Hello to all of you who are reading this article, where I will share with you all my thoughts, opinions and experiences about my one month stay here in Malaga, Spain, within the EVS programme. My name is Daniel Toth, 23 year old guy coming from Subotica, Serbia. I also have a dual Serbian/Hungarain citizenship.(which is a big plus because I don’t need visa :)
For me, coming to Spain was an easy decision to make, maybe because I was lucky being in the right place and the right time meeting with the right people, or because I have a strong interest in volunteering. Last September I participated in a youth exchange, where I met Juan from Association Arrabal (who is now my coordinator in the organisation), who introduced me to EVS and the possibility to volunteer in his organization. It took time, half a year actually, but he didn’t forget about me. The procedure for application was to send my cv and motivation letter to them, which was followed by a skype interview. The final resolution came before summer in May, when I found out that I have been selected out of 250 other volunteers. Maybe I had luck being in the right places and meeting the right people, but my interests in life sure helped me to achieve this goal.
When I came to Malaga in September, my life changed 180 degrees or 360 or 480, maybe I am still spinning, but things are starting to settle, now after one month of my stay. Even my travel, was a big excitement considering that I have never traveled by plane before. When I arrived the first thing I have noticed was the temperature change. Even now, when I am writing this article, on the 4th of October I am casually dressed for summer, having outside 25 degrees.
The first experiences were really good. The people in the organization are all very welcoming, friendly and greeted me with smiles on their faces. My flat mates are also great. I am living with three other volunteers in a flat we share. And regarding the city, the sights, I am still having the first experiences, because there is just a lot to see, and I can’t get enough.
Later on, as I figured things out, about working and living with people, I can say that communication is essential. If you are not an open minded person you will have a hard time getting used to the people around you.
My activities so far are in the field of culture and language, because I enrolled in the project with the topic of youth work. Currently I am an assistant to an English teacher, which I really like. At first I had some doubts, but now I am having my own activities during class, facilitating talks, making presentations, which is very nice. Later on, I would want to try myself out within the organization in different fields, for example, in project writing. But I understand that everything is going on in its own pace, and that don’t want to rush things.
I am really enjoying my EVS experience, as I am learning a lot about myself. On the other hand, people are mostly the same, no matter where they come from: integrity, courage, sense of humor, intelligence, education, these are the traits that you have or you don’t, either you learn them, or someone else is teaching you. In my opinion these traits are not limited, if we are coming from different places, cultures, backgrounds, it doesn’t mean that we must be different from each other.
So if you are open minded, sharing these human traits, or at least some of them :D, I truly recommend you to make the decision, and choose a place to go, based on your preferences, because the options are almost limitless. You will learn a lot about life, and it will truly be an experience of your lifetime, which you will not forget.
I based my decision on the fact that I wanted a life experience, I wanted to make it on my own. I was always protected within the family house, so I wanted a change. I wanted to become more independent, and afterwards the EVS it will be only sweeter saying: I have done it, and it was a great!
Daniel Toth