Emlékek, amiket magammal viszek

Hello kedves olvasók! 

Ez lesz az utolsó bejegyzésem, és furcsa ezt leírni. Őszintén szólva még mindig nem igazán dolgoztam fel a gondolatot, hogy vége ennek az évnek. Összességében boldog vagyok, mert egy nagyon jó időszakot zártam le. Élveztem a munkát a boltban – mindig izgalmas volt átnézni az adományokat, hátha akad valami érdekes kincs a halomban. Néha a törzsvásárlók is kihívást jelentettek, de voltak napok, amikor ez már szinte komikusnak hatott: mintha csak egy álomban lennénk, ahol egymás után érkeznek a legnehezebben kezelhető emberek. Mégis, ezek a pillanatok is hozzátartoztak az élményhez, és most már inkább mosolyogva gondolok vissza rájuk.

 Amit igazán különlegessé tett az egész évet, azok a munkatársaim voltak. Mindig sikerült valahogy jobbá tenniük a napot, és sokat tanultam tőlük. A képzések is sokat adtak – segítettek rájönni, hogy talán mégsem vagyok annyira ügyetlen társas helyzetekben, mint korábban hittem. Ráadásul remek barátokat is szereztem, akikkel később sok közös élményünk lett: kirándulások, városi séták, nevetések és hosszú beszélgetések. Hálás vagyok, hogy megismerhettem őket, és nagyon szeretném, ha a kapcsolatunk a jövőben is megmaradna.

 Az év során rengeteg szórakoztató programban vettem részt, amik segítettek abban, hogy magabiztosabb legyek és jobban élvezzem az új helyzeteket. Most épp azon dolgozom, hogy megtanuljak pozitívan előre tekinteni, és ne félelemmel, hanem kíváncsisággal várjam, mi jön ezután. Remélem, a következő években is lesznek ehhez hasonlóan tartalmas, vidám és tanulságos időszakok az életemben.

 Köszönöm, hogy eddig olvastátok a blogjaimat, és hogy velem tartottatok ezen az úton. Sok szép emléket viszek magammal, és bízom benne, hogy ezek az élmények még sokáig inspirálni fognak. 

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

Hi, My name is Vilma and I am one of the new volunteers at the Filantrópia Charity Shop!

Since this is my first blog post, I thought I'd start by giving you a short background on myself and how I started volunteering.


This spring I graduated from high school in a small town in Sweden where Iv'e lived basically all my life. In high school I studied social and behavioral science and I also volunteered as part of the Red Cross Youth Association since the beginning of 2023. I have always been interested in people and personal development and had always considered the possibility of volunteering abroad as a way to combine both of these interests. So I decided to take what is called a "gap year" or basically a year off from doing anything school related to dive deeper into the world of volunteering.

I spent the summer at home, and in the beginning of September I went to Spain to participate in a team volunteering project that I found through the European Solidarity Corps. Together, I and the other volunteers painted a mural at a local hospital. I learned so much from this experience, even if the project was barely a month long. Both from all the interesting people I met but also about what it's like to live with other people in shared space and to do everything as a team. I knew that I wanted to continue volunteering when I got home, but this time I wanted to try a longer project. As if by chance, I scrolled past an ad on Facebook about the Filantrópia charity shop and not long after that the plane ticket to Budapest was booked.

Now I've been here a month and the strange thing is that I can hardly describe what I've done since then. Of course, I've also met a lot of nice and interesting people here, participated in workshops, been to some Christmas markets, went sightseeing and for the first time in my life bought my own washing detergent. Crazy right?!! It's been a lot of new impressions to say the least and I think it's only now that I can actually go to the grocery store without feeling overwhelmed by all the sounds, people and a completely foreign language. Important to mention is that I have had amazing help along the way from my flatmates who gave me the warmest welcome, Zsuzsa and Betsy from the store and my friends and family in Sweden who have supported me since day one.

Olvass tovább

Röviden és velősen, de főleg könnyesen. Viszlát Filantrópia

Kedves Olvasók,

Az én munkásságom is a végére ért Filantrópia szigetén. Őszintén, hihetetlen, milyen gyorsan elrepült ez az év! 

