#2 EVS 'Why so... nice?'
There's so much to do to go on EVS, right? So many things you need to take care of and worry about, right? Finding the project, application, interview, documents, travelling to and within the new city, communication problems (if you don't speak the language of the country), meeting different kinds of people inside and outside your organisation. A lot of stress and uncertainty, right? I don't know what happened in my case, but everything went so smooth, everybody so far was so nice to me. Maybe it's not just my case. Maybe it's just easy to do EVS. What do you think?
Of course, you could say that I don't live that far from Berlin (where I do my project). It's just 7h30 from Katowice by bus. There's a direct connection. Plus, that's EU - easy to travel, cheap roaming, more or less similar standards, culture etc. Kein Problem. There's a lot of other things and circumstances that facilitated my arrival for sure. I bet you could easily point them out. That's all true. However, there's plenty of issues I had to deal with. There's many challenges I face everyday living in a foreign country. Yet somehow it's not a problem for me.
I don't speak German? I need to learn it then! How cool is that, right? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can't learn that particular language again. Once you've acquired it, part of the fun is gone forever. Do you know this feeling of finally being able to understand the inscription on the shop window? You won't be able to experience this overwhelmingly satisfying Eureka effect again At least not when it comes to the basics of a language (and that's one of the best parts of learning language). Because they'll most probably stay with you forever.
The same with people. You meet them for the first time only once. Of course, after that there will still be a lot to learn about them. Some of them will for sure become your good friends. But there's nothing bigger and more thrilling than the initial curiosity when you sit next to them, smile, introduce yourself, get to know their name, origin and which languages they speak (especially at EVS meetings and in my multikulti organisation). This first mist of human mystery is super cool, ain't it?
What about other 'difficult and boring' stuff like writing CVs, covering letters, interviews with coordinators, filling documents, travelling to an unfamiliar place? Well, I don't know how it happened, but... I did all that and it was alright. Everything was so easy. Each time I speak to someone about me coming to Berlin, about the beginning of my new life and so on, I can't hide my amazement of how smooth everything went for me. Maybe I was just lucky. Maybe it's not always like that. Maybe there are problems sometimes. Or? Maybe it's the way we think about them.
Let me summarise all this with very famous German artist's lyirics - Oi! Oi! Fuckin oi!... No, not these. It's later in the song. Keep calm and 'dont take life too seriously'. Just enjoy your EVS.
Big hugs to all the nice people from my organisation, EVS meetings peeps, cashiers in Lidl and Aldi markets in Wedding, Berlin. Oh, and even to the not-so-nice-rather-a-little-bit-mean-and-unconstructive man from the BVG Rathaus Spandau customers office, who didn't want to give me the travelling card. It's all part of the journey. Danke schön euch allen.
On the picture: Me and my colleagues from the organisation taking care of our Infotisch at AfriKamera African films
Pologne