"The city of Jesi as my temporary home: A look at everyday life as a volunteer".

As an 18-year-old European volunteer in Jesi, Italy, my experience is proving to be truly transformative. During my time in this charming city, I have already had the opportunity to immerse myself in a different culture, meet wonderful people and contribute to the well-being of the local community. Throughout my 22-day experience, Jesi has become my temporary home, a place I will always hold close to my heart.

From the very first moment I have felt welcomed by the local people and by my ESC partner and flatmate Simona with whom I share this experience. The warmth and hospitality of the people of Jesi makes me feel part of the community from day one. My volunteer project focuses on working with young people and people from all walks of life, which allows me to interact with people from different generations and cultural backgrounds.

One of the things that struck me the most was the historical and architectural beauty of Jesi. The city is full of charming squares, cobblestone streets and ancient buildings that tell the rich history of the Marche region. During my free time, I sometimes explore the historical sites and visit the museums, which has given me a deeper insight into life in Italy.

The local gastronomy is also something I will never forget. The flavours of Italian cuisine, from pastas and pizzas to delicious desserts (such as the 4-flavour gelato with cream), make my experience in Jesi even more enriching and exquisite. Sharing meals with the locals was a way to connect more deeply with the Italian culture.

The day-to-day life as a volunteer in Jesi is a balance between work and free time. During the day, I dedicate myself to my volunteer project. And in the evening I sometimes go for a walk to explore places I haven't been to yet.

In addition to the impact I hope to have as a volunteer in the community, this experience is giving me valuable personal and professional skills. I am learning to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment, to work in a team and to face challenges with a positive, problem-solving mindset.

The city and its people are leaving a lasting impression on me that I don't think I will easily forget.

Comments

Arrivederci, Jesi!

I can’t believe time has passed so quickly. It feels like yesterday that I arrived in Jesi and got a tour though the whole Caritas facility. But since then, six months have passed. This experience has been valuable to me in more than just one way and I will never forget the precious time that I spent here. It’s hard to put into words how much this project helped me grow personally and how much I learned while volunteering here. I’m so grateful for all of the people I got to meet during my stay in Jesi. My ESC project here gave me the opportunity to make friends from all over the world who shared a lot about their countries and cultures with me. Therefore, they made it possible for me to widen my horizons and it’s their fault that so many places got added to my travel list 😆 Of course, I also found a lot of new friends from this area who introduced me to Italian dinners (something I’ll certainly continue after coming back to Austria!) and who often planned trips to show me around the a...

Ciao, sono Emma!

Ciao! My name is Emma and I joined Caritas Jesi three weeks ago as the new ESC volunteer. I have only recently gratuated from school in my home country, Austria. After having studied for years, I could not picture myself attending university right away, which is why I decided to take a gap year. I wanted to use it to improve my knowledge of the Italian language, as I had already studied it at school. However, finding something suitable, even after I had learned about the European Solidarity Corps, turned out to be rather challenging. I eventually came across Caritas Jesi and decided to send in my application, which turned out to be just the right decision. After having completed all the necessary steps before my departure, I finally arrived in Jesi three weeks ago. As you can see, I haven't been here for long, but I already feel like being a part of the diverse, committed and unbelievably welcoming team of Caritas Jesi. At the beginnig, I had this fear of feeling alone in a foreign...

Ciao, cześć, hallo, hola, olá, salut, szia, tere and terve!

Ciao! It's Louise and Emma. Today we would like to share a wonderful experience with you, which we have made last Saturday. But first, we need to go back in time a bit… About 4 months ago, I (Louise) was called for my "On Arrival Training" (if you're wondering what is the OAT, go see our blog post on this topic ). There, I was lucky to meet other ESC volunteers who have the same coordinating organisation as us (Vicolocorto), and also live in the Marche region. I particularly bonded with Laura, a finnish girl who is doing her service at the Red Cross of Cingoli, and Madalena from Portugal, who is volunteering in Caritas Senigallia. After the training, we kept in touch and decided to see each other again... which we did. We visited the Frasassi caves, Ancona, and -more important for our story- at the end of August, we organised an ESC lunch at our appartment in Jesi, where we all cooked traditionnal dishes from our home countries. From that day, we had the idea to do s...

From Europe to Jesi

Search This Blog