EVS Express

“Why do you want to be a volunteer?" Who of you is interested in becoming a volunteer will have to answer to this difficult question. Yes!! There are no good or bad answers, but just an infinite number of sentences that you can use: “I want to help the local community, I care about others, I want to change the world” etc. When they asked me for the first time why I was applying for being a volunteer, I just thought  I wanted to change my life, to make something useful for me and the others, and mostly because I wanted to visit new countries, experience new cultures and have an adventurous life!

In this article I could speak about difficulties in volunteer's life, about not always easy living conditions, about psychological shock when you experience poverty, violence and hunger, but  I won't do it.

Now I want to let you know how amazing can be your life if you decide to be a volunteer!

In volunteer's life it can happen that you cross the world and live in direct contact with wild nature, sleep in the deep Amazonic forest, eat just savage fruits, roots and fish from the great big rivers of Latin America and Africa. Sometimes, in a lost village, you can meet indigenous people with handbow and arrows running after their prey, or catching the bus, naked and with their ancient weapons, sitting close businessmen in jacket and tie. You can walk for a days  crossing mountains, fantastic  volcanoes, coloured lakes and, if you are tired , you can always catch the local service transports - llamas or elephants. You have to be careful not to forget to fasten the belt in canoes or kayaks to keep your balance and not to fall into rivers infested by piranjas.

Sometimes roads end in the middle of the forest and you will walk for hours or days to reach the first outpost of life, crossing precarious bridges or  finding paths through caverns or caves hidden behind impressive waterfalls. Sometimes you won't meet any transport on your way and you will wait near small hot springs, spending your time in front of the fire with your mates and waiting for the sunrise…

If wild life is not for you, you can always visit wonderful places like the majestic ruins of Machu Picchu or mysterious pyramides in Africa, the enormous megalopolises with their pulsating life, do shopping in colourful local markets, taste the local food and explore little and peaceful villages.

Everything can happen during your volunteer life. Sometimes problems are not easy to solve, but what this experience can give you back is something you will never forget and that can change your life!

Come on! There are many opportunities to explore the world and some of them are totally free: Erasmus (studying abroad for 6/12 months), Leonardo Da Vinci (working abroad for 3/6 months), EVS (European Voluntary Service from 2 to 12 months) and Civil Service (not in all the countries but we have in Romania! 12 months) are just one of them! Discover the world!

And when they will ask you: “Why do you want to become a volunteer?” You can just say: "Because it’s fun!"