Ciao! My name is Anna and I am from Czech Republic. I spent two months volunteering in Palermo, Sicilia in the organization CESIE.
The first weeks in Palermo were very nicely refreshing for me, the culture shock in the first days was so overwhelming, but in a beautiful adventurous way. Gradually, I have fallen in love with the energy of the city. I could just walk the streets with the sun above me and explore all the old buildings, multiculturalism, street art, different styles of living, people just living their daily life here and watching them being so enthusiastic about everything. And of course mainly visiting the colorful, lively markets!
My work here consisted of assisting in kindergarten and helping in the charity kitchen for homeless people. I am glad this experience showed me that even with the Italian/English language barrier I can get along with people and help them. Mainly children in the kindergarten did not care about us not understanding them at all, they just found a way to show us their needs and emotions and wanted to play and be friends.
The time I spent in Palermo gave me the realization to not be afraid to trust in the world and new challenges in my life. I feel very grateful for this experience and I will think back to my times here for a long time.
Anna Capkova
Volontaria ESC – Mapping solidarity 2020
Youth Unit
