely confident in myself. And, when the time comes, I can also let someone else finish what I started.

Perhaps this is the real value of an experience like this: it does not necessarily help you find all the answers you were looking for. But it allows you to discover new questions, new possibilities and, above all, a version of yourself that you probably would never have known if you had stayed inside your comfort zone.

 Syria.

Zovem se Syria, imam 24 godine i dolazim iz Italije. Prije dolaska u Hrvatsku već sam imala nekoliko volonterskih iskustava u svom rodnom gradu jer sam oduvijek smatrala da je pomaganje drugima na neki način i način pomaganja sebi. Međutim, kada sam počela tražiti volontersko iskustvo u inozemstvu, moje motivacije nisu bile potpuno idealistične. Upravo sam završila fakultet i sve sam više osjećala pritisak onoga što sam nazivala „stvarnim svijetom”: pronaći posao, postati financijski neovisna, plaćati stanarinu, račune i hranu te istovremeno shvatiti što zapravo želim raditi u životu. Drugim riječima, trebao mi je bijeg na nekoliko mjeseci. Umjesto toga, nakon samo nekoliko dana u IKS-u počela sam osjećati da ne želim otići. Svidjeli su mi se okruženje, aktivnosti, ljudi i, prije svega, osjećaj da sam dio nečega. Zainteresirali su me projekti organizacije i željela sam doprinijeti. Ono što je trebalo trajati tri mjeseca pretvorilo se u osam, a zatim u jedanaest i na kraju je ovo iskustvo postalo mnogo više od malog bijega od odgovornosti koji sam u početku zamišljala.

Jedna od prvih stvari koje sam cijenila kod IKS-a bio je način na koji zajedno radimo. Aktivnosti se volonterima ne dodjeljuju jednostavno: o njima razgovaramo, osmišljavamo ih i prilagođavamo potrebama različitih skupina. Počinjemo brainstormingom, razvijamo ideju, organiziramo materijale, uloge i vrijeme, a kada aktivnost završi, ponovno razmišljamo o tome što se dogodilo. U početku mi nije bilo lako sudjelovati u tim razgovorima. Bilo me sram predlagati svoje ideje, posebno na engleskom jeziku, i često sam radije šutjela nego riskirala da kažem nešto pogrešno. S vremenom sam, međutim, počela govoriti sve više i postala jedna od prvih osoba koja predlaže ideje. Naučila sam da ideja ne mora biti savršena da bi bila korisna i da netko drugi može uzeti ono što ste zamislili i učiniti to još boljim. Nije mi uvijek bilo lako to prihvatiti jer sam se veći dio života trudila sve raditi sama i na najbolji, odnosno što savršeniji mogući način. Ovo iskustvo naučilo me da barem djelomično otpustim potrebu za kontrolom i potrebu da u svemu budem najbolja. Aktivnost može jednog dana savršeno funkcionirati, a sljedećeg potpuno propasti, čak i ako je riječ o potpuno istoj aktivnosti. Razlog je jednostavan: skupine su različite, kao što su različite i njihove potrebe, raspoloženja, iskustva i očekivanja. Naučila sam da se ne može sve kontrolirati i, što je najvažnije, da kada nešto pođe po zlu, to ne znači nužno da je to moja krivnja. Tražiti pomoć, delegirati zadatke ili dopustiti drugoj osobi da nešto napravi na svoj način ne znači biti manje sposobna. Ponekad to jednostavno znači vjerovati drugim ljudima. Komunikacija je također postala važan dio mog osobnog razvoja. Na početku je engleski vjerojatno bio jedan od mojih najvećih izazova. Moja razina bila je osnovna i često sam u glavi morala prevesti ono što želim reći prije nego što bih to stvarno izgovorila. Svakodnevno okruženje puno međunarodnih volontera postupno je to promijenilo: u jednom trenutku prestala sam prevoditi svaku rečenicu u glavi i počela voditi složene razgovore izravno na engleskom. To mi je donijelo mnogo više samopouzdanja ne samo u svakodnevnim razgovorima, nego i tijekom sastanaka, planiranja aktivnosti te pisanja članaka, opisa za društvene mreže i drugih tekstova za organizaciju. Hrvatski je, s druge strane, bio potpuno drugačiji izazov. Brzo sam shvatila da čak i nekoliko riječi može napraviti veliku razliku u mom odnosu s korisnicima. Pohađala sam satove, učila od lokalnih volontera, koristila online tečajeve i pripremala male rječnike za određene aktivnosti. Međutim, u nekim situacijama riječi uopće nisu bile potrebne. S malom djecom i osobama s ograničenim verbalnim sposobnostima naučila sam koristiti geste, izraze lica, crteže i, prije svega, jednostavno sudjelovati u aktivnostima zajedno s njima. To je bilo jedno od iskustava koje mi je najjasnije pokazalo da komunikacija ne znači nužno govoriti istim jezikom. Danas razumijem nešto hrvatskog, mogu sastaviti jednostavne rečenice i tijekom nekih aktivnosti uhvatim sebe kako izravno komuniciram na hrvatskom. Znam kako komunicirati u trgovinama, predstaviti se, objasniti tko sam i što radim te se snaći u jednostavnim svakodnevnim situacijama. Međutim, pravi razgovor još je daleko: postanem nervozna, uspaničim se i djelomično se vratim na isti osjećaj koji sam imala s engleskim na početku.

