The second half of the project was completely different than the first one. During it, I became more accustomed to being a resident of Orta Nova. I felt less and less like an ordinary tourist here, which was one of my goals before coming to Italy. Therefore, returning home will be difficult. Apart from my mood, my tasks as a volunteer have changed. First of all, we started the project at a linguistic high school in the neighboring town of Carapelle, where we implemented programs proposed by Beyond Borders with local youth. I will remember classes at school as one of the most enjoyable activities during our stay. The opportunity to talk with young people about the problems they encounter every day living in smaller towns was a great honor, and the openness with which the high school students welcomed us was incredible. Even though we, volunteers and the Beyond Borders coordinators, conducted these classes, our perspectives also expanded on many levels. Of course, this would not be possible without our wonderful coordinators, without them the preparation of these classes at school would not be possible. They implemented programs introducing us volunteers to the project very clearly.
Another interesting project we implemented was the opportunity to shoot social spots and photos. Brainstorming with local volunteers and Beyond Borders coordinators, we created short films and photos aimed at presenting topics related to freedom in the media. The whole thing went very smoothly, and we were able to show great creativity when making photos and videos. We continued to work for Caritas. In the morning we arrived at the kitchen, where our task was to help Maria and Brigida prepare meals for those in need. There was always a delicious espresso waiting for us upon arrival, and Caritas caregivers treated us to local delicacies. In addition, local volunteers organized a lot of activities for us in our free time. One of them was the football match I was looking forward to between local volunteers and coordinators, in which I also participated. It was very nice to participate in the birthday meeting of one of the coordinators, where we watched the match at the top of the Serie A table, Napoli – Juventus. In the evenings, local volunteers also invited us to events in the city of Orta Nova, in which we gladly participated. In addition, we also organized a party in our house to which we invited coordinators and local volunteers. The event was very successful and everyone had a great time.
To sum up my stay as a volunteer at Orta Nova, I am honored to have been part of this project. It is a completely different world to which I easily adapted thanks to the dynamic operation of this organization, the openness of local volunteers, and the excellent time management of the coordinators. Volunteering at Beyond Borders is much more than a cultural exchange. After 2 months of staying in Orta Nova, I felt as if I was born here despite not being able to speak Italian. People here are very open and curious about the world I came from. Returning to Poland will certainly not be easy.