The Travel to the Journey

Hello guys my name is Jan Weyer and now one week before my European Voluntary Service in England starts I write my first entry to introduce myself, to share a bit of my way that finally leads me to the British Red Cross in Shropshire and to share some typical feelings a person has before moving to another country.

First a few things about me: My name is Jan Weyer, I live in Germany in a city next to Cologne and I am 19 years old. Just this year I finished my A-levels (school). Maybe I write something about my hobbies and what I do in my free time but I don't want this text to be so long and exhausting.

I want to do a year abroad to improve my English and to develop myself. Besides I am a convinced European so I want to be a part of the exchange between the European countries.

I read on the internet about different programs that gives young people the opportunity to participate a year abroad without paying much. In the end I decided that the EVS is the right thing for me because I can benefit a lot through the support of the European Union (for example you don't need a donor circle) and I don't want to leave Europe for a whole year.

So I searched the EVS database for different sending organizations and decided to apply at the ijgd in Bonn. They told me that they would accepted me as a participant if I find a host project from their catalog or the database. In their catalog I couldn't find a project that really fit me because it was important for me to go to England, not to be involved in personal care, at least having a small town in surrounding. I also knew from my experience that I was not good in taking care of people with disabilities.

So I started searching the EVS database and wrote hundreds of mails. I used two kinds of patterns for my mails. One that fixed to ecological projects and one that fixed to social ones. In this mails I asked if they are searching for a volunteer, I wrote why I am a very suitable person and that I would like to send them a application if they are interested in me. I also attached a CV.

Most of the organizations sent an automatic answer why it doesn't work or did not answer at all. Finally the German YMCA in London and the ASHA Foundation near Littledean wanted my application. In one answer it was written that they only work with the Red Cross as a sending organisation so I also applied at the Red Cross in Bonn (Germany). The German YMCA canceled me but I made it in the top 10 out of 500 applications. The Red Cross invited me to an interview and also the ASHA Foundation gave me the chance to have a skype conversation with them.

After a very nice skype conversation and a great day in the Red Cross office I had two acceptances. This was a very hard decision for me. On the one side the ASHA Foundation with its bio dynamic gardening, located in the Forest of Dean (a very nice rural landscape), with international volunteers that perfectly fixed to my interest in sustainability and on the other hand the British Red Cross with its great opportunities in Shrewsbury. In the end I decided for the Red Cross because I want to learn English from people who talk English as mother language, furthermore, I want to live a little bit more urban and the project the British Red Cross offered me was so varied that I thought I could develop there in many different directions and collect experiences in many different areas. So I canceled the ASHA Foundation but asked them if I could visit them. I also aked the German YMCA the same and both said yes.

A few weeks ago I had my preparation weekend with the other German Red Cross Volunteers. It was great how fast we got to know each other and how nice the German contact persons for the Red Cross volunteers were. We got information about the Erasmus+ program, our insurance and other stuff for our year in the UK. This weekend made my year abroad more real so I was more afraid to leave my old life than before but on the other hand it also calmed me because I could imagine more what is ahead of me.

Now after returning from a trip to Austria I realize the farewell of my old life. Many things I do in this last week in Germany I will do for the last time before my year in England or the last time forever. Many things will change in this year but the most important thing is that I will change a lot in this year and I am not going to continue my everyday life after my return. So my feelings are splitted between sadness and happiness like so often in life. I am exited what is ahead of me and looking forward for my personal adventure in England.