It’s Monday night, I’m on the balcony wondering about myself and what surrounds me. It’s the perfect time to think and to write. Everything feels so calm, so right. Lot of inside questions though. Am I doing the “right” thing? Does the right thing really exist? Sometimes I don’t think so. Sometimes the right thing is what makes you feel a part of an everything, sometimes the right thing is what makes you proud, sometimes egoistically speaking is what it just feels good or appropriate for yourself. I’m in Budapest since few weeks and I’m overwhelmed by what surrounds me every day: the city, the people living in, my volunteer service at Filantrópia. At my eyes the city looks so big, so deep in its streets, its quarters: my head is looking at all the palaces, all the buildings, all the bars and shops, all the sunsets through the windows. I always wonder what people do in here, what’s their life, if they’re happy, if they’re sad, if they’re in love.
The people I meet at Filantrópia are helping me so much I can’t describe, they offer me new points of view, they are opening their heart to me and I can’t be more grateful for everything they’re donating to me. I think “to donate” is the perfect verb and action to describe what’s happening in Aradi Utca 43 every morning and afternoon. One of my best way to be is being emphatic and I can’t imagine how much more I’ll be after one year here and at who I’ll be on the 31st August 2021.
Everyday I check bags coming from donation (I told you, to donate is the appropriate action): what can be sold, what can be donate (once again) to homeless people, to other communities living in villages outside Budapest, to orphans, to associations helping dogs. My hands are putting clothes, shoes, and everything needed in order to help these people. My hands are helping and this is what it feels right at the end of every day spent at work. More than once I felt sad doing this job, it's sad to think about their situation and touching clothes to give to them makes me reflect about how they must feel and how lucky we are to have what we have but once again Sara and Zsuzsa gave to me the perfect words to see things form a different point of view. I’m a very good observer too, and my eyes are always projected to the details, especially in what concerns the people. In theirs, I see passion, commitment and an aim of life.
I look at all the people coming to the shop, some of them communicate with their eyes: so far I can’t speak Hungarian so I’m trying to get in touch with them looking at their moves, at the way they move their hands, at what they look for, at their smiling eyes and their blue mood (we all have blue moods sometimes, let’s not hide it). But more than everything I see people with stories I don’t know anything about and still I keep wondering. I also look at the young smile of Kris, the other volunteer and I see the joy of discovering life and laughing together. Filantrópia is a masterpiece for what it offers and for what we can receive from the people. We never think enough about this, we are used to take it for granted: well, it’s a mistake.
Budapest, see you tomorrow. Goodnight to all the people’s stories.
