Cześć! My name is Lilith, transformed in Poland into ‘Pani Lily’. I come from Armenia. Yes, I know, you have no idea, where it is, so feel free to googlemap it. No worries… I’m lying! How on earth you don’t know where is Armenia?!

I passed 2900 kilometres, survived 11 hours on the road with 3,5-hour stopover for one destination -Kraków!

There are many reasons why people decide to do an EVS. Some need refreshment, someone got stuck, for someone it is a perfect gap year, somebody eager to travel and meet new people. But there is one thing that unites all EVS volunteers – willingness to grow, to become a better man year after.

Through EVS you will discover a brand new culture. I found myself in the streets protesting against shooting of wild pigs, singing polish carols at the Main Square, celebrating Great-parents’ Day. While diving into polish way of living, you start to live like a local, you start to care. And this is one of the most important lessons for me so far.

Through EVS you will experience tolerance at its finest. Talking about Catalan Independence, seeing emotions of a German coming from Auschwitz, getting to know about Albanian-Macedonian relationships, learning about new established Ukrainian church, exploring tension between south and north of Italy and so on… I’ve become more curious, more interested, ended up asking countless questions.

Through EVS you will appreciate more your country. I may not be in Armenia, but I carry Armenia with me. You are becoming an ambassador of your country in Poland. You are appreciating its uniqueness, which I never thought about before coming.

Through EVS you are learning constantly, every day. Being thrown into a totally new environment you have no other chance than to flourish.

And yet there is so much to discover:)

Author: Lilith, participant of the project “Equal Volunteering”

The project “Equal Volunteering” is organised within the framework of the European Solidarity Corps and financed by European Commission.