Hi, my name is Tatev and I’m going to tell you about my ESC experience in Poland. In October 2021 I was selected to take part in ESC project as a volunteer for one year. I was very happy and excited about it because I knew it can be the beginning of a great advantage and it truly was. It was the first time I was so far from home so it was challenging but also satisfying at the same time. In the beginning, I was trying to get used to the new country, culture, people, and lifestyle. Although it was hard at the beginning, I overcame the cultural shock and started to get into the new lifestyle which was completely different from mine. But still, there were so many interesting things to discover, especially when I was doing my tasks. My ESC project was about working with kids and disabled people. I was teaching kids the Russian language and also doing different kinds of workshops for them. Also, I visited many schools to do country presentations. Actually it was a very good chance to introduce Armenian history and culture to foreign people because most of them didn’t even know where Armenia is. My next task was a work with disabled people. Me and other volunteers were escorting them to forest for a walk, cooking for them national dishes and doing a workshops for them. And of course this year couldn’t be complete without traveling. Those were days that made me completely happy.
It was such a joy to discover new cities, historical places, trying different kind of national food and meet local people. There’s so much more to tell about my ESC experience but summering it up I can say that it was one of the best years of my life. It helped me to figure out so many things I didn’t know before, discover the world from a new perspective, learn and improve skills and knowledge. Special thanks to FIOH team as they helped me a lot and they were always by my side.