Međunarodna dimenzija bila je temeljni dio ovog iskustva. Tijekom ovih mjeseci upoznala sam ljude iz vrlo različitih zemalja i različitih životnih okolnosti, s kojima nisam dijelila samo posao nego i svakodnevni život. Neka od tih poznanstava pretvorila su se u važna prijateljstva i nadam se da ćemo ostati u kontaktu i nakon završetka projekta; drugi će vjerojatno ostati povezani upravo s ovim razdobljem mog života. Imati oko sebe ljude s različitim iskustvima, pozadinama i idejama pružilo mi je priliku razgovarati o velikom broju tema: od feminizma i uloge žena do religije i politike, od glazbe i filma do načina na koji gledamo na posao, putovanja, Europu i budućnost. Nismo se uvijek slagali; zapravo, ponekad su naša mišljenja bila potpuno suprotna. Ali upravo me to naučilo živjeti s razlikama u mišljenjima. Još važnije, počela sam puno više govoriti o onome što stvarno mislim, bez stalnog straha od tuđeg mišljenja. Dugo sam, kada bih upoznavala nove ljude, puno slušala, ali nisam uspijevala izraziti ono što mislim, često zato što sam se bojala da će me drugi osuđivati ili da ću reći nešto pogrešno. Tijekom ovog iskustva naučila sam upravljati tom nesigurnošću i danas se osjećam mnogo slobodnije izraziti svoje mišljenje, čak i kada znam da se netko možda neće složiti sa mnom. Neki su razgovori ojačali moja uvjerenja, dok su ih drugi doveli u pitanje. U oba slučaja nešto sam naučila, ne samo iz tema o kojima smo razgovarali, nego i iz same mogućnosti sudjelovanja u tim razgovorima bez osjećaja blokade.

Život u Hrvatskoj omogućio mi je da upoznam zemlju na način koji vjerojatno ne bi bio moguć da sam bila samo turist. Otkrila sam tradicije, hranu, glazbu, političke rasprave i svakodnevne navike koje su se razlikovale od onoga na što sam navikla u Italiji. Išla sam na planinarenje, sudjelovala na lokalnim festivalima, posjetila različite gradove, provodila vrijeme s hrvatskim obiteljima i bolje upoznala zajednice s kojima IKS surađuje. Malo-pomalo, Hrvatska je prestala biti samo zemlja u kojoj volontiram i postala je mjesto koje sam zaista upoznala i u kojem sam živjela. To me također navelo da Italiju pogledam iz druge perspektive. Život u drugoj zemlji neizbježno znači uspoređivati: pitati se što bolje funkcionira, što ti se manje sviđa, što bi želio promijeniti i što si prije uzimao zdravo za gotovo. Otkrila sam neke prakse koje bih možda voljela ponijeti sa sobom kući, a istovremeno shvatila da ne postoji samo jedan ispravan način da se stvari rade. Kulturna razmjena, međutim, nije bila jednosmjerna. Kuhala sam talijanska jela za hrvatske prijatelje i međunarodne volontere te organizirala osnovni tečaj talijanskog jezika za lokalnu zajednicu, koji je zbog interesa i sudjelovanja produžen s dva na tri mjeseca. Dijeljenje vlastite kulture i upoznavanje kultura drugih ljudi postali su dio svakodnevnog života, a ne samo nešto što se događalo tijekom organiziranih aktivnosti.

