Versteck in the south of Germany

A photo of me in my medieval costume with one of the local children. Behind us is the view from the top of the 13th century tower where the play scheme was based.

In the beautiful surroundings of southern Germany I was able to do two things I love: speak German and work with children. For anyone interested in practising their language skills, I can definitely recommend volunteering at a children’s camp or play scheme. The children were all very forgiving of my many grammar mistakes and willingly involved me in their games. The forest in which the holiday club took place lent itself perfectly to hours of “Versteck” (hide and seek), interspersed with art and crafts. All the volunteers dressed up in costumes to go with the medieval theme of the holiday club, which inspired the children to create their own gowns and armour. A group of small girls transformed me into their fashion doll and added to my costume daily – finally resulting in a head scarf, veil, apron, 2 cloaks and small bag round my waste, in which we put ‘precious’ stones and jewellery. I loved being greeted by a shriek of “Jennyyyyyyyy!” every morning, and soon forgot the challenges of speaking a foreign language with the fun of being with children out-of-doors every day.

Outside of the play scheme, which lasted until 2pm each day, we were able to explore the surrounding area and visit the local museums and tourist attractions. The international volunteers stayed together in a youth hostel and we cooked for ourselves, often attempting to recreate typical dishes from our home countries. It was fascinating to learn about other cultures and taste their cuisine, and especially exciting to get to know people my age from all over the world. A highlight was probably the many evenings of card games and the fun we had trying to create little Russian felt boots, which the two Russian volunteers kindly but despairingly tried to teach us! I was also taken aback by the level of gratitude which the locals showed to us as volunteers, and we were frequently given free fruit from the market and on one occasion two large bags filled with bread from the local bakery. This interaction with other volunteers and with people from the area has not only boosted my confidence in speaking German, but has also made me more confident when meeting new people in general – which was perfect preparation for the first few weeks at university.

I would recommend this experience to anyone. Thank you, Concordia, for making it possible!

A Festival in Andalucía

I had very mixed feelings as I set foot in Granada for the first time in nearly nine years. I felt sadness: in the four years after my previous trip I lost both my parents and both my grandfathers. I felt excitement too, as I began to embark on a two-week course in Spanish followed by my twenty-third international volunteer project at the Parapanda Folk Festival in nearby Íllora. Now living in a part of the world where summer temperatures reach fifty degrees Celsius, I also felt strangely at home in the blistering heat of an Andalucían summer.

I was joined at the project by three Spanish volunteers: the coordinator, Ena, Almudena and Aly; two Ukrainian volunteers both called Maria; Virginia from Italy; and Rhu (pronounced ‘You’; he became known as ‘Mr You’ to avoid any confusion!) from South Korea. We were guided in our work and helped during our stay by Daniel and his team from the local volunteer organisation. Our work included setting up and taking down the equipment for the festival, constructing fences, arranging chairs, watering plants, looking after the needs of the performers, sweeping, cleaning, laying the table, washing up, and playing with the local children. We also enjoyed a varied free time programme including games, flamenco lessons, a dance class, watching performances and a day off hiking in the nearby mountains. During the project I tried to revise the Spanish I had learnt while studying in Granada, and want to say muchas gracias from the bottom of my heart to the Spanish volunteers who helped me and showed me great kindness and endless patience.

As a student in Granada, I had learnt a lot from watching fellow teachers do their job and was able to empathise more with my own students in my French classes. Another benefit, both of the course and of my project in Íllora, was meeting people from different walks of life: not only fellow teachers but people from many other fields too. When not studying, I took the opportunity to see what I could of the local area: at the weekend in the middle of the course, I went to Fuente Vaqueros and to the ski station at Sierra Nevada, where, as I stepped off the bus, I felt cold for the first time in many weeks. I soon warmed up hiking in the beautiful and peaceful surroundings on and around the deserted ski slopes.

The festival over for another year, after a day with the other volunteers in Granada, I began my journey north to my UK-bound coach in Barcelona, with stops on the way in Cazorla, Úbeda, Jaén, Baeza, Madrid and Manzanares el Real. I found nothing but friendliness from local people who often went out of their way to help me. In Úbeda, for example, having got nowhere in the local tourist office in my quest to find the nearest campsite, and by now exhausted and demoralised after a fruitless search with heavy luggage, I asked a passer-by, who not only went to the trouble of showing me on his phone how to get there but even offered to drive me.

I often think back to my adventures in Spain last summer, as I go about my daily life in Kuwait. When I see the Spanish and Latin American students in my classes, I think of the Spanish children we met at the festival, and how I wrote their names in Arabic on their arms and made wristbands for them. As I watch Spanish series on my laptop, I think back to our accommodation in Íllora, where I watched the first episode of Desaparecida. When I listen to Spanish music on my MP3 player and proudly wear my Parapanda Folk Festival t-shirt, I often get goose-bumps as I remember moments of great emotion. As I reflect on those memories, I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness at what I experienced and at the people I met, and an overwhelming sense of longing both for my twenty-fourth international volunteer project and for my next visit to Spain.

Barney Smith

international volunteer 2015