BEING AWARE

 

I would like to start my post by being grateful for everything that surrounds me. The opportunity to live abroad, volunteering and meeting people from different countries is making me grow every day positively. In fact, I consider myself really happy and lucky because after six months I can truly say that I am settled down in this city. 

Szimpla Kert

                                   Having a French dinner with other volunteers that I met in Budapest

One highlight is the way I am learning to be aware of the value of money. Before coming here, I used to buy a lot of things in shopping centers, such as new clothes, new utensils for home... And then I realised that you can find almost everything you need in charity shops or second hand shops as well. When people are getting rid of tools that they are not using anymore,  another person can reuse it and give it a second, third or fourth life. This means that we are taking care of the environment by reducing waste production, reducing the use of plastic... and this is amazing.

All of us should learn about finding treasures in this kind of shops. A lot of times we need something immediately and the easiest way to get it is to buy something new. However, what about looking for the cheapest way? That's what I'm learning now. In my opinion, marketing and advertising are creating needs that we really don't have and we should be critical to know what is important and what is not. 

                                                            

In my second volunteer training, learning about recycling

Now, before buying something, I'm wondering... do I need it? How many of these have I at home? Can I find it in a way that takes care of the environment?   

On the other hand, recycling doesn't mean that we have to donate absolutely everything or keep everything. The act of giving clothes, tools, utensils... that are not in usable condition, why are we giving them to charities? If we are not using something because it's ruined, we should just throw it away. Why are we thinking  that other people can still wear it or use it? 

Recycling t-shirts into dog toys 

In conclusion, I believe that more and more people are learning about recycling and they are also becoming aware of the value of money because they can save it easily! So all of you that know how to do it, spread the word!