di Inês Melo Nunes, volontaria nell’ambito del progetto Youthquake

Ok, is it time for goodbyes? I don’t think so

I’m now at the end of my project… 4 months living in Italy.

The first time I lived in Italy, it was for 5 months and I ended those months with the same feeling I have right now. This is not, for sure, my last time in Italy. It can be in a different city, but I’m completely sure I’ll be back to Italy! This is a good feeling. Sometimes we cannot explain why we feel comfortable in some place – we just feel! That’s what happens to me when it comes to Italy.

The truth is I don’t know how to explain these 4 months of my life. So, what can I say?

During these months I had the opportunity to confirm how I love this country, how amazing is this culture, people and food (yes, every day in 4 months I ate at least one pasta or pizza! – it’s true! –  How am I going to survive without this? J)

I’ve learnt how to feel comfortable in a city which is not “my city”– I mean, now it’s a little bit “mine”. And believe me that sometimes is not easy – we are just by ourselves in some place we don’t know that much – it’s a learning process. Finding resources, little places and people that can help us feel more comfortable.

Also, this was a good and challenging experience, in so many aspects: in a personal way, I’ve learnt a lot of things; I’ve learnt how to deal with some new situations.

Moreover, I’ve met incredible people and I’ve lived so many adventures!

Besides all that, during these months I also had the opportunity to travel a lot, travel alone, travel with old friends that came to visit me, travel with new people I met! Traveling to places I’ve never been before, and traveling to places I already knew!

I had the opportunity to go to Rome many times, I went to Naples, Pompei, Vesuvio, Ercolano and all the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Agerola, Positano and Salerno). I also went to Florence, to Amatrice and all the villages nearby (that were affected by the earthquake), I climbed a mountain (Pizzo di Sevo), I went to Pescara and Silvi Marina, and I went to Bologna. So… I feel really lucky to have had all these opportunities to know better Italy and explore a lot of new places!

Just want to thank Arci Rieti for the opportunity to have been here and thank all the people who work there for all the support they gave me.

Also, I want to thank EVS in general, because I believe this program is really amazing, and provides truly useful skills for the future.

Want to thank all the volunteers with whom I’ve shared these months – just because of the cultural “mix” (French, Polish, Greek and Colombian) – I’ve learnt a lot!

I want to thank the people around who have been always present and available for my needs.

I want also to thank Peter, who has always tried to help us in our project, with contacts, information and his time!