My EVS Story

I went to my first Youth Exchange when I was 15 and I hear the other participants talking about EVS. There was this lovely couple from Romania, they'd both done EVS in different countries and met when they got back home at the annual EVS event. I thought the story sounded cute at the time and put it somewhere at the back of my mind. 

Fast forward to 2015 when I was finishing up university (I studied English & Business in Macedonia) and I was working on my final paper over the summer. I was in this weird mood where i did not know what I wanted to do next. All my colleagues seemed to have things figured out and preparing their master's applications. Just then a friend who'd been doing EVS in Lithuania finished up her project and came back to Macedonia telling me how awesome of an experience it had been for her. It got me thinking. And a few days later her sending organization sent out a volunteer call for a cool sounding project in Spain. With her encouragement I filled out the application and sent it off to Spain. 

It took a while to receive a response from them but they finally called me for a Skype interview. By then I was really excited about the project and ready to pack and leave for Spain asap. I spent a lot of time looking through their website and reading up on Spain. It was the first time I've ever felt really prepared for an interview. I nailed it, even the bit when they talked to me in Spanish to see if I understand a bit. I did (thank you soap operas!!).

A few stressful months later (my parents weren’t really on board with my decision, my new passport was late, so my visa took longer to be issued) I finally boarded a flight to Madrid and then a fast train to Ciudad Real. My coordinator picked me up with the organization’s banner and there was a welcome dinner waiting at the apartment. It was a bit of an overwhelming experience. Everyone from the association being really excited about us being here and me thinking why everyone speaks so loud and fast. But, we humans are creatures of habit. A few days later I could follow and keep a conversation with little problems.  

I know my motives may not have been right for embarking upon this adventure called EVS, but now that I’m actually more than halfway through my project I think it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Living in Spain has been amazing, every day has been an adventure, I’ve met so many cool people and I’ve been extremely lucky with the accommodation and roommate part as well. Here’s a video I’ve made about my project

And as this adventure is soon to come to an end, I realize that I’ve fallen in love with this place and I don’t really want to go home. I don’t really know where I’ll end up at this point but I will keep you updated via this blog.

I would like to end this by encouraging you to give EVS a shot. If you’re thinking about it but you’re not completely convinced yet or it sounds too good to be true, I promise you it is not. It is true, the programme covers all your expenses (don’t expect any luxuries though) and the things you’ll learn and experiences you’ll have will likely change your view on life. You’ll feel so motivated to travel and meet more people and get to know other cultures.

Photo gallery