Sergio, how was your voluntary service?

Everytime I am asked about my voluntary service my eyes look brighter. It is a pleasure for me to write about my volunteering time in Bulgaria.

As you read, I made an European Voluntary Service in Sofia, Bulgaria, in a project called Mountain assistants. It was a 4 months long project. A very short project, when I was actually looking for a long period stay, up to 12 months. So why did I chose it? When I read and understood the purpose of the project, I told to myself: THIS IS MY PROJECT

In few points, this was about the project:

Improving and taking care of a marked route – or ecopath
Collaborating with Bulgarian Red Cross
Learning the Scouts and Rovers methodology
Promoting eco-friendly ways to enjoy the benefits of nature and mountains
Learning about security and disaster prevention in nature
Developing skills to survive in natural environment

And about the frequently asked question: Why Bulgaria? I just told to myself: WHY NOT?

I’m not going to lie, I was actually attracted to the idea of spending 4 months in a country like Bulgaria, as I knew very few about it and I found it exotic for an spanish guy like me. But the decision was already taken after reading the program of the project. I am a mountain and outdoor sports lover.

And this is what it took me to an airplane destination to Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. So I was there alone, sitting and reading a piece of paper with the cyrilic alphabet written on it, what I thought it was the first step to learn Bulgarian language – in reality I had printed the Russian alphabet by mistake.

Few years after, I not only keep many memories as treasure but also I realize of my own growth and development with the time and perspective. It was not only exciting, interesting, funny, challenging. It was life-changeing. Short but intense.

Today, thinking about my voluntary service gives me the will and the strength to work for somehow improving people’s life, as I feel very grateful and want to give it back to society.