Cava d’Ispica 28/6 – 12/7/2015
All the things have begun 6 months ago when I started to be an active volunteer.
So in the summer I wanted to do something different from the ordinary stuff and of course meaningful and I found this volunteer program via ELIX in Sicily that I could combine the life in an island and the work in a multicultural environment.
My experience there was magical. It was the best opportunity to discover things about me, my limits and to do things that in other case I wouldn’t do.
We lived inside a canyon, very close to the nature and every morning we woke up at 6.30 and we went to the field to do agricultural work.
In the first week our work was to dig and turn the field suitable for planting vegetables. And in the second week we cleaned the paths and the inside spaces of some caves, which are 4.000 years old!!! Our living there and our work were based on the cooperation of all the volunteers.
It was hard to coexist together with 13 people from very different countries (Spain, Russia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Estonia, and South Korea) and cultures, but when you have the same goals and the same beliefs about trying to do something good for the environment, all the problems are eliminated and you just want to offer more and more.
Except from the work we had plenty of time to go out and visit other cities and beaches.
The people there were so polite and ready to give you anything and try to make this experience perfect.
Personally I found the opportunity to offer without expecting anything for return, to influence other people and be influenced from them.
All the difficulties that I had to overcome (from the time that I decide to participate until the time I took the plane back to Athens) were the best chance to gain something and be a better person.
If I can give an advice is to be open to these opportunities, because they can transform you, give you new perspectives and give you new friends, also it’s so much better to travel to a country and live there and feel the vibe of this place from travelling as a simple tourist.
Some of the things that I did for first time there: Ride a horse, explore sea caves, live to a refugee inside the forest without phone signal, meet and hang out with people from other countries, swim in a lake, work in the field, visit a chocolate factory and -the most fascinating- live full my life for two weeks!!
Waiting for my next workcamp,
Γιώργος Γ. 13/7/2015