S profesionalnog aspekta, ovo iskustvo omogućilo mi je da vještine koje sam razvila tijekom studija primijenim u stvarnom kontekstu. Radila sam na komunikaciji, društvenim mrežama i izradi promotivnih materijala. Dizajnirala sam logotipe i vizualne identitete za nekoliko projekata, uključujući LVC, OlimpIKS, Girls Action Lab i Life Outside The Box, izrađivala predloške, uređivala videe i organizirala internu radionicu na kojoj sam kolege podučavala korištenju Canve. Pisala sam e-mailove i članke, izrađivala upitnike, organizirala aktivnosti i naučila prilagođavati ideje potrebama potpuno različitih ciljnih skupina: djece, starijih osoba, osoba s invaliditetom i mladih. Bilo je i iskustava s kojima se nikada prije nisam susrela. U sklopu OlimpIKS-a predložila sam da moja organizacija domaćin razvije projekt za javni poziv za financiranje te sam radila na prijavi projekta, planiranju aktivnosti i izradi proračuna. Iako se odluka o financiranju još uvijek čeka, projekt mi je omogućio da konkretno shvatim koliko je rada potrebno uložiti u jednu aktivnost prije nego što ona uopće može započeti. Također sam razvila jednu potpuno neočekivanu vještinu: kuhanje za velik broj ljudi. Budući da sam navikla živjeti sama, prije ovog iskustva obično bih kuhala za najviše pet ili šest osoba. Tijekom ovih mjeseci, međutim, našla sam se u situaciji da pripremam manje ili više složena jela za 20, 30 ili čak 50 ljudi. Upravljanje količinama, vremenom, sastojcima i organizacijom kuhinje potpuno je drugačije kada kuhate za tako veliku grupu, a i to je postalo mala, ali konkretna vježba organizacije i odgovornosti.

Biti dugoročna volonterka također je promijenilo moju ulogu unutar grupe. Vidjela sam kako dolaze mnogi novi volonteri i postupno sam se našla u situaciji da im pomažem razumjeti kako IKS funkcionira: kako osmisliti aktivnost, uzeti u obzir ciljnu skupinu, organizirati svoje vrijeme, koristiti Canvu, napisati članak i jednostavno razumjeti svakodnevni ritam organizacije. Postati oslonac drugoj osobi pomoglo mi je shvatiti koliko sam se promijenila od svojih prvih dana. Došla sam s mnogo nesigurnosti i, a da toga nisam ni bila svjesna, našla sam se u situaciji da drugim ljudima objašnjavam stvari koje je na početku netko morao objasniti meni.

Život izvan ureda također je imao važnu ulogu u ovoj promjeni. Već sam živjela izvan roditeljskog doma tijekom studija, ali nikada prije nisam dijelila ne samo kuću nego i sobu s ljudima iz različitih zemalja i s potpuno drugačijim navikama. Nije uvijek bilo lako. Morala sam naučiti biti asertivnija, reći kada mi nešto smeta i pronaći načine za život s ljudima koji stvari rade drugačije od mene. Istovremeno sam morala raditi na svojoj sklonosti da budem sama i naučiti više sudjelovati u grupnom životu. Nisam uvijek imala želju izlaziti, razgovarati ili biti okružena drugim ljudima, ali shvatila sam da potpuno povlačenje svaki put kada mi nešto postane neugodno također znači propustiti dio iskustva. Učenje kako biti s drugima, otvoriti se i prestati se povlačiti svaki put kada bih se osjećala nesigurno tako je postalo dio istog putovanja koje je započelo kroz aktivnosti i razgovore. Malo-pomalo, naučila sam da ne moram biti potpuno sigurna, spremna ili savršena prije nego što sudjelujem: ponekad jednostavno treba napraviti taj korak i učiti kroz iskustvo.

Sveukupno, mislim da me ovo iskustvo prije svega naučilo biti tolerantnija prema samoj sebi. Počela sam s mnogo očekivanja, čak i ako ih nisam uvijek bila svjesna, i s idejom da moram biti dobra u svemu što radim. Tijekom ovih mjeseci shvatila sam da mogu imati loš dan, ne znati što učiniti, pogriješiti tijekom aktivnosti, ne uspjeti savršeno komunicirati ili jednostavno nemati energije da uvijek budem najbolja verzija sebe. Također sam upoznala druge ljude koji su prolazili kroz trenutke sumnje, brige ili nesigurnosti u vezi sa svojom budućnošću, što mi je pomoglo shvatiti da su mnoge nesigurnosti za koje sam mislila da su samo moje zapravo mnogo češće nego što sam mislila.

