This is my unofficial blog post about my journey for a whole year in Denmark as part of ESC-EVS volunteer. Although I have a huge year to talk about, I will keep it short, yet informative and intriguing. Stay until the end as I reminisce about this beautiful journey.
The beginning of All
I am Karolin and 26 years old. I am from Turkey. My project is located at Kassebolle Friskole on a really long, but small island called Langeland, in the south of Denmark. Kassebolle Friskole is a school full of traditions and with kind of a unique methodology based on the teachings of none other than Grundtvig and Kold. You can read more about Kassebolle Friskole here: http://kasseboellefriskole.dk/
As I had an educator background, I was immediately drawn to Kassebolle Friskole. My responsibilities were basically taking part in the lessons as a supporting adult, afterschool activity(SFO) program assistant, and being part of the school’s community as much as I could and that’s where I could relate the most as an ESC volunteer, as what solidarity was for this small Danish school and me.
The Discovery of All
The first month I was here, the education was online due to Covid-19 but I still participated in the lessons as part of my daily schedule. I made a game on Kahoot with differences between Danish schools and Turkish schools. I taught some Turkish words to the kids etc. But I also had a course of my own on water-color painting every week and I was inspired by our cultural backgrounds. We did some mosaic watercolor paintings inspired by both European and Turkish mosaics, Nordic -mainly Danish- folk art, doing self-portraits and during these sessions, we got to open up about our cultural identity as what made us Danish or Turkish, etc.
The moment I got used to the environment I started doing my projects around the school. Mainly, it was easy for me to lead these activities in SFO. As my main interests lay more on the creative side, I took on projects that involved arts & crafts, painting, embroidery, etc. Although I felt like the embroidery would be challenging for younger kids, I decided to give it a go. I wanted them to have a serene moment, a mindful activity, and learn what patience is actually like. I was disappointed in myself how I set low expectations for those talented, creative small human beings as they all were so much greater than I anticipated.
The more I got involved with the kids the more I saw how we were similar but just living and growing up on different continents.
The Joy of All
As the days were gone by, I felt that I became more and more one of the members of the school’s community. If something was wrong, I had a huge number of people who would be willing to help me. It made me realize how we were living in harmony, depending on and aiding each other. In a way, my project was a good example of a united, one-happy community. I learned more about how to be there for someone, show more empathy and be more compassionate through my everyday interaction with the kids and adults. From students to staff and parents, everybody was contributing to the school with so many things. I also helped to redecorate the club and SFO rooms that we were going to use. I was happy that I could contribute to this little school where they showed an entirely different way of learning things.
All this time that I spent in Kassebolle Friskole, I was grateful for the things that they gave me, taught me, and made me an even better person. My journey came to an end but what I had in that place, what I showed in that place will last forever. Thank you for reading.
Karolin.
ESC Solidarity Projects 