My first seminar

First of all I want to thank Emma who told us about this site. I really like to write various articles, since my higher education is related to art and cinema, I am used to writing various works, because I really like working with text. Thank you Emma (Volunteer., 2019., Czech Republic).

My seminar started on February 25th and ended on March 3rd. These 7 days have passed very quickly. Our coordinators Daniella and Ani made sure that every day we had various activities, trainings, meetings with people from the ESC.

However, for now, I want to start over from the beginning. I bought a ticket Stuttgart - Munich - Benediktbeuern, travel time - about three hours, including long transfers. I love to travel and I was very comfortable, I turned on the music and got on the train. Time passed very quickly. But when I arrived in Benediktbeuern, I found that I did not understand at all where to go. A girl from the train station asked me something in German and I honestly said "Entschuldigung, Ich spreche kein Deutsch", then she repeated the question in English and it turned out that she was also a volunteer and moreover, we do our volunteer projects in the same city. So, I met a new friend. Sonja is also from Russia and she also speaks two foreign languages, German and English, in my case, I speak English and Spanish. Although, I learn German every day because I love learning languages. 

When Sonja and I finally got to the place, we discovered that the place where we will live for a week is a monastery. I had never been there until that moment. But the monastery at Benediktbeuern is very beautiful. It looks like a castle with various galleries, also inside there is quite a lot of art, paintings, sculptures, old carved doors and images of Christ. Next, we did a shnel test, got the keys to the room and went to lunch.

And now I want to give the first advice for those who will soon go to the seminar. You should check the place you are traveling to in advance. For many of us, this was a new place and we didn't know it was in the countryside. Personally, I did not take enough warm clothes and shoes with me. Of course, there was sun in Benediktbeuern, but there was also snow. (№1. So, take enough clothes and the clothes should be okey for the weather and place where you will live). You should also have comfortable clothes and shoes for activities, and it is best to take two pairs of shoes for the outdoors and sneakers for activities inside the building.

And now, let's talk about the activities that I had. Basically, we did creative work, drawings and plans, which later we had to present to everyone. We were 17 volunteers. Each of us spent a huge amount of paper, but in general, our work turned out to be very bright, colorful and detailed. Each of the volunteers presented their project. In general, almost everyone works with children. Of course, there are some exceptions, someone works with students, someone works with the elderly, someone works in the IT field. The languages ​​for the seminar were: German and English. I don't speak German, but it wasn't a problem for me. Because I can understand some things from the context, I also sometimes spoke in Spanish with one of the coordinators. (No. 2. Don't be afraid to get in touch with people.) If you have a language barrier and feel like you can't speak any language well, that's okay. Try, try to express your thoughts, don't be shy. Everyone is ready to help and listen to you. Everyone is interested in your project and your being here. You should build contacts with other volunteers as soon as possible in order to feel comfortable and not feel lonely.

Basically, we received such tasks as: drawing a poster about the project, drawing a poster about how you feel in the project and what path you have already traveled. We also had group tasks: we had to create a definition of the word "solidarity", we had to discuss the situation in the world, we had to make a workshop and present various games, dances, songs, cartoons from our countries. We also had enough tasks for our own reflection. The coordinators gave some theoretical knowledge, which later we had to apply for our own reflection and write something like a diary of self-feelings. Of course, we had not to present it to everyone. (№3 Try to participate in all activities and do as much as you can - it will help you to be more social and develop some different sides of your personality.)

Free time. We had practically no free time. We started classes at 9 and finished at 6. Of course, we had breaks, but since everything in the monastery is far from each other, we spent a lot of time on the passages and galleries that connect the buildings to each other. After dinner, as a rule, we were going to play board games, table football or billiards. It was very funny. Also, there were 5 guys from Italy who always sang songs and played the guitar. They taught us Italian words and phrases, also songs. Almost every evening we had an Italian concert. By the end of the day, I was very tired, but I still tried to attend after-class activities, as I wanted to get to know everyone better and build friendships. (№4. Even if you are tired, try to attend a few meetings after the seminar, this will help you make new friends and get to know people outside of training, but in their usual life.)

Of course, I have a lot more to tell, but I don't want to waste your time, because you will learn all the necessary things at your seminar. In any case, you will receive a letter with recommendations, where your coordinators will announce the necessary information.

Volunteers who have already had a seminar. Did you like it? In which cities did you take the seminar? Share your experience.

№5. Always stay positive and use every opportunity for personal development. If fate gives you a chance - use it.

Hugs and wish you all the best,

Daria Ruzanova