Emlékszem, az első Budapesti napomon Beci várt az önkéntes rezidencia előtt:)) aki nem csak akkor segített nekem, amikor ideadta a lakás kulcsot és megmutatta hogyan nyílik a lift és hogy természetesen mindig le kell küldeni, hanem háborút szítunk a szomszédok között (ez egy nagyon trükkös lift volt), hanem az itt töltött hónapjaim minden pillanatában. Mindig ott volt a felvigyázó keze a háttérben és terelgetett az élet útján. Köszi Beci:)))

Vegyes érzelmekkel vágtam bele ebbe az évbe annó, de felűlmúlta az elképzeléseimet! Persze számítottam egyre meg másra, de ennyi szép emlékre és csodálatos emberre nem. Kezdhetem Núriával, aki anyukám helyett anyukám volt itt Budapesten, abban a néhány együtt töltött hónapban, majd később Irene, akivel egy nagyon vad és eseménydús évet bonyolítottunk le. Sírás, nevetés, mérgelődés, minden is volt, de így volt szép és igazi. 

Ez az egy év alatt mindent is csináltam!      

 Láttam a pápát:)))

Filantrópia Adománybolt születésnapot ünnepeltem.

 Hajóláda Műhelyt tartottam, meeeg farsangot ünnepeltünk.

Hazautak hétfőnként a Morriból.

 Növényeket gyűjtöttem, majd aztán el is ültettem őket.

Nagyon sokat lomtalanítottam, erre Irene haragudott is:))

Sünis zokni meg növények.

Itt rájöttem, hogy mennyire kicsi vagyok.

Kilátások a teraszról.

Múzeumba jártunk. 

Sokat jártam a Citadellához.

Fashion show.

Megnéztem III. Károly koronázását (szörnyű volt. hosszú és unalmas, meg szerintem nem volt elég csilli-villi sem)

Botanikus kertet varázsoltam a rezidenciából.

Csomagokat vadásztam a Westendben Irenevel. 

Vacsorákat szervetünk a barátaimmal. 

Mindezek mellett nem csak emlékeket, hanem tapasztalatot is gyűjtöttem. Megtanultam, hogy a kedvesség és jószándék előbb vagy utóbb mindig megtérül az életben, ha ez nem lenne magától értendő. Ha tudunk adni, mindig kell és soha ne ítélkezzünk emberek és helyzetek fölött. Legyen az egy kedves szó, egy szelet kenyér, egy ölelés, akár egy pulcsi amit már amúgy sem hordasz. Soha nem tudhatod, hogy a másik személy min megy keresztül az életben épp. Mindezért köszönet Zsuzsának és a Filantrópia Adományboltnak!

Röviden, megnőtt a hajam, de méginkább megnőttem én is (nem szó szerint, annak már semmi esélye), mint ember ennek az évnek hála!

Köszönöm mindenkinek!

Millió puszi, Móni💖

Olvass tovább

See you soon letter :)

 

Olvass tovább

Tavasz, nyár, Filantrópia

 

Kedves olvasók!

A nyár megérkeztével a mi szociális életünk is kivirágzott, nem csak a Margit sziget:) Ennek tiszteletéül egy fotó montázzsal készültem nektek, a legkedvesebb emlékeimből! 

Akaratom ellenére két szék között találtam magam, mivel választanom kellett nemrég a szentek közül, pontosabban, hogy melyik a legigazibb és legjobb. Egyik oldalon olasz barátnőnk Marta, Szent Ferenccel, a másikon pedig Irene, Szent Antallal. Nekem túl nehéznek bizonyult a döntés, ezért átadtam a teret az Instagram követőimnek egy szavazás formájában. A helyzet az, hogy soha nem fog kiderülni, ki a legigazibb szent, mert a szavazás eredménye egyenlő lett:)

Továbbá láthatóak a növénykéim (a képen csupán kettő, de ennél sokkal több van), pillanatok a boltból és barátaink Európa minden sarkából.

A hónapok teltével kialakult lassan a mindennapi rutinunk a boltban is. Mostmár ismerjük a törzsvásárlókat, megvannak a kedvenc emberkéink is persze:) Már tudjunk nagyjából ki mit keres, amikor bejön hozzánk, kinek mi a stílusa, hogy mennek a mindennapjai, kinek hány gyereke van, stb stb. És persze vannak olyan vásárlóink is, akik gyakran kis kedves gesztusokkal érkeznek be hozzánk, mint például sütemény, gyümölcs vagy csak egy kis ajándék társaságában.

