My experience in Vienna started in a rainy and cold night, I had no internet nor orientation. The very first day I arrived, I couldn’t reach my family and couldn’t find my home again after a short exploration in search for food, either. That weird feeling of being alone slowly lightened thanks to my flatmate, the sunlight and few days after it completely vanished with the first meeting at the Grenzenlos office. There I could meet my new “colleagues” and friends and discover they were in my same situation and shared my thoughts and fears.

The first days at my project were strange and exciting and the kids from my kinderhort seemed like little funny aliens to me, speaking an unknown language and acting weird. It took almost five  months to me to start having a real and nice relationship with them. At the beginning was more like letting them play with me or just ignore me (most of the time, for most of them was like this, before I started “existing” for them speaking their language, and that was sometimes demotivating).

I loved the routine at my project, especially during the organization of the Christmas party and the summer one.

My colleagues were the best I could expect, supportive and friendly, and my mentor has been a real reference point for me, both for practical and personal problems.

Aside the life in the project, this EVS experience helped me in general to grow personally and understand things about myself and what I want from the future. It taught me to ask more from myself and not to confine myself into my routine.

I’ve never had problems with the flat, I’ve always found a help in everything from the Grenzenlos staff, I’ve never had any particular practical hitch.

I’ve already found my YoutPass useful in a couple of situations, it gave me some inspiration for my job applications.

I feel very grateful to all the members of Grenzenlos and my Sending Organization.