The treasure at the end of the rainbow
After my second full day in the office I didn’t want to go back to the apartment, I felt some energy to discover. So I took the metro and then walked up the hill for about three hours. I couldn’t help it, Tibidabo was calling me. This Disney castle-like church on the top of Barcelona whispered to me, saying “You need to see what I see from here! You need to see where you ended up!” So I was just walking in this beautiful September weather, passing magnificent, typical mediterranean stone pines until I reached my destination. And at that moment, it started to rain, but it was the type of rain that feels good in the warm. I was just there, admiring the view, not caring about getting wet. And I got the biggest present from this long walk and resistance in the rain: a clear rainbow appeared and was shining above the city, and I thought: “The end of the rainbow, with all its treasure, might be in Barcelona.” In this article I’m gonna share some thoughts about the treasure I found in this one year living and volunteering at Youth BCN in this vibrant, ever-changing city!
Hola, dear reader, I’m Heni. I grew up in Hungary and I became an ESC volunteer at Youth BCN after finishing my bachelor’s in psychology. This was my first time leaving home for such a long time and moving abroad for a whole year. But I had a vision: after participating in youth exchanges I felt I wanted to enter this world, learn more about how a youth organization works, to be able to provide opportunities for youngsters - just how I got the chance through mobilities to discover new cultures and the power of inclusive, non-formal education. Obviously, I had some fears and doubts: Can I handle living in a foreign country? What if I get homesick? How will I manage my expenses and time? Will I feel like I belong there? On the other hand, I was super excited and curious, and somehow I knew I’ll be in good hands with my hosting organization and the framework of the programme. Once my friend who was also doing an ESC long term volunteering told me, “Heni, this is a year for experimenting!” and now, looking back, I cannot agree enough. Somehow you step out from your normal life and find yourself in a totally different environment, a blank page in the book of your life with all its beauty and challenges. Let me highlight some of these!
Our office, an intercultural meeting point
On a daily basis we were working from our office located in Sant Martí district of the city. If you would visit this place, you could probably guess that the organization is working on international projects, because the space is decorated with flags and small presents from different European countries and beyond - no need to say, every piece has its own story. During my year, this office welcomed a wide range of events: it hosted youngsters and young professionals from Korea to the Reunion Island, provided the space for co-working and project designing, and turned into a theatre decoration studio for some days. It saw us celebrating birthdays, cheering for FC Barcelona, learning each other's dances, sharing our lunches. It saw us inspired and sleepy, with the brightest smile and with tears in our eyes. In this environment we were managing our day-to-day tasks, such as planning and holding meetings, designing online materials and posting on social media, doing administration and communication. It’s a super short summary of the hours we spent there, but I can tell, I learnt the most from these tasks! And the main reason for those learnings was the supportive atmosphere: I was given so much trust from my team from the beginning, I could always feel that they treat me as a valuable part of the organization and they want me to see and learn all the processes. They encouraged me to share my ideas, made me think critically about situations and proved to me how essential clear and honest communication is within the team. And yes, there were times when they really challenged me with tasks, but hey: don’t we believe in learning-by-doing in the Erasmus+ field?
From “con tarjeta, por favor” to genuine connection with local people
When I moved to Barcelona, I only had the basics of Spanish language that I picked up playing on Duolingo and an online, beginner language course. Besides this, I only had my motivation to dive deeper into this beautiful language. And this was key! As we mostly used English in the office as the common language, I tried to actively search for everyday situations where I can practice - in the store, café, events in the city or local initiatives we took part in. During my On-Arrival Training (a super cool opportunity for ESC volunteers to connect with each other from the same region and reflect on their projects and goals) we had a funny task to create memes that describe our current realities - I made one with the proud puppy next to its birthday cake saying: My face after leaving from Mercadona with “no quiero bolsa” and “con tarjeta, por favor”. This perfectly summarized how I felt about Spanish in the first months: always kind of confused, but happy in any little daily interaction where I could succeed using newly learnt words! And I believe this is the only way to do it, step by step, “poco a poco”, keeping up with the good spirit and fighting against the insecurity in your head! It gets better, I promise, and here is my example! Some months later with the Youth BCN team we went to a local elderly residence to help organize an event for Women’s Day. And guess what? I could manage to have whole conversations with those sweet old ladies about their lives, about art, my culture. I even performed a Hungarian poem, reading it out loud first in my languages, then in Spanish! I can still recall their smiles and gratitude that makes me believe - these little, genuine connections with local people are priceless, and make it so worth it to keep going with the learning despite its challenges!
