Ett år som volontär
Under ett år har vi fått följa Océane som är volontär i Lomma. Läs hennes sista betraktelse och tillbakablick på året som gott.
Hej!
We're on the last day of my volunteering and a year has gone by. Summing up a year's experience like this is not so easy. I have so many things to say, so many memories and skills developed.
In the space of a year, my life has totally changed, from architecture student in to volunteer at a youth center in Sweden. The first change I can see is undoubtedly my level of English, which has really improved. That was one of my worries, but I've finally got over it. Then there's Swedish, which I've also been able to learn and which I now understand. I've also been involved in few French classes to help them discover the culture. I've also been very involved with the children at the center, offering them creative and sporting activities every week. I got to know my colleagues and the Swedish work and education system. Sweden itself is very different from France and this year I was able to compare cultural differences and ways of life.
I loved volunteering at Lomma, surrounded by friendly, caring colleagues and very open-minded, smiling young people. My days themed evening or a moment of cooking. We went to Göteborg for a weekend at the amusement park, or for a day in the forest. We took part in the Lomma culture festival and spent the whole summer in a container by the beach, which is what I call good working conditions ahah.
What's more, I formed links with the children and most of them improved their English, which is really good, and then the teenagers discovered ESC, because it's super important to know that you can have an opportunity like this to go and live abroad. Also, throughout the year I met other volunteers with whom I shared some very good memories and anecdotes, and I hope to keep in touch. I've also travelled a lot, taking advantage of my vacations to discover the region and even the country. I've been to Stockholm several times, and in winter I've taken the train to Kiruna (in the Arctic Circle) where I've experienced extreme cold, dog sledding, the Northern Lights and so on. I've explored the region by car on several occasions, taking in hikes in the national parks, strolls along the beaches and discovering small villages. But that's not all, I've also packed my backpack with a tent and set off on an adventure along the country's west coast to discover fishing villages, not forgetting my sailing trip on the Göta canal and the country's largest lakes. Finally, I recently visited the islands of Öland and Gotland, where the sun was out and the fun was in. All in all, I've made the most of this year to visit this great and beautiful country, without missing out on a trip to Denmark, Norway and Finland. It was a year full of unforgettable visits and discoveries. Of course, I've documented this whole year on my instagram account oceane.volunteer.se where you can find all my activities and travels.
Finally, I'm staying in Sweden, so it's just a "See you soon" with Lomma kommun and the fritidsklubb as I'll continue to work with them when they need me, but more importantly, I'm now the social mentor for the next volunteer. So I'll continue to have a link with the organization and the European Solidarity Corps, which I'm extremely pleased about. In conclusion, I've loved this year, this volunteering and this experience in general, and I encourage anyone between 18 and 30 to do the same.
Océane Dommanget,
17th september 2023.