Szeretettel, Móni

Olvass tovább

 

Hol volt, hol nem volt, egy lány, aki úgy döntött elkezd élni

 

Kedves olvasó, remélem te is örülsz a tavaszias időjárásnak, nem csak miJ Ez a huzamos idejű borús idő kezdett túl depresszív lenni már számunkra. Remélem mindenki kiélvezi és kiszalad egy picit a természetbe, akár egy néhány perces sétára egy parkba vagy, csak a hátsókertbe vagy egy napsütötte teraszon egy kedves kávé és néhány csodálatos ember társasága is elképesztő hatással lehet ránk.

Nagyon gyakran észre sem vesszük, mennyire gyorsan repül az idő. Én ma ébredtem rá, hogy lassan fél éve, hogy Budapesten halmozom a csodálatosabbnál csodálatosabb barátságokat, emlékeket a kis tarisznyámba, amivel útnak indultam szeptemberben, mint a szegény legény a népmesékben. Nem csak az idő múlására nem eszmélünk rá, arra sem, mennyire megváltozunk egy-egy esemény hatására.

Személyesen rengeteget szenvedtem az önbizalom hiányom miatt. Rettegtem közönség előtt beszélni, vagy akár beszélgetésbe elegyedni egy idegen emberrel, nem is beszélve a segítségkérésről. A napokban ráébredtem, hogy ez a félelem eltűnt az életemből. Megtanultam kérdezni. A múltban rengeteg időt képes voltam eltölteni egy üzletben egy adott tárgyat keresve, mert féltem odamenni egy dolgozóhoz és megkérdezni, hogy mégis hol találom meg, amit keresek. Féltem, hogy butának fogok tűnni. Ráébredtem, hogy senki nem néz butának, csupán egy kérdés miatt, mert nem létezik rossz kérdés.

Első komolyabb fellépésem közönség előtt (a prezentációkat leszámítva a liciből)  az adományboltban történt a Hajóláda-műhely alkalmával.  Megtartottam életem első workshopját! Zonikból kiscicákat készítettünkJ Óriási mérföldkövet léptem meg ezáltal. El sem tudom mondani, mennyire büszke voltam magamra a nap végén! Óriásit dobott az önbizalmamon. Elkezdtem belevágni hasonló tevékenységekbe, feszegetve a határaimat, mert a félelmem fokozatosan kezdett alább hagyni minden kis apró sikerem után.

Most itt állok, magabiztosan az önkéntes kalandom közepén vicces vagy akár tanulságos élményekkel, mert úgy döntöttem leküzdöm a félelmeimet.

Olvass tovább

It's not a goodbye yet

This experience is coming to an end and I can only be grateful. What an amazing group of people I have met, each one with their own culture, language, customs, political ideas... sometimes we feel unique, special... and we are. But when you share differences and similarities with other people, you realise that in the end we all have the same values in common: family, love, friendships, work. Then everyone has their hobbies... traveling, meeting people, Netflix, reading...

How many interesting people there are in the world and how difficult it is to get out of your comfort zone to reach them. It's also increasingly difficult to find someone interesting, as many of them look alike and are no longer special. 

Time is money, so there is no need to share it with people we don't feel like sharing it with. But I have been lucky in this volunteering, as I have met wonderful people who have taught me so much and I hope I have taught something too. I am not formally saying goodbye yet, as this is not my last blog, but inwardly I am beginning to do so. I am living things more intensely, I know there is a limit, there is a day when I will take the flight and say goodbye to Budapest. Maybe it's not forever and I'll come back for a new job, maybe I'll come back to visit (visiting of course, it's not a maybe), who knows? 

Three years ago I was living in Prague as an Erasmus student, and I thought I had learned how to say goodbye to a city. But I'm discovering that you never learn how to manage goodbyes. You don't say goodbye to the city, you say goodbye to the experiences, to your favourite bar, to the guests who came to visit you... but above all you say goodbye to the people who made your everyday life wonderful.  

I would recommend volunteering to anyone, I would recommend it to anyone who can spend a year abroad, it fills you with a magic that cannot be explained. You connect with yourself, you discover things about yourself that you didn't know, you forge friendships in a language that is not your own language. And the more you travel, the more people you meet, the more you discover about yourself, the more you realise how much you still have to learn.

