Nataliia Yatsyshyn

How often it happens that the opportunities that fate gives us are simply ignored or we are afraid to say “yes.” You just need to take one step without thinking about the consequences and take a leap of faith. I am glad that Europe gives young people a chance to develop and implement their own ideas.

EVS is an opportunity that everyone should take advantage of. This is the end of the month, as I live in Bitola, Macedonia, and I work as a volunteer at NGO “SFERA Macedonia”.

I have the opportunity to implement my own projects, and to give people joy and laughter. In my free time, I travel, get acquainted with the new city along with its language and culture. My dream is to visit all corners of the world, but I honestly have never thought about life in Macedonia. Suddenly there was such an opportunity.

Now I have a lot of new acquaintances, some of them I can call friends; with the addition of a couple pounds, because the food here is tasty and you have to try everything. My brain works at 100%, because for me, a person who knows English at a conversational level, constantly needs to think and speak in English.

Although I will not become an expert in this short time, I hope my level of language knowledge will expand. As in any situation, I have positives and negatives. I certainly did not expect to miss my native Ukrainian. Yes, I speak Ukrainian with friends and parents, but I want to go out for a walk, and hear a mom calling her son for lunch, a couple lovingly chatting while sitting in a cafe. Personally, I miss this. Yes, and people meet different, not everyone can understand you, sometimes there may be controversial situations from which to have to navigate.

The main thing is, never forget who you are, do not lose your peculiarity, and do not listen to what they say behind you back. It’s an opportunity to stay alone with your own thoughts and experiences, understand what you need and how to move on. No matter how pathetic it sounds, it is.

Possibly leaving everything at home, you will understand what was important and from what you can refuse, begin to appreciate more people who were next to you (that’s what happened to me). Whatever comes from this experience – I’m glad that I went.