Szia blog! Vilma here

Hello blog,  It feels crazy that we have now reached the time for my last blog post.

The last few months the weather has been much better than my last post. I was hoping for sun and even though the weather has been a bit unpredictable, it has been really hot some days. The city has really got a different feeling to it and the days feel longer. With the heat has also come pollen, and I have discovered that I am allergic. Although I appreciate the greenery, I appreciate less the tiredness and runny nose it brings. But with a little medicine, my problems have resolved.

Another thing that has happened is that I broke the screen of my computer. Don't ask how it happened. I hope to be able to fix this when I get back to Sweden, but right now I'm trying to see it as another opportunity to enjoy the last time a little extra. 

During easter we hade visitors from Italy!! It was nice to introduce one italian (one friend I made during my volunteering in Spain) to another (Alessandra whom you probably already know) and celebrate easter together. My friend Michela who is also abroad for university visited Budapest with some of her friends and it feelt like one big happy (italian) family. It was a especially nice since this is the first time im not spending easter with my family.

At the beginning of April, I went back to Sweden to write a test for university. This is a test that I studied for the last 3 months and it felt good when it was finally done. When I was home, I was also shocked by how foreign it felt to be back in Sweden. At the training camps we have attended with the other volunteers, we have talked about something called "reversed culture shock" and I think that was what i experienced. It was like a taste of what awaits me when I get home, but also proof that I've managed to make myself at home here in Hungary.

Although it will be fun to come home to see friends and family again, it of course also feels a little sad to leave Budapest and all the people i've met here. Right now I'm just trying to enjoy the last time I have left in Hungary and the last part of my volunteering. Most of all I am very grateful for Alessandra, who has been a great flatmate and friend during this time. Zsuzsa, and her family, for the funny stories and making us feel welcome here in Hungary. My family and my friends, new and old, for all the good memories and support. 

Olvass tovább

 Hi blog!!

It's a lovely evening in Budapest, and as stand here on the balcony enjoy the warmer breeze of spring, writing this post fills me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. I find myself reflecting on the bittersweet realization that this may be one of the final updates I share about this beautiful experience.

May started in a wave of sentimentality for the sudden realization that this is our last month here. It may seem banal but ever since I arrived the time in front of me seemed so long and now that the last has arrived I wish I had more time to spend here. 

It's remarkable how rapid the days have passed, each filled with new adventures and memories. However, in the frenetic daily life, the passage of time seemed so slow, as if it stretched out endlessly before us.

Now, however, as the last month has come, there's a sense of urgency to capture every last moment. What in the past months felt routine now holds a profound significance, as I realize just how much we've come to love and appreciate this place.

Today, while I was checking donations with Vilma, with our playlist on the background as usual, I realized how far we’ve come. It’s hard to believe that not long ago, in the cold embrace of winter, we were just beginning to get to know each other and figuring out all the secrete corners of the shop.I don't even know how to describe what I feel realizing that soon this little tasks and moments won't be part of my everyday life. 

In these day my heart as filled with gratitude for countless experiences,  faces, memories and lovely relationship i experience during the journey. 

BUT now enough with the sentimentality!!!

These last weeks have been really funny, especially thanks to the visit of my mother and my brother. Finally I was able to show them around, but most importantly I discovered a lot of new places here in the city, and this leads me to the final point of this post. Before our flatmate and former volunteer Giuliana left, she created a poster in the kitchen for me and Vilma titled "Before you leave": the challenge for our last month here is to complete the bucket list that we created along our staying and even more ;) (Vilma, if you are reading, we are in this together!!). 

Even if I still need to "get over" this nostalgic feelings, I will make the best out of May!!

See you soon

Alessandra :)

Olvass tovább

Hi blog!

Now I have been in Budapest for almost 5 months. Since January, time has gone insanely fast and it feels crazy that there are almost only 2 months left of the volunteering. The weather has finally improved and it is no longer dark when we close the shop to go home.

In mid-February, my family came to visit me. During their stay, they got to see both our apartment and the shop. In addition to this, we also did lots of other tourist activities such as visiting the Buda castle, seeing the city park and going to some museums. It was fun to see them again and especially fun to be able to show them the place where I spent the last 5 months. It was also the first time any of them had visited Budapest, which made it extra fun.

At the beginning of March, Alessandra and I went to our second volunteer training camp in Visegrad. The camps are mainly for volunteers to get more information about ESC but also to get in touch with other volunteers. It's always interesting to meet new people, especially when you have something in common like volunteering. It was also fun to see a new place outside of Budapest, hopefully we'll get out of town more times before our volunteer work is over. 

Finally, my sister also visited me the week after the training camp. It was nice to get some quality time together as I haven't seen her since Christmas and she is busy with university. We went to a few museums and I was able to show her a bit of Budapest's nightlife. 

Olvass tovább

Alessandra here

 

Hello everyone, Alessandra here! 

Since the last blog post, a lot of events and experiences have happened. As I reflect on the past month, which have been an emotional rollercoaster, experiencing both moments of joy and challenging moods, writing this post is an opportunity to own and understand my feelings better. 

With the arrival of spring across Budapest, I'm struck by the realization that my time is here is going pretty quickly and I'm reminded to make the most of this city with only couple of months left before starting the next chapter of my journey.

