It’s already the first week of August; and one month has passed since I arrived here in Braga. While writing this, I am sitting at a nearby cafe in our place sipping a cup of coffee. Portuguese people really love espresso so much, but I prefer mine with milk. The bell rang, and it will ring again in 30 minutes.
The ringing bell symbolizes how religious this city is. Braga is actually known as the Rome of Portugal. It is also dubbed as the City of Bells, with over two dozens of churches or “igreja” in Portuguese language. The language is the biggest barrier I have encountered in this place. Sometimes it is hard to even order a cup of coffee, but each day I learn.
My stay here in Portugal is all about learning. Every day, I discover the culture, the language and the manners of the people. Here, people love to talk with each other — over a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or over a bottle of Superbock (Portuguese beer). People here also love to walk (a lot). We walk going to the city center, when shopping for our own supplies and when discovering places here. That’s one thing about European culture I guess- pedestrians are the king of the road, and not cars.
The main goal of my stay in Portugal is also to discover how NGO (non-government organization) works in this part of the world; which is the main objective of our project, EUROASI – From Europe to Asia: Capitalizing Experience in Youth Work. The project is coordinated by the Italy-based TDM 2000 International and is funded by European Union under its Erasmus+ program. It is a rare opportunity for Asian citizens like us in the Philippines so I will forever be grateful to the people of TDM 2000 International for this project.
The road to Portugal however is long, literally. I am supposed to be here from April to July; however the dreaded visa application delayed my trip for more than two months. Waiting was an agonizing experience for I already know that I want to do the European Volunteer Service since I discovered the project back in February 2015. I am already familiar about EVS before the project was introduced to us in Boracay, but I have no idea back then how I am going to do it since I am not from any part of Europe- too far actually. Then, EuroAsi happened.
I always believe that good things come to those who wait; and to those who never gives up. Fast forward to present… and I am now in Portugal, fulfilling a long time dream – to travel abroad, especially Europe; and do volunteer work.
I arrived in summer time in Braga and I was welcomed warmly by my host organization, Associação Juvenil SYnergia. SYnergia is an organization active in Portugal which aims to promote activities for young people by developing project for them in the fields of democracy, active citizenship, non-formal education, international cooperation and local development.
When I arrived, SYNergia is working together with the Municipality of Braga in conducting summer camps for children and the youth from the different schools in the city. It is good to know that most NGOs in Portugal have a good collaboration with the government in implementing their projects.
My first month was spent mostly with the kids of Escola Professional de Braga. Every day, kids were given different fields to learn and experience. One particular favorite of mine is the moment when the kids became a journalist for a day. The kids were given various topics such as immigration, gender equality, dangers of the internet, among others. Part of the activity is to ask random people on the streets about the topic and record it on video. It reminds me of what I am doing in the Philippines since I work in a media organization What amazed me is on how kids aged eight to twelve were able to create interesting questions from the topics given to them.
The first few days were hard for only a few kids could communicate in English well. But as days passed by, the communication barrier was bridged by a simple smile. Attending the summer camp doesn’t feel like working for me. It was a shared moment with my little friends (well, not actually because most of them are even taller than me). Each day, I learn a new Portuguese word from each of them. One of my favorite mentors is Francisco, a very common name in Portugal. Well, I love kids even though I am not sure if I wanted to have one. Haha!
I actually arrived here on the 28th of June, after more than 48 hours of travel from the Philippines. The plane ride to Portugal is an experience I would never forget for it was my first time to travel outside my country. From Manila, I had to fly to Singapore, then France, and finally Porto. I had a long layover in Paris so I also took the chance to finally see the Eiffel Tower and walk around the City of Lights. One thing off my bucket list just on my first day in Europe!
Aside from the things I learned about Portugal, my first month was also filled with so many hellos and goodbyes, and the rest is everything about TURKEY.
On my first night in Braga, I met Matias, a former EVS volunteer from Argentina but he is now working for SYnergia. He is the one responsible for all our needs and schedule. Even before I arrived, I already felt my value for this organization, for they never gave up despite all the delays with my visa application.
Then I met two long-term volunteers, Damla and Mesut from Turkey. And then, six more Turkish people arrived. I thought I was on the wrong place. But kidding aside, my first month with the Turkish volunteers is really fun. Four of them, Ayca, Sema, Emel and Melih arrived two days after me. Ayca became my roommate and we live in the same apartment with Melih. But we always had our Turkish coffee at the other apartment where Sema and Emel live.
Then Ian who is also from Boracay, arrived the next day. It was also our first meeting though we both live in the same island. A week after, two new Turkish volunteers arrived, Sebnem and Tugrul. It took me a long time to pronounce their names correctly, but it was easy to get along with all of them.
In our first months altogether, we discovered our differences and also similarities that we have. Here, we share our culture, our stories, and moments that would shape our future.
One month has passed and it is already time to say goodbye to some of them. But we welcomed new volunteers anew. Well, four Turkish people again. But for sure, we will have a good time.
Time really runs so fast, but I expect that the next two months will definitely be another worthwhile experience.
~ Karen, Filipina. Volunteer worker in Portugal