Volunteering painted my life with rainbow colors

Before starting my first deployment I had some expectations in mind of what it would have been. I was mainly focusing on the job aspect, I was excited about the new tasks, how the work would have been. The rest was a bit in the background, I didn't think about it much.

But the deployment is a full immersion into a new life, and what I didn't realize was that the job is just half of it. Part of the day is spent in the office, but there is a big part outside of it. And that's part of the deployment too. Understanding where the closest supermarkets are, getting to know your neighbor, getting lost while trying to reach home, trying to make new friends, putting yourself out there, and building a new life day by day. It's a jump into the unknown, a very exciting jump. It is a bit intimidating at the beginning, but that's where the gain lays, stepping out of your comfort zone and being transformed by the experience without even realizing it. 

I didn't have a full grasp of what I would have found by moving to Istanbul. 

I found a job where I never stop learning. I found a city that gets under your skin, a mix of contradictions that together somehow make sense. I found a family, friends that will be there even when our roads will separate, a community so warm and welcoming that made me feel at home from the first moment. 

A couple of weeks ago it happened to be my birthday. When I stepped into the office all the team was there ready to surprise me with an amazing birthday party. They went above and beyond and it was the perfect way to celebrate: all my team around and a table full of croissants. 

And while I was sitting there I realized that the jump was so worth it, and it enriched my life in a way I could have never anticipated.

And that's what volunteering has always meant for me, a gift of opportunities and challenges that make life fuller and more colorful. 

In Istanbul during Ramadan

 

Time has been flowing in a different way since the beginning of the pandemic and months are passing in a blink of an eye, but still, every week is filled with new experiences, and looking back at these past few months many things happened. I have been busy with many projects in Small Projects Istanbul(SPI).  For a few months we went back to office a bit more frequently, which was also a nice change. I really miss spending time with my colleagues and it was great being with some of them in the same space once in a while. 

I will go more in details about my work and the projects in my next blog, but this time I thought it could be interesting just talking a bit about my life outside of work. 

Many of the perks of being deployed in a new country are definitely connected with the work and the skills you gain within your position, by collaborating with inspired and hard working professionals from different countries and applying your expertise in a different context, but having the chance to get to know and understand a new culture and become part of it is also an amazing opportunity.

Turkey is still holding some restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID 19: the weekends are in full locked down and every day there is curfew from 7pm to 5am. Restaurants and cafes can only serve takeaway and masks are still mandatory when outside. It's not easy for sure, but we are all trying our best to isolate as much as possible and do our part in helping the situation improve, which means that I don't really go out much, apart from shopping and walks outside when the weather allows it.

But still, even with these limitation, Istanbul is a city that offers so much. I live very close to the port and I can sit near the seaside and enjoy the fresh air and that amazing fragrance of sea and spring air. 

Also, last week Ramadan started here in Turkey. Ramadan is usually a month of conviviality and celebration, where many people fast during from sunrise till sunset and get together to break the fast and spend some time in the evening with their families and their community. This year is going to be celebrated in a more private and contained way, but still, Ramadan is always a month I like a lot. Every morning at 4am, groups of drummers roam around the city to wake people up, so that they can prepare and have breakfast before the sun rises. The shops and bazaars are filled with new and interesting food made especially for Ramadan, like the Ramadan pide (a round and flat bread sold in every bakery of the city), tamarind sherbet (a sweet beverage made of tamarind), or güllaç (a special dessert made of milk, fresh and dry fruit and pastry). 

I am really enjoying every small discovery I make in the market, and try food I didn't know before and get to know Istanbul and Turkish culture a bit better. 

That's all for now, but I will get back soon with more details about my deployment. ✌

A year in my EUAID life

 

One of my favorite things when I reach a milestone is look back and do a revision. Go back in time and recollect the first memories of places and streets where I used to get lost and now are so familiar to me, or the first impressions of people who now are family more than friends. I like to look at things that now come easy, but took effort to achieve. 

The specific milestone is the first year in Istanbul.  

I walk though the streets of my neighborhood Balat and everything looks homely and familiar, I know the shopkeepers, my neighbors sometimes share some food with me (I got some great food during Ramadan 😁). Now I can have basic conversations in Turkish and, not a bit shocker for who knows me well, I know everything about Turkish and Syrian food and all the best places for food around the city. I feel home and it feels really good. 

Also, when I look back I feel so glad I was deployed as EUAID volunteer, it has been one of the most formative years of my life, both on a personal and professional level. I gained so many new competences and discovered things about myself that I didn't know, like a passion for graphic design and that I love taking pictures to express myself and the work SPI is carrying on.

I am glad I took part in the pre-departure training, which provided so many useful tips and knowledge which really came handy, especially during this weird 2020. It gave me tools to work in stressful situations and develop resilience, which was very much needed, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, where many changes came all together and forced us to face and adapt to a new reality.

And I am glad I became part of Small Projects Istanbul's team, especially during this weird year, which put many obstacles on our path, but it also became an opportunity to find innovative solutions to thrive.