Over the course of the past two months, I've had the opportunity partecipate in not just one, but two meetings with fellow volunteers from various cities and villages of Hungary. 

These gatherings, interactions and discussions were important experiences to reflect both over my projects and my overall life here in Budapest and gain a deeper perspective about the broader community I'm a part of.

These encounters have not only broadened my horizons but have also provided me with invaluable insights and inspiration that will undoubtedly shape my endeavors moving forward.

In addition to the plenty of events over the past few months, one of the best moment that was truly joyful for me was the arrival of my best friend for a visit. The arrival of a friend always comes with an air full of laughter and shared memories but the visit of my bestie is particullary  special since our friendship, which lasts since kindergarten, holds a special place in my life, so it was not just a pleasure but a important experience for me to welcome her into my world here in Budapest, sharing with her every aspect of it: not only the city itself, but also the flat and the shop (and Vilma! Of course). Since she is soon living to the distant lands of Japan, I am really grateful to have been able to share even this chapter of my life with her, yet here was also a sense of sadness in saying goodbye, knowing that it would be some time before we could be together again. 

Olvass tovább

Hello everyone, Alessandra here :)

I hope all of you had a good beginning of the year and made through this really challenging month. Even if January is been such a long month (lovely weather, no?), it’s almost coming to an end and I can’t wait to be closer to spring! 

For Christmas holidays I went back in Italy (the picture on top it’s the beautiful sea of Maratea in the South of Italy!) for about ten days, and it was really nice but coming back to Budapest was better than expected! When I was home the reality of Budapest felt so distant, almost like if the last few months here were just a product of my imagination. Once I stepped out of the metro from the airport everything felt so familiar and I realized how much I have learned in the previous months. In the last few weeks I noticed that now I am able to recognize words, customers at the shop and starting again with the daily tasks made me feel like I really know this place better and I am definitely feeling more confident. 

This month me and Vilma also made a little day trip to Vienna. Such a beautiful city, elegant and classy, but it’s NOTHING compared to Budapest! This city is so alive and full of opportunities that I can’t wait to explore in the next months. 

Also, this weekend two of my friends from Italy are coming to visit me and I can’t  wait to show them my favorite spots around the city (and of course the shop)! I am really happy to share my life here in Budapest with them and hopefully the weather will be nice! 

Anyways, that’s all for this month! It’s always great to share the little but big changes as the time passes by…

See you next month :)

Alessandra

Olvass tovább

Hello blog, volunteer Vilma here!

Totally crazy that we have already reached the time for my second blog post. That is the advantage of occasionally writing a blog post, because you get a chance to look back and think about everything you have experienced. This is also one of the reasons why my New Year's resolution is to keep a diary as often as I can. So that I can remember my time here.

I went home to spend the holidays at home with my family in Sweden. I really enjoyed meeting them and celebrating Christmas together, especially since this is the first time I've been away from home.

Now it is the beginning of January and I returned to Budapest a little more than a two weeks ago. This time it was a great feeling arriving in Budapest and being able to recognize places and the names of some the streets. Especially compared to when I first arrived when things definetly felt a bit confusing. 

Right now the weather in Budapest is quite bad, cold and rainy, but it is January after all. When you think about it, it's kind of silly that January is always the first month of the new year, because the weather is always so bad. However, I feel grateful that it is at least not as cold as in Sweden, where it is below freezing almost all of January. But to be honest, I'm also looking forward to some sun. Come on?! Just a little streak of light would be enough! Anyway, I hope that during my time here I get to experience slightly warmer temperatures. It feels like you can't get a fair picture of a city without seeing it in both summer and winter.

However, the advantage of January in my opinion is (as it is the first month of the year whether we like it or not) that due to the bad weather you have time to focus on making your everyday life as pleasant as possible and plan for the new year. In that sense January is a bit like a rip in time. Having said that, I have a lot to look forward to in the coming months, such as my family coming to visit me. Hopefully one of my friends will also come to visit a little later.

To conclude, I would like to say that I'm very happy to be back and I hope that you who are reading this have had a good start to the new year as well.

Olvass tovább

Hello everyone, I am Alessandra, one of the new volunteers of Filantrópia Charity Shop!

My first moth here is just come to an end! In September I finished my thesis for university and I was exploring some future options because for sure I didn’t feel like starting a master’s degree right away ( a pretty common and usual thing in Italy). Anyway, a friend of mine shared her experience as ESC volunteer back in 2019, so I stated to explore projects on the portal; one day, I joined a Facebook group about ESC project, and I found the incredible world of Profilantrop! As soon as I read about this organization, the project, the shop and their mission I understood that this was the perfect project for me! I was really happy!

Now that I am here I realize how even a small decision can change the course of your life: if I didn’t randomly joined the group I would have never found this project! And who knows were I would be now! The “buttefly effect” is really crazy.

I am really grateful to be here now because since I arrived I felt so welcomed and at home thank to the sweet and kind Giuliana, former volunteer and my roommate, and to Zsuzsa, who gave me the opportunity to be here and start this new adventure, she welcomed us with her family and shared a beautiful experience with us tradition, such as preparing zakuszka.

I can’t wait to spend the next six months here exploring Budapest!

See you next month :)

 Alessandra

Olvass tovább