What I Learnt From Volunteering In Portugal

    So I started writing my blog. As simple as it is I've used this sentence so many times now when I decided to do something. And it worked just fine.

It sure worked for Portugal and my volunteering adventure. After completing my Portuguese studies and having already visited Lisbon it was time I got to know Portugal a bit more.

However, it wasn't all about getting to know the country but rather my own limits. How far could I go this time? How was I going to survive a month with a group of complete strangers from all over the world - working, living and sharing together? I had already visited some camps during highschool but never on my own. Well, for a girl who was embarrassed even in a small group of people this trip was to be a big thing.

My volunteers' camp was in the famous and beautiful Algarve region in the south of Portugal, or more precisely in a small town of Loulé. We were working on organizing a jazz festival which the community of Loulé is very famous for. They hosted the likes of Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, just to name a few. Loulé has been doing it for a number of years and also always in cooperation with volunteers' camps around the globe.

It was the first time I travelled with a proper rucksack, all packed like every backpacker should be. As it happened I was almost the last one to arrive as I caught a late bus to Loulé from Lisbon. I was picked by one of the camp leaders who came with a van telling me that I was among last people to arrive and everyone had already settled. We were all accommodated in a gym of a local school. Both boys and girls, all 15 or so of us were sleeping in the gym. After my initial shock of being surrounded by so many new people I got a place between two boys, a Serbian and a Hungarian one. All my things were now scattered between those two who I had never met before. And the night passed, we woke up and everything seemed less scary to me. My silent confidence that everything was going to be great proved right and those people from the gym in Loulé became a family soon. I need to count in our camp leaders and other members of Loulé Youth Center who lived and worked with us during that whole time. 

Apart from our work which consisted in putting up posters and preparing the stage for the festival, apart from having loads of fun on the beautiful beaches of Algarve, excursions that our camp leaders took us to, etc., I learnt that people have this great ability of making a home wherever they are and whoever they are with. Your family can be anywhere if you let it be.  

Some  tips for participating in international volunteers' camps:

-try going on your own - new friends are waiting for you!

-don't be afraid that you'll be lost - people will always help if you ask.

-stick to your volunteers'group, working together is fun.

Here are some expressions in European Portuguese if you're planning on visiting Portugal:

„Olá“ – „Hello“

„Bom dia“ [bong-deer] – until about 12 p.m.: „Good morning“

„Boa tarde“ [boah-tard]   -after 12 p.m. until it gets dark „Good afternoon/evening“

„Boa noite“ [boah-no-ee-te] -  since it gets dark until midnight: „Good night“

„Desculpe“  [des-cool-peh] – „Sorry“ or „Excuse me“

„Com licença“ [co-lee-sensah] – „Excuse me“

„Obrigado (men) /obrigada (women)“ – „Thank You“

„De nada“  - „You're welcome“ (when someone says „Thank you“)

„Tudo bem?“ [too-doo bah-ing] – „How are you/What's up?“

„Adeus“ – „Goodbye“

„Tchau“ – „Bye“

„Fixe!“  - „Cool!“

„Como se diz em português“... [coo-mo seh deesh en poor-too-gaysh] „How do you say in Portuguese...“

„Cerveja“ – Beer

„Vinho“  - wine

„bica“ – coffee similar to espresso but longer (some people say it's an abbreviation of „beba isso com açucar“ or „drink it with sugar“, which means you have to put sugar in it and possibly eat something sweet with it as it might be too bitter for an unaccustomed stomach.

„Bacalhau à Brás“ – Portuguese dish – shreds of salted cod, onions and fried potatoes in scrambled eggs.

„Pastel de nata“  - Portuguese egg tart pastry

Also check my photos from the Algarve region: