So in October of 2024 I came to Mechelen and was greeted by the wonderful YFU Staff. I came here with the expectation to mostly do workshops with kids and teenagers. I did that a couple of times but throughout my time here there were more important things to do and for the most part I worked together with two other creative volunteers on our website and social media. At first we had fun designing the Cultural games for kids and played them a few times with some kindergarten groups. Working with kids and trying to teach them something in a language you barely speak is quite a challenge but a lot of fun. The coloured glasses workshops with teenagers were also very interesting and for that I got to spend a week in Porto, Portugal attending workshops with other YFU Volunteers and employees from all over the world.
Frieda's verhaal
The coloured glasses workshops with teenagers were also very interesting and for that I got to spend a week in Porto, Portugal attending workshops with other YFU Volunteers and employees from all over the world.
A month after I first arrived I also went to the ESC On-Arrival-Training in Halle. This was a nice experience because I met a lot of wonderful people from different backgrounds who were also in Belgium working on their own Volunteer Project. We got to learn from each other and spent the week doing fun projects and group work.
Working for YFU gave me the chance to see a lot of Belgium and meet new people. We did a few interviews for social media where we met current and former exchange students and met them a few times just for fun because we became good friends. I was also the counselor for an exchange student here and loved our instant connection and this convinced me to continue volunteering for YFU in Germany.
I accompanied my colleague to a lot of school visits where we travelled around Belgium and got to meet students who were interested in going on exchange. We talked to them about exchange and being a host family and even though I never went on an exchange before, I could tell them about my experiences here in Belgium and how it was the best thing for me to do.
Learning the language was my main motivation for coming here and I would say that I made a lot of progress. I started learning it on Duolingo a year before I even thought of coming to Belgium but that was nothing compared to what I learned here. I attended language classes at a local school and tried my best speaking Dutch at the office. Everyone was very patient with me but we often had to correct ourselves because we kept switching to English because it was just easier. Compared to the beginning of my time here I can now understand everything when I listen or read but finding the right words when I speak is still a bit difficult. But in general I am proud of the progress I made here and I for sure want to continue learning Dutch.
As I am writing this I just have one more month left before I need to go back to Germany. Of course I am excited to see my family and friends again but I will also miss Belgium a lot. It was my first experience living away from home and I met a lot of people here who are hard to leave behind. I am a big fan of the cities and especially Mechelen is the most beautiful one! I really feel at home here and it’s difficult to just leave this version of my life and continue in Germany.
I can only recommend doing a volunteer program with ESC or YFU. Before my time here I was shy and afraid to try new things but over time I really grew and learned from my experiences. I clearly remember my ESC Arrival-Orientation being so eye opening because I noticed that just a few months before, at home in Germany, this experience of meeting new people, speaking in front of the whole group, everything being so new and trying new things would have been so difficult and scary for me. I grew up a lot and learned to be more open, confident, social and sure of myself and what I want. I now feel less afraid of starting university and a different chapter of my life in Germany. It also opened me up to the idea of living and studying abroad again.
Before my project here I never had anything to do with YFU and was kind of afraid that it would impair my work here but everyone was so welcoming and now I really feel like a part of the big YFU community. I have met so many interesting, open and kind people who all have a unique story to tell and now I can call them my friends.
Now I know that this was the best thing for me to do after graduating and I really enjoyed this time of learning, having fun and experimenting without big responsibilities or fear of failing.
As advice for future Volunteers I can say just do it and use your time to try new things and have fun. Use this unique chance, explore everything you can and don’t let the rainy weather stop you!
Groetjes,
Frieda