So I can only say that I feel gratitude for everything I have learned this year personally and for everything I have learned from the people around me. It has been a great opportunity to meet you.

New volunteer, new workmate, new flatmate! Móni

At Zsuzsa's parents place making Zakuszka. 

It was an incredible family Sunday :) 

An amazing sunset as always

Olvass tovább

Friends

It's already been six months that I am here in Budapest and it seems like at least one year. It's incredible how time flies and we are not even aware of it. 

I came in November and every experience abroad is difficult to deal with. When your experience is starting, you are full of energy and ready to live through the next chapter of your life. 

Last week our friend and workmate left because it's her time to change the chapter. We were living together, working together and hanging out together. So, I would like to tell you about Sara. 

When I came to Budapest, Sara was waiting for me in front of our home, she carried my luggage (27kg) and she had prepared my first lunch here. Sara, Harry and me were eating tomatoes and cheese. (Yes, they love cheese. There is no meal without it and it was just my beginning in the cheese fantasy).

As I was telling you before, going abroad alone can be hard in the beginning because you don't know anything about it and you don't know anyone to share your experience with. But then, Sara introduced me to all of her friends here, she was always organising parties and making plans, she was always working very hard and taking care of everyone. Sara is an easy going person, caring, friendly, confident, generous, clever and an amazing cook. I would like to be Italian to know how to cook once a week: home-made pizza, pasta and risotto. (I made a lot of mistakes, for example I cooked pasta one day and I ate it the next day hihihihi).

Sara wasn't just organising activities for everyone, she was really good at planning too. Once, she organised a quiz night at home... full of people, full of questions, full of cheese (do you have doubts about a party without cheese?). She organised barbecues, capuccino time (we love coffee too) and luggages. Yes, I've written  luggages. Already three rounds of clothes went to Italy. (Yes, three weren't enough, she has to come back to pick the fourth round up, lucky us hihiiii).

As I told you too, Sara, during our last night in Morrison's... (finally): Sara is an amazing workmate, she knows how to teach you, how to say if you are doing something wrong and she's able to spread her energy and positive vibes. Sara is also a very good friend, she listens to your worries and she gives  you really good advice. She would never judge you. 

To sum up, it's very important to know how to enjoy life. In other words, all of us have worries, responsibilities and goals although everything takes time. So, on the path to reach those goals, I would say that we have to learn how to appreciate  the people that are surrounding us, enjoy our daily activities and never we have to get stuck, we always need a change in whichever field. And that is what Sara is always doing. 

I am very lucky to have met you! See you soon apañada! :)

PS: In spanish, apañada means someone who always finds a solution for everything. And that's why Sara is apañada apañada. 

At the Carnival Party. Zsuzsa, Eleonora, me and Sara

    At Sara's birthday. Me, Eleonora and Sara. 

Last day of Sara. Me, Eleonora, Becci, Zsuzsa and Sara. 

Olvass tovább

Who I want to be

 A cardamom and lilac scented candle is burning on my table, I am listening to my favourite playlist and I think about my future. Six months of this astonishing experience are already gone and soon I will make new choices. This has never been easy for me, to be honest it scares me. But after all, aren't choices that make us adults?

A couple of weeks ago I joined the mid term training and, among the other things, they asked us to imagine ourself in three years and draw our ideas. Which results will we achieve? Which will be our new goals?
I drew a flat (because I really want to achieve independence) and a dachshund (no kidding, I love them) but the very first thing that came to my mind was: "sustainability", so I added this word too. I like to think that in 2025 my life will be more conscious, closer to nature.

About this: my mother teaching me to sew is definitely one of the goals for the next years. I am 100% sure it will be difficult for me but I really wanna learn to do something so cool with my own hands. Every day in the shop I see so many clothes with a button missing or with a broken zip but still in good conditions; it would be a very simple but important job to repair them.

I am not a creative person but in the last months I realized I am really curious about upcycling (in other words: creative recycling), especially in the fashion field. In January I saw a short Italian documentary called "Stracci"*. It talks about the wool upcycling experience of Prato, in Tuscany where the wool is recycled since 150 years by expert hands. Every day an incredible amount of clothes arrives there from all over Europe. The first step is to separate the clothes for the second hand market from those for recycling. Of the latter the wool ones are selected and the zip and the labels are removed. They also divide the clothes by colour, this allows to do new fabric without dyeing, saving a lot of pollution.
It was touching to see a knowledge so old becoming so actual and necessary, because it saves  tons and tons of textile waste from the landfills every year. I would love to know better this reality and I would also love to deepen my knowledge about examples of circular economy in Italy.

