Unica Radio Raccontiamo la città che cambia
In this episode of the LIVE project podcast, we talk with Damian and Leo – two volunteers that are taking part in a short – term ESC project in Cosenza, Calabria. Both of them always had a wish to try living abroad for a while. When a friend of theirs showed them the ESC opportunities they were sure they wanted to try it out.
Damian had already done an Erasmus + in Italy few years ago, therefore for him the decision to come to Italy again had been quite easy. He he had fallen in love with the country, the culture and the people. Coming from the capital of Spain- Madrid where people lead a fast lifestyle, he felt like the people of the small village of Cosenza were very warm and welcoming. Additionally, its size was perfect for building a community.
On the other side Leo didn’t wasn’t very familiar with Italy and wanted to live there for a while and experience its culture. Luckily Calabria met all of his expectations and he doesn’t regret his decision at all. Leo also comes from a big city – Toulouse, France and although for him in the beginning it wasn’t simple to get used to living in a countryside, having a daily routine helped him a lot.
Their main tasks within their service in the NGO Entropia are: helping around with the daily activities in the village, creating and promoting cultural events, doing podcasts and integrating foreigners that participate in the events. Hence, they find the various activities very interesting and enjoyable and it helps them to improve their skills and their Italian. Moreover, they feel lucky that they are in a multicultural environment and they have already made a lot of friends from all over the world!
Why doing an ESC is a good idea?
Damian and Leo are very excited to try out more opportunities abroad in the future, as this experience made them feel they feel more confident. Overall, they say that doing an ESC makes you step out of your comfort zone, it helps you grow and learn many useful things. An advice for young people: Don’t be afraid to try new things by yourself as there is nothing to lose and you can only gain!
If you want to hear more about volunteering, listen to more episodes from the LIVE podcast!
