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Senyores i senyors,

Hola a tothom,

Sóc en Henri, tinc 18 anys, vinc de la ciutat d’Hamburg, a Alemanya, i actualment estic fent un voluntariat a LaFact Fupar.

A LaFact Fupar, dono suport a persones amb discapacitat intel·lectual i les acompanyo en diferents activitats. Per exemple, anem a nadar, juguem a bàsquet o a futbol, però també fem altres coses com cuinar, passejar o participar al “Grup d’amics”. En aquest grup, diverses persones es reuneixen i proposen activitats que els agradaria fer. Aquestes poden anar des de sortides a caminar, veure pel·lícules, pintar, menjar xurros o fer manualitats.

A la feina, parlem només en castellà, i de vegades la gent també em parla en català. En tot cas, l’idioma encara és un repte per a mi. De moment, només puc mantenir converses senzilles, però al final del meu període de voluntariat vull haver millorat clarament el meu nivell d’espanyol.

El meu horari està estructurat segons un calendari setmanal. Normalment inclou una activitat al matí i una altra a la tarda, cosa que fa que les pauses de dinar siguin bastant llargues. Al principi em va costar acostumar-m’hi, però ara he après a aprofitar aquest temps per fer coses que normalment faria després de treballar, com netejar, anar a comprar o anar al gimnàs.

Visc en un pis compartit amb cinc voluntaris més. Cadascun de nosaltres té una personalitat diferent, i venim de països diversos (França, Grècia, Itàlia i Alemanya), cosa que ens permet compartir cultures i idiomes diferents. Aquest és un aspecte que vaig subestimar abans de venir a Terrassa: no només aprenc sobre Espanya i Catalunya, sinó també sobre moltes altres cultures.

A més de la convivència diària, de vegades organitzem nits de cinema o sopars compartits, on també hi són benvinguts els altres voluntaris dels diferents pisos. Estic molt agraït per la bona dinàmica i relació dins del grup de voluntaris. Crec que no s’ha de donar per fet sentir-se còmode tant amb els companys de pis com amb la resta de voluntaris.

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Ladies and gentlemen, 

 Hello everyone,

I’m Henri, 18 years old, from the City of Hamburg in Germany, and I’m volunteering at LaFact Fupar.

At LaFact Fupar, I support people with intellectual disabilities and accompany them during various activities. For example, we go swimming, play basketball or football, but we also do other things like cooking, going for walks, or taking part in the “Grupo de amigos”. In this group, several people come together and suggest activities they would like to do. These can range from walks to watching movies, painting, eating Churros or doing crafts.

At work, we speak only Spanish, and sometimes people also talk to me in Catalan. Either way, the language is still a bit challenging for me. For now, I can only have rather simple conversations, but by the end of my volunteering period, I definitely want to have improved my Spanish.

My working hours are structured by a schedule. It usually includes one activity in the morning and another in the evening, which means my lunch breaks can be quite long. At first, this was something I had to get used to, but now I’ve learned to make good use of that time for things I would normally do after work, like cleaning, grocery shopping, or going to the gym. 

I live in shared accommodation with five other Volunteers. Each of us has our own unique personality. We also come from different countries (France, Greece, Italy, and Germany), which means we bring different cultures and languages with us. That’s one aspect I clearly underestimated before coming to Terrassa: I don’t just learn about Spain and Catalonia, but also about many other cultures.

Besides our everyday life together, we sometimes organize movie nights or shared dinners, where the other volunteers from the different accommodations are warmly welcome. I am also very grateful for the good dynamics and relationship within the group of volunteers. I think I should not take for granted feeling comfortable with both my flat mates and the fellow volunteers

Durant els dies lliures, hi ha moltes opcions diferents. A Terrassa, sovint hi ha festes locals, i el Parc Vallparadís és ideal per descansar i relaxar-se. A més, m’agrada sortir amb altres voluntaris, a bars, esdeveniments o discoteques. I, per descomptat, la proximitat a Barcelona és un gran avantatge, ja que es pot anar tant per gaudir de la vida nocturna com per descobrir la ciutat. Encara hi ha molts llocs de Barcelona, Terrassa i els voltants que vull visitar. De fet, una vegada vam agafar el tren equivocat cap a Manresa, i la vista era preciosa!

On days off, there are many different options. In Terrassa, there are often local festivities. The Park Vallparadis also helps you unwind and relax. Besides that, I like going out with other volunteers — to bars, events, or clubs. And of course, the proximity to Barcelona is a huge advantage, since you can go there not only for nightlife but also to explore the city itself. There are still quite a few places in Barcelona, Terrassa and the surrounding areas that I definitely want to visit. In fact, one time we took the wrong train and went into the direction of Manresa. And the view was beautiful!

Intento mantenir el contacte amb la meva família i amics tant com puc. Truco sovint als meus pares, i amb els amics ens escrivim gairebé cada dia. Tot i que valoro molt aquestes relacions, no he sentit gens d’enyorança fins ara. És una sensació estranya, perquè esperava trobar a faltar casa meva, sobretot durant els primers mesos d’aquesta experiència. Potser aquest sentiment arribarà més endavant, quan els dies es tornin més rutinaris.

A banda d’això, ja sento que estic aprenent molt. Estic aprenent a valdre’m per mi mateix, a gestionar la feina i la vida diària en un altre idioma, a fer nous amics, a viure amb “desconeguts”, a guanyar confiança en mi mateix i a gaudir del present. Crec que, quan torni d’aquesta experiència, hauré madurat molt. En aquest sentit, veig aquests deu mesos com un període de creixement personal i de millora interior, mentre intento gaudir al màxim.

I’m keeping in touch with my family and friends as best as I can. I call my parents fairly often, and my friends and I stay in touch by texting almost every day. Even though I value those relationships deeply, I haven’t felt homesick at all so far. And it feels strange, because I definitely expected to miss home, especially during the first months of this experience. Maybe that feeling will come later, once the days start to feel more routine.

Apart from that, I already feel like I’m learning a lot. I’m learning to be on my own, to manage work and daily life in a different language, to make new friends, to live with “strangers,” to be more self-confident, and to enjoy the here and now. I think that when I return from this experience, I will have truly matured. And in that sense, I also see these ten months as a period of personal growth and self-improvement while enjoying as much as I can.