Laia, 23 years old, from Barcelona, Spain, Volunteer with the European Solidarity Corps (ESC)
Where did you do your volunteering?
I did my ESC in the southwest of France in a very, very, very beautiful region called Basque Country. This region is very diverse, for its culture, language and history and also for its mountainous and coastal landscapes. It is a very special area, not very big but in which there are a thousand things to do.
Specifically, I was in a city called Anglet. A city known all over the world for surf lovers. It is in an area called BAB (Bayonne, Anglet, Biarritz). This means that you are next to Bayonne and Biarritz which are two super cool cities with very varied things in each one. Bayonne: a historic city, full of bars, a nice atmosphere and cool people. Biarritz: a coastal city with palaces, castles, surf, …really beautiful to see.
What activities did you do during your volunteering?
During my volunteering I have done lots of things: surfing, dancing, hiking, climbing, ice-skating, rafting, swimming, going with a boat, partying, singing, cooking lessons… and a lot more things!! I was able to do all of this thanks to my volunteer work and all the people I met that year. With the volunteers, we had the opportunity to do a lot of things together. I was so happy to meet them because we were in the same situation and I realized no matter that whether we were from far away or not far away countries, we shared the same things. And that was amazing.
What was your job as a ESC volunteer?
My job was with kids in a foster home and with young migrants from Africa. I really enjoyed my work because I love working with people and learning new things. I did activities with them such as: cooking, dancing, singing, hiking, going to the beach, visiting places… It was so nice to share all these things with them. They taught me very important things, and some of them, made me grow up. This experience has been one of the most challenging experiences I have ever had, and I am really happy with everything I learnt, everything I did and everyone I met.
Sentence that resumes my experience: “A different year I will never forget”
