Ciao Bella!The Big Palermo Adventurekerry.myevs.net | ||||
The EVS trade-offIt is now two months until I leave for Palermo and my new EVS life. I am moving out of my little tiny flat and into a months temporary accommodation – who knows where! Selling all my non essential non sentimental things and taking Italian classes with an Italian colleague. This month I have been to Romania (for work) and Crete (for pleasure). I got so lonely in Romania – up in the mountains without any telephone or internet access and lots of responsibilty. I missed having my friends around to reassure me and make me laugh. In Crete I was reminded of the beauty of travel and being quiet in bustling place and discovering and learning new things every single day. I guess it both holidays reminded me of the exciting and daunting time ahead of me. I will miss my partner, friends and sister but I can call, email and they can visit. In return for not having them I have a wealth of other things to do, people to meet and experiences to have. It is the EVS trade-off I think. I have started telling people at work and I’ve been in regular contact my hosting organisation (who always respond with warm and enthusiastic emails J) and am tying up the loose ends of my life here ready for the off. It’s a strange inbetween state you find yourself in – one I have read about in other EVS blogs – and I know you just have to stay motivated and wait for the date to finally arrive. In the meantime I’m going to make the most of my partner, friends and family and lovely London!! More Ramblings......and musings. So on Tuesday I went to Brighton and met my sending organisations contact Fiona at Concordia. She gave me some pre-departure information and answered the few questions I had. It was nice to be able to thank her for the effort she put in placing me, you sometimes forget that there are people working hard to help you have the EVS experience. Fiona told me that I should know about the funding by mid-October. I really hope I find out before my birthday, it would be great to know that everything is settled going into a new year. At work still no one knows, it is hard keeping it quiet when we plan everything so far in advance and harder still to explain why I am working extra waitressing shifts on top of my job. The reason is that I want to save some money to travel a little while I'm in Italy but they just think I'm a workaholic. The nice thing is that talking to Fiona made me realise that I'm not nervous about anything, except not getting the funding. I'm just really ready for the experience, to be challenged and immerse myself in a new and diverse city. Three months to go...three months of saving and planning and anticipation...I really hope they go quickly, I'm ready now. And so it is....isn't it?
Isn't always the way? I was about to give up. I had been applying for EVS for four months. I mean really really applying myself; checking EVS Works every day, staying late at work to fill out forms and getting an extra job to save. Then after quite a few knock backs I admitted it probably wasn't going to happen. I started saying to Susie (literally two weeks ago) maybe I should just embrace my life in London? I can write the novel I always planned, take some classes, concentrate on my career? I started talking about getting a flat next to the Thames or moving to Edinburgh, I bought a laptop with my savings for said novel and then....the email came. The strange thing is it wasn't even one I had applied for, they found me on EVS Works and contacted Concordia. There is certain irony in that after all my earnest applications that it turned out there really was the perfect placement waiting to be discovered. The project is everything I could have hoped for. If I had written my own project brief it couldn't be better. An interesting diverse city full of things to discover, a language I have always wanted to learn and most importantly a project I really believe in working with marginalised people to help them and promote inclusiveness. I filled in the forms and now it looks like I am of to Palermo for 9 months in January....Except that you have to wait for the EU funding. So I once again find myself in a limbo. Not that I mind. Any forward motion is positive and when I am commuting I remind myself I have an adventure ahead of me. The thing is my life is lovely here in London. I have a wonderful job which is creative, fun and makes a difference. I have a wonderful partner, good friends and live living in the hubbub of London with everything it has to offer. Despite all of that I am hungry for an adventure, to live somewhere different, challenge myself and feel like I am making every opportunity I have count. I hope this never stops, I never want to look back and say, ah I wish I had done this....if only I'd been braver then... So at work I sit planning next years projects, marathons, overseas treks, teddy bears picnics, fundraising magazines I won't be there to write and feel a strange not here and not there feeling. I know as with the entire EVS process it's a case of patience. EVS is amazing and if you have to wait for decisions to be made, if it's sometimes difficult to know whets happening, well so what? EVS gives everyone the opportunity to contribute, travel, meet others and make a difference to themselves and communities. I cannot wait to begin my journey. | ||||
Kerry Hudson
