The Final Days Before Home

 How A ESC Project Ends 

Youth Pass Ceremony

After 10 months of living in Ukraine the time came to finish my ESC and return home. This feeling is a bitter sweet one as you have begun to settle in the county you have called home but long to return home and see your family and friends. Though part of me was sad to leave the other knew its was time and thus, I beginning finishing my work which I had started 10 months ago.

The finishing of Final Projects 

After the completion of the youth insight festival and the conducting of my final interviews for my research project. The majority of my work in Ukraine was done and only small tasks, events or administration was left to do like filling out my youth pass. In the final months I did get the opportunity to present my research about the Vinnytsia architecture history at both the Donetsk University and Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University. I was also given the honour on providing feedback for a group of history students who were passing their assignment in their class on Museum and Curations. This was a unique experience was cool because I got to see how my research was being used in the final assignment of young students who through my work learned more about their own city. It was monuments like this that brought me the most joy while in the final days of my ESC volunteering.

Presentation Donetsk University

How to say goodbye after 10 months of working?

This question above in its self seems simple. Lots of  coffee, lunch/diner or drinks with those you had worked with it. This time gave a nice scene of closure and for reminiscing of the happy memoires created during ESC. As a final trip me and the other volunteers also went to Odessa and the surrounding area as chance to not only see the last parts of Ukraine but also one final adventure together before we left for home. This was difficult as they had become collages, friends, who you had spent a lot of time with and gotten to enjoy their company. In the final days of ESC these are monuments I will treasury the most.

Flying Home

The Journey Home

The journey home was tiring and made even more stressful with all the add paper work caused by flying in Covid-19 times. Flying on Wizz air was also not the most pleasurable experience and the train ride home after so many delays made this a trip from hell. However, when crossing the Germany Dutch border and seeing wide green fields and cycle paths on every road a feeling of relaxation came over me, I was home. The following days was seeing family and friends and repeating the same stories about my adventure in Ukraine. Showing photos of all the place I had travelled too and activities I had done. Though tired, this time back home gave me the change to reflect on all what I had done, learnt and achieved. This reflection is important for all who participation in ESC for it gives you the time prosses the intenst time you had while living and working n a different country than your own.  

Me and the Italians (Anna, Matteo)