
Paolo Vitale
Volunteer from Italy
All began in September 2015, during my third youth exchange (the first in Romania), where I learnt for the first time about the volunteering projects by Erasmus+, the EVS. Since then, I set in my mind to start a journey, thanks to these educative projects that could lead me to increase my English lang. knowledge in order to allow me to live aboard, before in the European Volunteer Service and after to live and work aboard: the EVS should have been the litmus test.
And so, my “new life” had begun; among the infinite emotions and joys the EU Programme provided me, the hundreds of people and places I have ever seen, we got to 2018 (alas almost three years after but I had family problems which delayed it); I saw an EVS call written by a person I met two years ago, it was for a long-term project in Romania, one of the countries I wanted to go (actually I was looking more in the UK or Spain but I didn’t find any compatible project) and with topics I like such as activities with youngsters and about Erasmus Plus (the ideal EVS for me had to be about Erasmus+ Project Management in order to go in-deep in this field), then I decided to not miss this opportunity and I applied.
Meanwhile, I was able to do improve my level of English, thanks also to the big boost given to me by being an ESN Volunteer member in Milan in the first months of the year, the year my EVS started!
The time was ripe, finally, I could benefit the fruits of the path I undertook.
It was in summer, really full of hopes and expectations, as you can read by this part of the message I wrote on Facebook “Now, today, between some doubts and (many) hopes/expectations for the future, I’m here ready to start this new life” I was ready and so hopeful to leave.
Finally, I thought, I would have had the opportunity to master my English, living 24/7 in an intercultural environment and, in the case to get close to the European Commission… even, in the bottom of my heart, to have a new family, compensating the feeling of to not belonging to a real one.
Once I landed to Bucharest, my coordinator, Adelina and his husband picked up me to lead me to Ramnicu Valcea and to my new house and flatmates, 3 Spanish guys.
About the main project’s activities, we carry out these in rural schools and in the city library, with kids and teenagers, activities based on non-formal education related to the English language.
In the last period (December-start February) I got the first satisfation, I wrote and submitted my first EU mobility project, a Youth Exchange, achieved one of the objectives I set off for the EVS.