To know more: https://www.straccidoc.it/stracci-un-viaggio-nella-sostenibilita-della-moda/

On another hand I am very curious about the international cooperation world too. I got my bachelor degree in "International cooperation and development" in December 2020 but because of Covid I didn't do any internship yet. In January the call for a very interesting project with the Italian NGO "Mani tese" expired so I tried my luck and I applied for it. They have a lot of projects around the world regarding fashion sustainability but also agroecology and rural development. I will know more in the next months.
Speaking about international cooperation, in the last weeks Zsuzsa allowed me to join some online meeting with other NGOs. I think this is a good opportunity for me, to see if I am
interested in EU projects. It is too soon to say something about it, but I am grateful because this can help me understand what I like and what I don't.

I am full of inputs but also disoriented. I would like to study, but also to work and be independent. Sometimes I feel like I am "late", but other times I just choose to not think about it. It is hard to accept that I do not have control over my future but what I know is that every experience I made led me where I am now. My path has never been regular, but made me grow. When I was 19 I felt the urge to travel around the world and now I feel like I need more time. More time for the pub quizzes, for the boardgame nights, for the dinners and the walks around with my new friends. More time to think about my future and about my carnival costume. Time for planning new trips** and for friend's birthdays. More time for life to help me understand how to take the next step: choosing who I want to be.

*Rags

**Pécs I am coming!

P.S. I was dressed as a sailor, guess Sara costume if you dare!

Olvass tovább

Almost three months

I would like to tell you today that I am very happy to be here and  to enjoy this experience as I am doing now.

 I like working in the shop and getting to know our usual customers (some of them are coming every day), although what I like the most is discovering this beautiful country. 

 

For this reason, I went to Dobogókő with a friend that came to visit me from Spain. He is Charlie. This place was amazing although it was snowing, cold, windy, and dark. But of course, it was January, what was I expecting? Sun and light? 

 

Nevertheless, the company is always more important than the places that you are visiting, and I had the best visit. Moreover, we were in a nice hostel, warm and cosy, with a lot of Hungarian people. In spite of the weather, we were walking for hours in the forest, breathing fresh air, and enjoying nature. I would recommend Dobogókő if you like hiking, but please, if you want to have fun instead of getting a cold, don't go during the winter. 

 

 

 

On the other hand, as I said before, I am enjoying working in the shop. We are receiving lots of donations (mostly clothes) and we are not able to sell everything that we receive. Because of  that, we are donating a lot of  clothes to homeless shelters. 

Since two or three weeks,  Zsuzsa’s father is coming to the shop to help us with different tasks. So we shared a task going to donate clothes to a homeless shelter. People were very nice and grateful.  

Barna was asking where we should leave the donations. Meanwhile, I was waiting outside and  there were a lot of people waiting to enter to the homeless shelter to have a warm meal. They were very happy to see the car full of clothes  and they asked me different things that I couldn’t understand (yet). However,  I was able to understand “Adomány?” (donation?) And I replied, “Igen, Igen” (Yes, yes). 

So, as you can see, I already learnt a lot of new words and a lot of new things, my parents are very proud of me and I'm eager to learn a lot more!

Above all, I am falling in love with this city. I went to Café New York and as you can see in the picture below, it’s amazing (and very expensive) so I was there only to look around and to enjoy live music.

 

Although what I like the most was Aquaworld. It is an awesome aquapark where  you can chill and have fun with your friends. It’s a perfect plan for a  Sunday.

 

 

 

Talking about having fun, Sara's birthday was one week ago. We were in a nice place having dinner and drinking pálinka (it is a strong alcoholic Hungarian beverage appreciated for its potency, flavor, and fragrance). You can imagine how the night ended. Below, I add my favorite picture with my flatmates and friends, Sara and Eleonora. Sara is 13 now. 

 

 

 And then, last week I participated in an online training course, where I met people from all around Europe who are volunteering in Hungary too. I had the opportunity to meet people living in Budapest doing the same thing  as me, and it is very heart-warming to share this experience with people who are at the same point in their life.  

I hope you enjoyed these small stories and moments from my exciting and  colorful life here in Budapest!