I upravo zato mislim da je važno nešto pojasniti svakome tko razmišlja o ovakvom iskustvu: samo odlazak u drugu zemlju neće vas automatski promijeniti. Nije ukrcavanje u avion, autobus ili vlak ono što vas čini drugačijom osobom. Morate si dopustiti da se promijenite; morate si dopustiti da se uključite. Možete provesti mjesece u inozemstvu i još uvijek ostati unutar istog mjehurića. Možete raditi, vraćati se kući, gotovo isključivo razgovarati s ljudima iz svoje zemlje i nikada se stvarno ne povezati s mjestom u kojem se nalazite. Prava vrijednost ovakvog iskustva dolazi kada odlučite sudjelovati: kada pokušate govoriti jezikom koji jedva poznajete, kada predložite ideju iako se bojite da je glupa, kada pristanete sudjelovati u aktivnosti, razgovarati s nekim potpuno drugačijim od sebe, probati hranu koju nikada prije niste kušali, otići na mjesto na kojem nikada niste bili ili jednostavno prihvatiti da se neko vrijeme osjećate izvan svoje zone udobnosti. Pogreške, neslaganja, neuspjesi ili spoznaja da nešto ne funkcionira također su dio procesa. Da je sve uvijek savršeno, vjerojatno ne bismo imali puno toga za naučiti.

Zbog toga bih preporučila međunarodno volontersko iskustvo svakome tko razmišlja o tome, posebno onima koji još nisu sigurni ili osjećaju da nisu spremni. Vjerujem da bi to svatko trebao doživjeti barem jednom u životu i, ako je moguće, u okruženju koje se uvelike razlikuje od onoga na koje je navikao. Ne nužno zato što je neka udaljena zemlja automatski bolja, već zato što što je veća udaljenost od vaše svakodnevice, to je veća prilika da stvarno izazovete sami sebe. Odlazak u inozemstvo omogućuje vam da izađete iz svoje zone udobnosti i pogledate vlastitu zemlju iz drugačije perspektive. Počinjete primjećivati što funkcionira, a što ne, što cijenite i što biste željeli promijeniti. Možda ćete otkriti dobre prakse koje biste jednog dana mogli ponijeti sa sobom kući, a istovremeno shvatiti da ne postoji samo jedan ispravan način da se stvari rade. Možete poboljšati svoje jezične vještine, ali i razviti sposobnosti koje je puno teže izmjeriti: samostalnost, prilagodljivost, komunikaciju, rješavanje problema, timski rad, strpljenje i sposobnost suočavanja s neizvjesnošću.

Ne vjerujem da je ovakvo iskustvo uvijek lako, niti mislim da svaki dan mora biti izvanredan. Bit će trenutaka kada ćete se osjećati kao da ne pripadate, biti umorni, frustrirani ili jednostavno poželjeti otići kući. To je normalno. To je dio iskustva jednako kao i putovanja, uspješne aktivnosti, nova prijateljstva i večeri provedene zajedno. Razlika često leži u tome kako odlučite nositi se s tim trenucima: možete se zatvoriti u sebe i čekati da prođu ili možete pokušati, barem malo, dopustiti sebi da se uključite.

Došla sam u IKS misleći da na nekoliko mjeseci odgađam trenutak kada ću se morati ozbiljno suočiti sa svojom budućnošću. Još uvijek ne znam točno što želim raditi, gdje želim živjeti ili kako će moj život izgledati za pet godina. Ali danas imam nekoliko stvari u koje sam sigurnija: znam da mogu ući u potpuno novo okruženje i pronaći svoje mjesto. Mogu komunicirati čak i kada ne znam jezik savršeno. Mogu pogriješiti, a da se zbog toga sve ne raspadne. Mogu tražiti pomoć, preuzeti odgovornost, preuzeti inicijativu i ponekad čak voditi i preuzeti ulogu lidera bez umiranja od neugode ili dopuštanja da me nesigurnost preuzme. Naučila sam da se mogu otvoriti, izraziti svoje mišljenje i voditi nešto čak i kada se ne osjećam potpuno sigurno u sebe. A kada dođe vrijeme, mogu dopustiti i nekome drugome da završi ono što sam započela.

Možda je upravo to prava vrijednost ovakvog iskustva: ono vam ne mora nužno pomoći da pronađete sve odgovore koje ste tražili. Ali vam omogućuje da otkrijete nova pitanja, nove mogućnosti i, prije svega, verziju sebe za koju vjerojatno nikada ne biste znali da postoji da ste ostali unutar svoje zone udobnosti.

Syria

„Financirano sredstvima Europske unije. Iznesena mišljenja i stavovi odražavaju isključivo stav autora i ne moraju se podudarati sa stavovima Europske unije i Agencije za mobilnost i programe EU.  Ni Europska unija ni tijelo koje dodjeljuje bespovratna sredstva ne mogu se smatrati odgovornima za njih.”

Sadržaj ovog članka isključiva je odgovornost Udruge IKS.

The contents of this article is the sole responsibility of Association IKS.