 

I have to say, I feel very lucky my job was not disrupt by working mainly from home and I still can safely participate in some of the activities of the community center, which has been amazing and I am so grateful for that as well.

For sure, volunteering took a even more important meaning during these times and it highlighted the importance of all the values that it represents. Supporting and helping one another has become even more important and it can help us feeling less isolated and alone and the concepts of empathy and understanding are standing out in a time that we are all collectively living through insecurity and uncertainty. 

Now the first year has passed and I will start focusing on the future and see what's it will hold. I am optimistic they will be good months, because one thing I have learned it's that you can always find happiness and joy, even while surfing through adversities. 

 

Today is my seventh month in Istanbul. Happy monthiversary to me!

I struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that's already 7 months from the beginning of my deployment, because the amount of life that happened in only few months made me think it was 7 years instead. I also look back at the person that took that flight to Istanbul in September 2019 and I am not sure I know her anymore.

It is not easy to write down how these few months of deployments have been, for sure they were nothing I expected, but, we all know that life always finds  unique ways to blow your mind and to go beyond expectations.

I found a family. A lovely team of people who pour their souls in what they do and in what they believe. A community of wonderful people that always welcome me with warm smiles and open arms, and the sweetest children that make my heart melt every time they say my name.

I discover new skills. I learned to use a camera and it came out I love taking pictures and work on projects that require a lot of creativity, which I never really used in the past.

I was given the chance to check my resilience, as the COVID 19 outbreak brought a lot of changes in everybody's lives.  I have been working from home for the past 2 months and being away from the community center has been the toughest part. My favorite part of the day was roaming around during the children's activities and having small talks, play a bit, dance a bit, and then going back to my desk. I hope these days will come back soon and, in the meantime, I know I lucky I am that I am able to work from home.

So, thanks to DG ECHO, MTU Mondo, Small Projects Istanbul for these great seven months and looking forward to find out what will happen in the next five. 😄

Three days ago it was the forth months anniversary of my deployment.

It kind of shock me to think about it, because the months flew by without me realizing it. Looking back, it feels like I have been living here since forever and I love every day I get to spend in the Community center. The work is going smoothly and the days are busy with many activities, I am learning so many new skills I didn’t even know I wanted to learn, like using a camera or building a website and it’s a great experience so far.

Since my arrival, the biggest challenge has been the process required to apply for the residence permit, which is always one of the first struggles everybody needs to face when reaching a new Country. The language barrier, the different regulations or sudden changes in the process create always a lot of stress and confusion which is important to put into consideration before reaching a new country.

This are my suggestion to avoid it, even if it is not always possible:

1.  Get prepared. Read, check website, consult expats FB pages, ask people who already went through the process before you. Make sure you know how the law and regulations work in the Country you are going. Don’t be unprepared, knowledge is power.

2.Apply through an agency. It’s a bit more expensive, but you are paying for expertise that will be very useful in slimming your chances of getting a headache.

3. Be patient. When dealing with very bureaucratic Countries, put your best smile on and be kind, respectful and ready to receive a negative answer, which in many cases will happen if the person on the counter doesn’t know or doesn’t speak your language.

4. Be grateful for the learning experience and don’t be judgmental. If you come from a Country that’s very efficient and you are moving to one that doesn’t have the same level of efficiency, take it as an amazing opportunity to experience a different side of the culture of the Country you are living in. Culture is not only nice food, great music or smiley people and adapting to a new culture is also getting to leave the difficult parts as well as the good.

Hi! My name is Lucia, I am from Italy and I am an EU AIDVolunteer.

A visual aid of how it feels to start
 a new adventure
(or colorful stairs in Istanbul)

I have been in Istanbul for almost a month and I finally feel like I can take a break, relax and process what has been going on so far.

Moving to a new country for me always feels like jumping into a tornado, you are hit by so many information at the same time and you brain is just not able to process them right away, so it just goes into survival mode. And, even if I describe it in such a catastrophic way, it is an exhilarating feeling and I love every bit of it.

But now that some time passed, places and people feel more familiar and I feel more at home, I think I can finally look back and review what made be reach this point.

I have been in Turkey for a month, deployed as a EU AID Volunteer with Small Projects Istanbul, a grassroot organization working to support displaced families from the MENA region rebuild their lives. They have a Community center filled with activities designed especially for refugee women and children of the community.

Before Turkey, though, many other journeys were required for me to be here.

A trip to the Netherland to attend the pre departure training organized by DG ECHO. Tough, useful, enjoyable, interesting, stressful and necessary.  15 days filled with new knowledge, a ton of information, new friendships and a deep sense of anticipation for the beginning of this new experience.

Then a trip to Estonia, to meet the team from MTU Mondo, my sending organization and a huge support during the whole process.

And now here I am, in Istanbul, that will be my home for the next 12 months. 

I am really curious to see what this adventure has in store for me, but I am so looking forward to it :)