Fa més de 5 mesos que vaig fer la maleta i vaig venir a Terrassa per la primera vegada. Puc dir fàcilment que aquests mesos han tingut un gran impacte en mi. He tingut l’oportunitat de fer records que mai oblidaré, he guanyat experiències i he conegut gent increïble. En realitat he començat a anomenar aquest lloc la meva nova llar. Una de les raons per això són sens dubte els meus companys de pis. Estic contenta de compartir aquesta experiència amb ells. Tothom està sempre allà per escoltar o ajudar i jo sé que sempre rebré una abraçada quan la necessiti. Fa només unes setmanes em van sorprendre amb un pastís d’aniversari que va ser un gest tan bonic. Aquests moments em fan adonar que no ho som desconeguts, però amics íntims. Us estimo nois ❤️

Quan vaig començar el meu projecte, va ser súper emocionant però no sempre fàcil, ja que vaig necessitar un temps per entendre com funcionen les coses. Ara puc gaudir realment del meu treball de voluntariat. Conec la gent, les activitats i em sento realment part de l’equip. Una cosa que vaig haver d’aprendre és que l’important no és ser una voluntària perfecte o fer sempre molta feina. No, es tracta d’estar-hi per al persones si és ballar, pintar o “només” escoltar. Per descomptat, formo part de diferents activitats com anar a la biblioteca, donar una a ma o ajudar a l’hora de dinar. Però de vegades tenir una orella oberta i donar una abraçada és tan important com les altres activitats que estic fent. Com un voluntari tens l’oportunitat de connectar amb la gent del centre i això és el que jo estic fent. Han començat a ser una part important de la meva vida aquí. Això és una cosa que no m’esperava, sobretot amb la barrera de l’idioma, però és possible i és una cosa tan bonica.
D’alguna manera, tinc converses plenes amb gent que només parla català (i jo no) i és així una de les coses més divertides. Sé que cada dia quan vaig a treballar hi ha gent amb un gran somriure que estem emocionats i contents de poder passar una estona junts. I aquests són els moments en què m’adono que vaig prendre la decisió correcta venint aquí 🙂

Amb Prodis puc viure moltes activitats i festes noves, que no podria fer a Àustria. Un dels meus moments preferits amb Prodis aquest mes va ser el Carnaval quan vam participar a la Rua de Carnestoltes de Terrassa. Les setmanes anteriors vam fer les nostres disfresses i vam aprendre a dansa. El dia de la Rua ens vam fer el Maquillatge, vam ballar i vam riure molt.

Evidentment, hi ha moltes més coses sobre les quals podria escriure perquè hi ha alguna cosa passant cada dia. Només estic a la meitat de la meva experiència i estic emocionada de veure com seran els propers mesos.

Amb carinyo, Elisa

English version 🇬🇧

It has been more than 5 months since I have packed my suitcase and came to Terrassa for the first time. I can easily say that these few months had a great impact on me. I had the chance to make memories I will never forget, I gained experiences and met amazing people. I actually started to call this place my new home. One of the reasons for that are definitely my flat mates. I am glad to share this experience with them. Everyone is always there to listen or help and I know I will always get a hug when I need one. Just a few weeks ago they surprised me with a birthday cake which was such a cute gesture. These moments make me realize that we are not strangers anymore but close friends. Love you guys ❤

When I started my project, it was super exciting but not always easy since it takes a while to understand how things work. Now I can truly enjoy my volunteering work. I know the people, the activities and actually feel like a part of the team. One thing I had to learn is that it is not about being a perfect volunteer or to always do a lot of work. No, it is about being there for the people if it is dancing, painting or “just” listening. Of course, I am part of different activities such as going to the library, fet a ma or helping during lunch time. But sometimes having an open ear and giving a hug is just as important as the other activities that I am doing. As a volunteer you get the opportunity to connect with the people from the center and that is what I am doing. They started to become an important part of my life here. That is something I did not expect, especially with the language barrier, but it is possible and such a beautiful thing. Somehow, I have full conversations with people who only speak Catalan (and I don’t) and it is one of the funniest things. I know that every day when I am going to work, there are people with a big smile that are excited and happy that we will get to spend some time together. And these are the moments I realize that I made the right decision by coming here 🙂

With Prodis I get to experience many new activities and fiestas, I would not be able to do in Austria. One of my favorite moments with Prodis this month was Carnival when we participated in the Rua de Carnestoltes in Terrassa. The weeks before we made our costumes and learnt a dance. On the day of the Rua we got our Make-Up done, danced and laughed a lot. Obviously, there are much more things I could write about because there is something happening every day. I am only halfway through my experience, and I am excited to see how the next few months will be.

Love Elisa 😊