My third month of volunteering in Brazil has finished, and I can easily say that this time passed very fast and was very full for me. Sometimes I feel like I arrived yesterday, but at the same time I see how much these experiences changed me. This volunteering process has become very important for me, both personally and professionally.
I am doing my volunteering in Alvorada, a city in Brazil. The project is 10 months long and its name is the Umbuntu Social Project. Umbuntu is a community that works on plant growing, capoeira, sustainability and community-based activities. As a volunteer, I actively join the activities and I am part of the daily life of the community. For me, it is very important not only to watch, but to really be involved and contribute.
Within the project, I actively take part in plant growing, farming, permaculture gardening, construction work and different manual activities. Thanks to these activities, I do not only learn theory about environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, but I also learn by doing. Touching the soil, producing things together and seeing the results of my work gives me a strong feeling of satisfaction. I believe these experiences are a very good foundation for what I want to do in the future in sustainability and community work.
Coming to Brazil with this project makes me feel very lucky. One of the most important parts for me is working directly with children and young people. In the community, children and young people are a natural part of daily life. This helps me understand the social life, relationships and culture in Brazil better. Because I am active in the field and not only an observer, I feel that I know Brazilian culture more deeply and I feel like a part of this community.
In the community, young people receive capoeira training. Before coming here, I almost knew nothing about capoeira. Here, I learned what capoeira is, its history and its cultural and social meaning. I learned that capoeira is not only a sport, but also a tradition from the time of slavery, a form of resistance, solidarity and identity. Learning this and witnessing this culture makes me feel very lucky.
The kindness and warmth of the people here make this experience even more special for me. The people in the community are very open, sharing and supportive. I rarely feel like a stranger here. Most of the time, I feel welcomed as a part of the community. This safe and friendly environment increases my motivation for volunteering every day.
I also go to a language course three times a week. Learning the language is a very important part of my time here. Thanks to the language course, I try to improve my Portuguese and build stronger connections with people in daily life. As I learn the language, I understand the culture better and I feel more comfortable expressing myself. This makes my volunteering experience much more meaningful.
In general, I can say that these three months in the Umbuntu Social Project have strengthened me as a person and widened my view of the world. I still have a long volunteering period ahead of me and I am very curious about what this journey will bring. But I already know that this experience will be one of the most educational and valuable periods of my life.