Hola a tod@s!

En septiembre de 2014 empecé mi voluntariado europeo en Murcia cooperando con la  organización Euroaccion. La asociación reparte mi trabajo entre las tareas que llevo a cabo en la oficina y aquellas que realizo fuera. Mis coordinadores: Noemí, Nicoleta y Diego me ayudan con todo proporcionándome la información necesaria. 

En la oficina, por un lado, ayudo a mis coordinadores con las tareas que surgen, es decir: traducir algún texto al inglés, preparar algún esquema/tabla, llamar por teléfono a las organizaciones socias etc. Por otro lado apoyo en la coordinación del proyecto europeo “Emotion 4EVS mentors” cuyo objetivo principal es dar herramientas a los tutores que se encargan del voluntariado europeo (SVE) con el fin de saber apoyar emocionalmente a los voluntarios. Me gusta mi trabajo ya que aprendiendo a coordinar un proyecto como este me desarrollo a nivel personal y profesional al mismo tiempo.

Euroaccion me da también la oportunidad de mejorar mi nivel de castellano a través de las clases de español junto con los otros voluntarios. El profesor nos propone ejercicios gramaticales, charlas, pruebas de comprensión auditiva y de lectura.

El objetivo de mi proyecto de SVE es cooperar sobre todo con Euroaccion. Sin embargo, tengo también la oportunidad de trabajar con diferentes asociaciones como Coordinadora de Barrios en Los Rosales (El Palmar) y Cruz Roja Española. El mes pasado empecé mi trabajo con ambas organizaciones. Me gusta mucho lo que hago ya que mis tareas están relacionadas con mi pasión personal e interés laboral: los derechos humanos - los derechos de las mujeres.

Coordinadora de Barrios de los Rosales me da la oportunidad de trabajar con mujeres gitanas e inmigrantes (provenientes principalmente de Marruecos) llevando la cabo talleres sobre discriminación, estereotipos e igualdad de género. Me siento muy afortunada de tener la posibilidad de conocer sus puntos de vista sobre la influencia de su cultura, tradiciones y religión en su vida cotidiana.

En Cruz Roja Española coopero con la psicóloga que trabaja en el departamento de Salud. Junto con ella llevo a cabo los talleres sobre violencia de género en la prisión de Campos del Río, Murcia, en el módulo de mujeres. Por el momento estoy en la etapa de preparación, así que todavía no he entrado a la cárcel.

Otra de las tareas que hago consiste en dirigir el intercambio lingüístico en el Centro Cultural de Santiago y Zaraiche. Tengo un grupo de 4 personas que hablan bastante bien el inglés, por lo que el intercambio es muy interesante tanto para mí como para ellos. Siempre preparo algún juego o dinámica para que pasemos bien estas horas aprendiendo y divirtiéndonos. Creo que es una verdadera integración europea. :)

Mi primer mes. EVS; El significado de la aventura.

Dzien dobry!

Probablemente esta sea la única expresión que sepa decir correctamente en Polaco, un simple "buenos días", pero bueno, pienso que es normal dados los acontecimientos.

Me presento; me llamo David Zapata, tengo 28 años, soy Graduado en Relaciones Laborales y Recursos Humanos con un Máster en Formación del Profesorado. Son títulos los cuales, dada la actual situación laboral en España, a mi me gusta llamarlos "papeles mojados muy caros", pero bueno, no es el tema a debatir :D.

Conocí el SVE hace más o menos un año gracias a una voluntaria húngara en mi ciudad, Cartagena (Murcia), que estaba haciendo más o menos lo mismo que estoy yo haciendo ahora; voluntariado en un jardín de infancia, en mi caso para refugiados Chechenos. Después de conocer más o menos bien la situación de un SVE, decidí pedir una beca, siempre con el pensamiento de que "a mí no me dan ninguna beca, es echarla porque sí", pero en este caso tuve suerte. Ahora pienso que es suerte, pero hace poco más de dos semanas pensaba en mi maldita decisión afirmativa. ¿Por qué?

Nos explicaron algo acerca de nuestros sentimientos, que a principio echaríamos mucho de menos nuestra casa/familia/amigos, luego llegaríamos a una situación de equilibrio y al final de los nueve meses acabaríamos echando de menos nuestro proyecto/vida nueva. Soy muy escéptico en cuanto a cosas que generalizan, pero en este caso creo que es totalmente correcto y que en mi caso se ha dado incluso demasiado pronto.

Zubroffka International Short Film Festival

Las primeras dos semanas me arrepentí como diez veces de mi decisión y pensé en volverme a España otras cuatro, encima me hice un esguince y todo se me vino encima; pierdes tus rutinas, costumbres, cambias tu dieta, tu vida cotidiana... en fin, tu TODO. Pero toda esta negatividad se ve recompensada más pronto que tarde; empiezas a conocer a mucha (muchísima) gente, que notas como te va enriqueciendo día a día, tu entorno en muy favorable contigo; la gente de la Fundación, tu coordinadora, tu mentora, tus compañeras, la gente del centro de refugiados... Al final es como si el karma (no suelo creer mucho en esto) actuara instantáneamente y compensara esas primeras semanas de incertidumbre. El clima, el idioma, la frialdad de los polacos (no son tan fríos, pero quizás si los comparamos con la gente del Mediterráneo, son personalidades que chocan mucho), el ritmo de vida, la cultura, etc. son muy distintos, demasiado a veces, pero esto es algo que forma parte del SVE también, ¿no?

Bialystok centrum

Mi motivación diaria es involucrarme en el proyecto cada día más, conocer bien otra cultura totalmente distinta y conectar con gente de todo el mundo. Creo que es un buen pensamiento cada mañana el dar sin recibir nada a cambio y aprovechar una oportunidad como ésta para enriquecerte como persona y comprobar que lo bueno comienza donde termina tu "zona de confort", donde lo inesperado es el pan de cada día.

Perdonad por esta primera entrada tan "seria", pero me ha pillado el día inspirado y he querido darle un tono "sentimental" a mi primer post. Mi yo "real" es totalmente opuesto y ya os lo demostraré en próximos posts, 

Na razie!

Una de las muchísimas iglesias de Bialystok, cerca de nuestra Fundación. (Fundacja Edukacji i Twórczoaci).

*Una gran canción de uno de mis grupos favoritos para acompañar vuestra lectura:

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My first month. EVS; The meaning of the adventure.

Dzien dobry!

This is probably the only expression I rightly say in Polish, a simple "good morning", but well, I think it´s normal given the events.

I stand; my name is David Zapata, I have 28 years old, I´m graduated in Laboural Relations and Human Resources with a Masters in Teaching Training. These qualifications, given the current labor situation in Spain, I like to call "wet papers very expensive", but this is not the subject to debate :D.

I knew about EVS a year ago thanks to a Hungarian volunteer in my city, Cartagena (Murcia). She was doing more or less what I'm doing now; volunteering in a kindergarten, in my case for Chechen refugees. After knowing the situation of EVS fairly well, I decided to apply for a scholarship, always with the thought that "they do not give me any scholarship", but in this case I was lucky. Now I think it's luck, but just two weeks ago I thought about my damn affirmative decision. Why?

They explained something about our feelings, which initially greatly missed our home / family / friends, then arrive at a balanced and end of the nine months end up longing for our project / new life. I am very skeptical about things that generalize, but in this case I think it is absolutely right and that in my case it has even too soon.

First two weeks ten times regretted my decision and thought to go back to Spain four others, I made up also a sprain and everything came over me; lose your routines, habits, change your diet, your daily life ... well, you ALL. But all this negativity is rewarded sooner rather than later; begin to meet lots people, who notes as will enrich you every day, your environment is favorable to you; people of the Foundation, your coordinator, your mentor, your companions, the people of refugee center ... In the end it's like karma (no ground to believe a lot in this) act instantly and compensate those first weeks of uncertainty. The climate, language, coldness of Polish people (not so cold, but perhaps when compared with people of the Mediterranean, are personalities very different), the pace of life, culture, etc. are very different, too much sometimes, but this is something that is part of the SVE also, right?

My daily motivation is to be involved in the project every day, know well a completely different culture and connect with people from all around the world. I think it's a good thought every morning without giving anything in return and seize an opportunity like this to grow up as a person and see that good begins where your "comfort zone" where the unexpected is the daily bread.

Sorry for this first entry as "serious", but has caught my day inspired and I wanted to give it a "sentimental" tone to my first post. My "real me" is totally opposite and I'll show you in future posts,

Na razie!

