Mi chiamo Efrem Mercer Miko, ho 24 anni e vengo da Maiorca, bellissima isola nel Mar Mediterraneo. Sono arrivato a Palermo il 15 marzo 2019 per un volontariato a lungo termine per l'associazione San Giovanni Apostolo. Da allora ho iniziato a scoprire Palermo, il loro stile di vita, cultura e lingua. Ero innamorato.

Ora ti spiegherò la mia esperienza di lavoro con i bambini palermitani.
Quando arrivi da qualche parte in cui non sei mai stato e non parli la loro lingua, all'inizio è sempre difficile affrontarla. Sei estraneo per i bambini e hanno bisogno di tempo per conoscerti e iniziare a giocare con te o parlare. Devi essere paziente, non correre mai per avere la soluzione in un secondo, dai solo tempo ai bambini.

Ma quando conosci la lingua e i bambini ti conoscono meglio, tutto è fantastico. Ho avuto un'esperienza straordinaria e meravigliosa lavorando con loro. Quando ti considerano parte della loro famiglia, è davvero bello.
 
Quello che stavo facendo nell'associazione è: prima i bambini arrivano dopo la scuola e poi iniziano a fare i compiti, poi fanno uno spuntino e iniziamo a organizzare alcune attività sportive e animazioni fino alla chiusura del centro. Questo è il programma in inverno.
In estate tutto è molto più divertente. Oltre alle attività sportive e all'animazione nel centro, andiamo in spiaggia, nel parco acquario, in piscina.
 
Nel prossimo video mostro tutta questa esperienza che ho avuto in breve.

We also used to organize our own public events, sometimes in collaboration with other Icelandic associations, such as clean-ups in various parts of the city and near the coast, documentary screenings and workshops about good practice to live a more sustainable life.

In every camp, we made also some excursions to show to our short term volunteers the wonders of Icelandic nature but also to make them touch with their hands the effects of the human activities on it, such as the glaciers that are melting because of the global warming and the plastic trash on the beaches.

During my 5 months in Iceland, I had a lot of camps all different because of the different people I met in each of them. Some groups were really active and positive, other were more calm and quiet but it was always really interesting to work and live with the people in the camps, where everyone comes from different countries and have totally different cultures. We always had fun and shared a lot about our lives, our countries and our typical foods during the long dinners.

The best about it was the variety and the understanding that meeting with different cultures bring in your life. But also feeling that my work was being useful and more people were learning about the importance of having a sustainable way of living, because our resources will not last forever and the planet is suffering the consequences of our actions.
However, during my time in Iceland I did not only led camps. Indeed I had also a lot of free time in between them. I really enjoyed this free time because I had the chance to go around on my own and with the other volunteers discovering people, places and the endless Icelandic landscapes.
Iceland is one of the wildest and more complex places in Europe. It is a land of continuous changes in time and in the space that inspired all type of travellers. The nature in Iceland is astonishing; between immense spaces, black beaches, geysers, glaciers, waterfalls, hot rivers, mountains, volcanoes with unrepeatable names and mystical northern lights it makes you feel like on another planet and you just want to discover his inscrutable soul.

This whole experience was very open minding. It was a great way to meet people, build connections, hear different stories, gain a new perspective and learn to appreciate things I used to take for granted. I got in return a lot more than the time and energy I invested in this volunteering experience. It was a fun new way to discover a beautiful little piece of world that made me a more active and involved person.