What have you learned from this experience?
I have learned to use my creativity for a good cause, as I can create content and make very important and serious information much easier and more enjoyable to read and process.

What was your favorite activity or task here?
My favorite activity was creating a handbook for victims of hate crimes. I felt very autonomous from beginning to end. We (the other volunteer and I) had creative freedom on how we wanted to make this manual, and I loved the combination of having to research all this sociological, psychological and statistical information, while also being able to use my digital skills and creativity.

How do you feel that you have changed during this experience?
Now I feel much more confident about the future. The beginning of my volunteer experience was very difficult because I did not find my place and felt that I did not fit. As I didn’t know the language, it was hard for me to express how I really felt in order to change the situation, so at first I felt very powerless. Looking back, I feel that I can also find a way to make things fit me or arrange them to fit with what I want and enjoy. Now I feel that, wherever I go, I can find my place or create it if it didn’t exist before.

What did you like most about everyday life in Murcia?
I love that the people here are very authentically Spanish. I have travelled a lot in Spain before, as it is very close to France, and in big cities like Barcelona or Madrid, everyone speaks English and sometimes even French. I am very happy to have chosen Murcia because I had to immerse myself completely in the Spanish culture and could not hide behind English or French, and I think that made me learn Spanish much faster. I also love that everything can be done on foot and that there are many things to do and many cultural events that are free or very cheap.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
I would tell you to do so, and use it as a year to focus on challenging yourself (whether it’s learning a new language, learning to live with roommates, or using your free time to learn a sport). You will learn a lot about yourself through these challenges, but also by meeting all these other volunteers from different countries and cultures. It will enlarge your world and your reality.