Fiesta and siesta
I’m full of gratitude that I had the chance to live in a city that so many people wish to visit, to experience. Barcelona is a truly amazing, exceptional place in the world. A place that vibrates, always moves, never stops. And when you are there, you move with it, you pulsate with it. It’s a place that admires all kinds of art, supports community-mindedness and inclusivity. The amount of times I was mindblown by the people, the rich culture and the creativity that weaves through this city! Festa Majors, Mercé, Calcotada, Three Kings Parade, Carnival, Sant Jordi, Night of San Joan… I love the fact that they always have a reason to celebrate - and do it properly! When there is a parade, everybody is on the streets - children, elderly, people in wheelchairs, people from all different backgrounds and life situations - united, and enjoying life altogether. This is something beautiful to witness with your own eyes, and unforgettable to be part of it! It’s a place with endless opportunities. I’m not joking - you think about absolutely anything you would like to try out, and probably you will find it there. So maybe it’s not too surprising to say: Barcelona made me “say yes more”. Hiking up to Montserrat? Sure! Being part of a human tower (castell)? Why not? Running under the Correfoc fireworks? What can go wrong? Spending the Night of San Joan on the beach of Sitges and going for a midnight dive? Count me in! Roadtrip on Costa Brava, birthday celebration in Mallorca, New Year’s Eve on Placa Espanya, sunrise hikes and sunset rooftop sessions…we had it all! Because in a crazy intense year, like this, and a welcoming environment, like there, you will find everything easier: starting a new hobby, meeting with new people, going on adventure even if you are alone, trying out an activity you never thought about before, succeeding in things you have never imagined before. And now you could ask: Isn’t it tiring? Well, it is. So here comes the “siesta” part, the power of small rituals. Although I cherished all my adventures with my friends, and all the moments I spent in communities, I needed to realize that I cannot always “go with the flow”. We all need time alone, moments just to exist, reflect, think. And it’s possible to find this feeling in anything: I found it super relaxing to go to Mercadona or Lidl to discover what offers they have. Cooking something late at night when the kitchen is surely only yours. Once a week I went to contact dance classes (a newly found, precious activity) to connect and understand my body more and relax my mind - and when the weather was good, I stayed in Grácia after class, walked to my favorite little square, stopped by this amazing ice cream place that had unexpected, but delicious flavors, and with the sweet treat in hand I sat on the stairs of the church and appreciated the view, my life (and the ice cream, of course). Also, I regularly went on a “mental health walk” to the Sagrada Familia, just to check if it’s still there, just to realize again and again, how lucky I am to be able to admire this exceptional work of art with my very own eyes. Sometimes I just hopped on a random bus or picked a metro stop with an interesting name and after getting to a new area of the city, walked around for hours, observing the streets, the houses, the squares, the parks. Listening to cheerful chirping of those little green parrots on the palmtrees, taking deep breaths by the shore where the waves meet the land, watching from the terrace with coffee in hand how the first rays of sunlight begin to illuminate the houses. All this matters, I believe. It definitely added a lot to my experience and shaped me!
The end of the beginning
As my beloved coordinator said after helping me move into the apartment: “From now on, this is YOUR story.” One year later I can tell what a complete, wonderful story it was - and how much it was mine. I came back to Hungary with a suitcase full of realizations. A very easy one: I adore the tapas culture, I prefer sharing all kinds of small dishes rather than having my own plate. Also, I love to learn - whether it’s a random piece of information about the city, a new educational method, a logistical background process, a recipe or a creative form of movement - and it’s a good trait. And I also realized how important it is, to have a good team around you, to create communities and develop how we work in groups. This leads me to a next chapter of my life, that will be always inspired by this ESC experience, all the wise words from my coordinators, perspectives I got at Youth BCN and inspiration I found in connections. Therefore I know, it’s not a goodbye, just the end of the beginning.
So if you are somebody waiting for a sign to start volunteering, participating in a project or going abroad, consider this final message a sign: the experiences, skills and knowledge you gain will always stay with you - and nobody will be able to take them! The person you will grow along the way, the visible and invisible impact you can create - that is the true treasure at the end of the rainbow!