Six months is not enough to deepen inside of a culture, although so it is to experience it widely enough to get a general picture of its essence. After my sojourn in the Philippines during these six months, I can say that I have gotten to know only the surface of this interesting and welcoming country. However it has become one of the most intense and stimulating experiences along my entire life.

The Philippines is a curious synergy of different cultures which features are notable all over its land and that contributes to consolidate the identity of the nation. Although the background of the cultures that inhabit here is mainly based in the Austronesian cultural branch, the Latin influence during the more than 300 years of Spanish colonization is still strongly noticeable, making of it an unique country in the entire Asia. Furthermore American protectorate after the independence from Spain, left a strong trace aside of the impact that it had worldwide during the last century and that specially hit the already Americanized Asian country.

Living in the Philippines, to be more accurate Cebu city, makes me feel like living in an unknown part of myself, a part that builds my identity as a Spaniard but that is somehow exotic yet familiar. It brings before me reminiscences from my culture, when they use their Austronesian-based languages mixed with quotidian Spanish words or when I pass by any of the architectonical remains that claim that we Spaniards imposed here our presence once. That brings me the feeling of that I have something in common with them and that somehow I am not so alien here.

Moreover, adaptation to the Philippines has not ever been such a difficult struggle to me. In culinary terms, the food is likely to be Spanish dishes that deviated into something else along the centuries adapting to their own resources, but kept the same names. Lechon is the traditional dish, and indeed they cook it delicious. Sweets are not such a great thing, but you may find Silvanas, which are sort of condensate butter cakes covered by biscuit powder which melt in your mouth and that are simply delicious. Rice is already tiring though…

Filipinos are friendly, warm, humble and easy going; they remind me of Southern Americans living in Spain when it comes to their behavior and politeness. Not even the general rumor of the Philippines to be such a conservative country seems so certain. Besides, people respect others personal choices and lifestyles more than in other countries that I visited in Asia, and even in Europe.

Probably the most difficult thing to deal with is the climate. The heat and humidity is like being inside of an acclimatized indoors swimming pool all the day long… Nonetheless, despite Cebu Island is likely not to be so rainy as Manila, it is still much easier to stand with the heat than in the Capital city. Furthermore, the public transportation (without AC) in these big cities as well as the usual traffic jam, just contribute to turn a hot day´s journey to work office into a trip to hell. 

The structure of the streets and avenues of Cebu draw an insular South Eastern Asian messy city´s map, which gives it a lot of enchantment despite the aggressiveness that it shows to its citizens, especially to those who live on the streets. This is a city of contrasts, and along the trendy avenues where you may find fancy clubs and luxurious hotels and skyscrapers where rich westerners live with their Filipino wives, you suddenly stumble upon dirty huge masses of rusty squatters full of welcoming humble people with wide smiles on their faces.  In addition, beggars and homeless live everywhere around and seem to be those who are marginalized from the high society and even out casted from the slums.

To speak more about my personal experience regarding EVS program, I must say that it depends more on how you take things than on how the world behaves. Filipinos do not work things out the same way as Europeans, they are not in rush to finish anything and their concept of professionalism and effectiveness is not the same at all. But something that I am proud of myself is that I already counted on that before arriving and that I understood since the beginning that I am not here to change their world, but to influence in their own change. Probably this is what has made my adaptation this easy.

Volunteering for the NGO that I am involved in currently has been the best opportunity of my life to expand my mind to new horizons. I knew almost nothing about HIV/AIDS before coming. I never met deeply any transgender or anyone living with HIV/AIDS before and most of my Spanish friends did not belong to the LGBT community.  I had to learn how to “unlearn” all those prejudices that I might have brought here to become an effective volunteer, but it actually worked more on to become a better person, more aware of who I am, how diverse is the human being and how much respect deserve any choice, identity and condition. I am more than glad and thankful, I feel proud and fortunate for all that EVS has meant in this change.

Travelling around the Philippines is quite enough cheap to allow yourself to do it often. Notwithstanding the fact of being an archipelago, most of the islands are well communicated in terms of transportation. To be honest, the Philippines is not as amazing as Indonesia or Thailand when it comes to its traditional architecture and temples, but landscapes, beaches and fauna are impressive and quite well preserved. It becomes an addictive passion to travel once you start, especially when the land that you are meeting is so wonderful.

David Arranz