And So, the Adventure Begins…

Hello! I’m Andrea and I’m from a small town near Valencia, Spain. I’m 18 years old and I have just finished high school. Instead of going straight to university, I decided to become a volunteer and take a gap year to have new experiences, meet new people and discover more about myself and the world around me.

In my free time, I dance traditional Spanish dances, and I absolutely love it! I started dancing because of my grandma, and it has become a very important part of my life. I also have many of my friends there, so dancing is not only a hobby for me, but also a way of spending time with people I love. I enjoy all kinds of music that I can dance to, because honestly, I feel like my life makes more sense when I’m dancing.

Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to help other people, whether they were friends, older people or children. I have always enjoyed being there for others and making them feel supported, so this volunteering opportunity felt like the perfect chance to continue doing something I really enjoy while learning and growing as a person.

I love children, and I recently became a big sister to a baby girl! Because of this, I’m especially excited about spending time in a kindergarten. I think this experience will help me understand children better and, hopefully, help me become a good big sister too. I strongly believe that even though I can teach children some things, they have just as many — or even more — things to teach me. I’m really excited to learn from them, see the world through their eyes and discover what I can learn from everyday moments with them.

I’m also really excited about living in a completely new environment. A new country, a new culture, a new language and a new way of life will definitely take me out of my comfort zone, but that is one of the reasons why I chose this experience. I hope to become more independent, open-minded and confident, and to learn things that I could never learn by staying in the same place.

Most of all, I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and people from different backgrounds. I’m sure everyone will have their own stories, experiences and ways of seeing the world, and I can’t wait to learn from them and share my own experiences too. I don’t know exactly what this year will bring, but I’m sure it will be full of new experiences, challenges, laughs and unforgettable memories. And I’m ready for it!