Για σας! My name is Zuza and I have just come back from my EVS. I have spent 6 months (September – March) in a beautiful but divided country, which unfortunately is not known well – Cyprus. The project was called “Youth Support for Community” and I was a part of the 5th generation of EVS volunteers at NGO “KEY – Innovation in Culture, Education and Youth”. I lived in Limassol with other 3 volunteers from the same project – Val (France), Carla (Italy) and Betka (Czech Republic) – who were the best flatmates, sisters and company for the time there.
What exactly did I do in Cyprus?
In the mornings we were helping in a local charity shop preparing packages for poor people. It was a very nice experience because the old ladies working there were like our grandmothers. We have had a lot of fun while putting washing powder or beans into small plastic bags and also trying to understand the old ladies (most of them knew just few English words, so they were speaking only in Greek). In the beginning of our EVS we worked also in a local library, but later we decided to finish it to focus on more important activities. In the afternoons we were working on events in our organisation for local people. We could have organised whatever we wanted, so we had: movie nights, intercultural evenings, yoga week and yoga sessions, occasional parties and our personal projects: Italian classes, drawing sessions and jam sessions. Once per week we also had our own Radio Show – The Voice of KEY – in a local university radio station. Sometimes we invited special guests that we interviewed and we talked about sports, camping, travelling, women’s rights, students’ and volunteers’ life and more. In the beginning I didn’t like the radio at all but in the end it was one of the best part of the project. We also had Greek lessons once per week. I have learnt some words and phrases, and I was so happy when sometimes I was able to understand what I heard. However in Cyprus almost everybody can speak English so it didn’t motivate us so much to spend a lot on studying this language. Apart from work almost every weekend we spent on discovering the beauty of Cyprus. We have spent a lot of time on the buses, but we have made many new friends, that I already miss a lot. I think that this is the best and the essential part of EVS. That it is an opportunity to meet people from all over the world, learn about new cultures, countries, travel and open your mind more and more. Sometimes you do things that are out of your comfort zone and there is no better way to discover yourself. Honestly, I couldn’t have dreamt about having greater time during my EVS. I wish everybody not to hesitate to do EVS and to have such an amazing experience as I have had.