 Köszönöm! :)

 

Olvass tovább

Ficánkolás Filantrópián 4. rész

Egy csomóba bogzom ezt az egy év ficánkolást, az élményeket, tanulságokat, észrevételeket, jó mélyen elraktározom, s soha nem engedem el.

Sara anyapótlását, jó tanácsait, energiáját, szépérzékét, tésztáit,  hogy beavatott a rendszerezett élet, a tervezés, végrehajtás, porszívó mánia rejtelmeibe. 

Ale barátságát, a kacagásokat, a diliségeket, énekléseket, öleléseket. A vasárnapi teraszos semmittevéseinket. A mindent elsöprő erejét, ami remélem végig kísér majd egész életemben, s mindig tudok belőle meríteni.

Zsuzsa tanításai, motivációja, az a rengeteg történet, amit megosztott velem mind-mind a csomóm része marad, Orsi csodás főztjével együtt.

A karanténos privát flat party-kat. Azokat a bulikat, amikor egyszer csak észreveszed, hogy haló, ki van virradva, dobjunk be egy jó pizzame-t, s menjünk haza.

A Nyugati aluljáró összes zenészét, akik reggelente arra késztetnek, hogy kivegyem a fülest és inkább őket hallgassam a következő kanyarig. Aztán visszateszem és már ezt éneklem Szabó Benedekkel ,,De olyan szépek a fák tavasszal az Andrássy úton”. Tényleg szépek, az ok ,amiért mindig a hosszabb utat választom munkába menet. Jól összecsomózom a sok ember látványát, akikkel reggelente szembe megyek, a számításaimat, hogy pontosan zöldre érjek oda a zebrához. Az összes földön talált topjoy kupakot, amik végtelenül közhelyesek, de mégis annyira jók. Azokat a pillanatokat, amikor belenézek az indiai bolt kirakatába, s meglepődök, hogy hmm, egészen jól nézel ki ma. 

Budapest fényeit, a Duna-partot, a hidakat, az eldugott sétálókat, a kedvenc helyeinket. A dilemmát minden egyes alkalommal, hogy lifttel vagy lépcsőn menjek fel az ötödikre. A szobámat a világító bigyókkal, a növénykéimmel. A menta illatú teraszunkat, a halacskás zuhanyzófüggönyt, a poszteres konyhát, a good luck-ot kívánó wc-t.

Az angol tudásomat, ami eleinte annyira gyatra volt, hogy google fordítóval nyögtem ki, hogy sorry lányok, nem igazán beszélek angolul. Ma meg már bátran mesélek, viccelődök, s végre önmagam tudok lenni ezen a nyelven is.

Hogy milyen vagány családom van. Hogy engedik a bohócukat a saját útján járni. A szeretetet, amivel mindig várnak haza, azt a biztonságot nyújtó érzést, hogy bármi történik, ők itt vannak nekem. Anya kaja csomagjait, az életmentő tanácsait, a biztatását. Apával a tülköléseinket, s azt a képességét, hogy elfogadja a bohóságaimat. Fiacska izgalmas gondolatait a világról, hogy megmutatja nekem az igazi bátorságot, kitartást. 

    Az otthoni pajtásaimat, akik nem felejtettek el, még mindig kíváncsiak rám, s bebizonyítottuk, hogy igenis működik a táv barátság. Az új barátaim nyitottságát, történeteiket, tapasztalataikat, amik formálnak engem is.

Filantrópia megmagyarázhatatlan hangulatát, az újrahasznosítás fontosságát. Az állandó vásárlóinkat, az összes hozzájuk tartozó mosollyal, kedvességgel, értetlenkedéssel, furcsasággal együtt. A kincseink hívó szavát, hogy ,,Kriszti, tiéd vagyok, vigyél haza!”. Az erőt, hogy ez ne történjen meg minden egyes alkalommal, s az örömet, amikor mégis belecsúszok a csapdába.

Az összes bénaságomat, problémát , nehézséget, amik megtanítottak, hogy bármire képes vagyok, ha igazán szeretném, s hogy mindenre van megoldás.

A ragu, rizottó, torta salata, a pizza, tökéletes tészta, és tunamayo receptet. Olasz szavakat, amik véglegesen beleégtek az agyamba.

Összecsomózom mindennel a kíváncsiságomat, a bátorságomat, amik ide vezettek, hogy megélhessem életem egyik legnagyobb kalandját. S azt a mérhetetlen nagy hálát, amit érzek az elmúlt egy év miatt. 

Ficánkolásaim közel sem értek véget. Most már ezzel a nagy gubanccal együtt vetem bele magam az újdonságokba!

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Feeling lucky

I do remember the day I took the flight from Milan to come to Budapest whom I fell in love with many years ago. It’s been a year since I've been living here, and I couldn’t be happier about the fact that I don’t have to take any flight back to Italy. This year surrounded by the decadent beauty of the city, by the treasures I find in Filantrópia Charity shop, by the people I met who’ve become very close and good friends, by the bridges, by the lights, by the fun nights, by the usual 10000 steps per day, made me realize I don’t want to leave all of this behind me.

The most incredible lesson I’ve learned this year is that it’s so important to recognize how lucky we are, to live a life we choose, to meet with friends, to be able to count on people, to be able to realize that life is just amazingly beautiful. There is no more fulfilling awareness than recognizing how full of treasures life is, and that the most beautiful of all is that we are alive and have a world of possibilities around us. Around me I see people who have moved from other countries to start another life here in this city, which makes you feel free and alive, and which always surprises you. Budapest makes you fall in love with the unpredictability of life. Some time ago I was at the post office, I had to run an errand for the shop, I was waiting in line with my headphones (as always) and my weird socks (I seem to remember they were with donuts, but I'm not sure now). A lady behind me touched my shoulder and I turned around thinking she was complaining about the volume of the music, and instead seeing me dance on the spot waiting for my turn had put her in a good mood so we started talking and she told me everything about her life, which she had lived in many places including Italy, in a small village in Tuscany and I really thought that with the right attitude you can really do many things. Being born and raised in a small town that I have never liked and that I have always found too tight, the feeling of being able to seize new opportunities and see things, faces, people, dogs, cats, bars, streets, squares every day simply makes me feel full of life.

The year I spent in Filantrópia taught me that people are generous, often for no apparent reason, that this city, despite an adverse government and a system of thought that would lead you to think otherwise, is full of generous people, who give to others. At the beginning of the experience I often wondered "but why don't they sell all these things they donate?", now I have the answer: because if you decide to donate something that will be reused by another person, who you potentially do not know and you'll never know, it's something money can't buy. Donating to recycle, to give life back to an object or a dress that is no longer used, without any gain, is something that will always amaze me and that gives me hope for the future, for future generations and for the life on our planet. Although I may seem like an eternal naive and hippie, the little daily wonders really make me smile and I have learned that it's okay like this. Another thing I learned during this ESC is that working in a group and for a group tests you every day, helps you to compromise, helps you learn to say your opinion in respect of others, and it is extremely fun. I wouldn't even be able to name all the moments I laughed to tears with the girls, all the disasters I made, the faces of Kriszti, the strength of Sara, the stories of Zsuzsa. From the walk in the forest of the first weeks (first and last for me since I am extremely lazy and I am afraid of any insects), from the bath in the Danube (first and last time for me), from the Christmas lunch at Orsi's house (Orsi please invite me more often, at your house I’d gladly come back), at dinners in the hills at Zsuzsa's house (here too, food and atmosphere always excellent), to all the nights out (for aperitifs and events I am always available, who guesses where I spend my free time wins a free beer haha), up to a year later, in which we were able to create a solid, sincere relationship and with the awareness that we can count on each other. I know for sure that on August 31st I will not say goodbye to our charity shop, we will see each other a little less but I will come to find the girls and the treasures that will arrive on the island of Filantrópia. To the new volunteers I wish to learn a lot, to have fun and enjoy every moment, to bump into all the bags and corners, to meet crazy and kind people, to have the responsibility to take on a task, to ask for help, to do things with their own mind, to meet new friends, to try on a lot of clothes and get crazy dressed every day, to drink coffee all together, to gossip, to ride the new Bubi, to build muscles with all the bags to check, to experience generosity, to be curious, to experience the city to the fullest.

P.S.: just a couple of tips, when Sara says that a place is near and it could be reached by walking, guys, NEVER, believe her. Second of all, download the app of Bolt, it’s a must-have, taxis will always save you.

Ciao belli, I’m sending all of you lots of love.

Ale

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