Blogg ESC Volontär

Här skriver Maria Nortes och snart även David Pervizi på engelska om sin tid som volontär i Sverige.

March 2024

Dear Lomma citizens,

Hope everything is going well. As you know, it has already been six months since I arrived in Sweden and I have finally started my Swedish lessons! I can still claim that I am in my element and that Sweden makes me really happy. Perhaps, precisely for that reason, I have gone through very hectic weeks and that has taken a toll on me. Melodifestivalen is to blame, as I have attended several heats and the Finalen in Stockholm 😛 Thus, I have been under the weather several times. However, this has helped me to learn to take care of myself and to develop a thicker skin.

With regard to Centralen, there have been a plethora of new events going on. We started off the month of February with the Öppet Hus, which was really successful. I could inform some youngsters about the ESC opportunities and handed out some ESC merchandise. Moreover, in the middle of February, we celebrated Alla Hjärtans Dag making our own love cards, painting clay hearts and learning compliments in other languages.

In addition to that, we are very glad to announce that we have gotten another ESC volunteer from Italy, David. This means that I am not living alone anymore, since Maya, my sweet Japanese housemate, has recently moved in as well, so I became a tour guide and showed them around Lomma and Malmö the first days. We get on well and are a fantastic international team together! At the end of February, we held the Sportlov week in the fritidsklubb. It was very exciting since we organised many games and activities for the pupils and even had a Carnival afternoon, when we painted our faces. I also planned a dancing workshop where some pupils and I filmed ourselves dancing some short and easy choreographies. It was very fun!

We started off the month of March very powerfully with the 6th Graders night and a delicious fika. Later on, we held the Culture Week, where we devoted each day of the week to a different country: Italy, Spain, England and Japan. In the middle of March, I also went on a Study Visit to Göteborg to get to know the KEKS Office and Kooperativet Fjället, which is another fascinating Fritidsklubb and Fritidsgård focus on gender equality. It would also be worth mentioning the “Fika with a European Touch” that we organised for Lomma Municipality workers, where David and I baked our traditional cakes and played Spain and Italian culture quizzes with them.

This month, I could also implement two activities of my own called “City Quest” and “The Conductor”. It was rewarding to see how the pupils enjoyed themselves and did not want to stop playing. Furthermore, I have also been meeting with several Spanish teachers in Piläng and Karstorp to start planning some classes with them and give Lomma teenagers the opportunity to practise their Spanish with a native speaker. So far, I have been to Per’s classes. He was very nice and helpful. Getting to know his 8th and 9th graders was super cool, so I hope to get to know many more classes soon!

Vi ses i maj!

Ha det bra!

Maria MN

January 2024

Dear citizens of Lomma kommun,

Here I am willing to share with you my experiences of the last two months for the second time in this wonderful region of Skåne. Funnily enough, I have to inform you that I am not doing that badly at early mealtimes and darkness anymore. Moreover, it has snowed more than three times, which is astonishing to me. Honestly, the sunny days with snow and clear skies that we have had, although scarce, have been like a present that I feel very grateful for.

These two months I have agreed with my mentor that on Thursdays I will be implementing my own activities with the pupils at the fritidsklubb, which is excellent to thrive professionally and create deeper bonds with the pupils. I have played with them sportive, dynamic and creative games, such as, for instance, “Fruit Salad”, “Speed Cones” or “the Blindfolded Artist”. I learnt some of these games during my first volunteering project in Poland as a Social Animator and Intercultural Educator in 2019, whereas for some other games, I used to play them in Spain when I was their age. Since I have fond memories of them, it has been beautiful to see the pupils enjoying them too.

We started the month of December by hanging up Christmas decorations all over Centralen with the pupils, followed by a plethora of Christmas-related activities, like making their own Christmas cards and angel figures, frosting gingerbread biscuits, painting Christmas drawings, and attending Santa Lucia’s play in Pilängskolan, which was really moving to me since it was my first time. At the fritidsgård, we have been baking lussekatter for the youth and organised an evening called “Nattbad”, which was really cool as the youth could swim in the pool at night while playing our roulette game to earn prizes. January has been very fun too, we held our first Funkiskväll of the second term, where we ate hot chocolate with marshmallows while singing along to some of the kids’ favourite songs.

Concerning my leisure plans, I was invited by other ESC volunteers to a volunteer meet-up hosted by Awesome People in Kopparberg at the beginning of December. The organisers really stand for their name because they absolutely smashed it! Being reunited with the volunteers and meeting new ones was amazing. We visited Kopparberg, played icebreaker games, and lit a bonfire to cook our picnic in the middle of the snowy woods.

Furthermore, I also visited the Christmas market in Malmö with my beloved Polish friend, and after that, I flew to Spain for Christmas for two weeks. I must admit that it was nice to get some natural vitamin D, but I was buzzing about coming back to Lomma and continuing this magical adventure. Especially the one I have just taken to Kiruna to visit Océane, our former French volunteer who is currently working there. Luckily, I could see the Northern lights, explore the Icehotel and go dogsledding! I am on cloud nine and, of course, I will keep you in the loop!

Vi ses i Mars!

Ha det bra!

Maria MN

November 2023

Välkommen alla till min blogg!

First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am Maria. I come from Alicante (Spain). I am 29 years old. Could you come up with a better way to make the most of this upcoming year than living in Lomma kommun? I don’t think so!

I am an English and Spanish teacher. I love spending time with children and teenagers and teaching them languages and civic values. After all, they hold the key to our future, so we’d better prepare them with the proper tools to face any kind of hindrance and create a more peaceful world, don’t you agree? I am ready to do my best to contribute to Lomma Municipality. I feel fortunate to be with the best professional team in Centralen in such a beautiful town of Sweden!

It has already been two months since I arrived in Lomma. I cannot believe how fast time flies! I reckon that is a good indicator of me having a blast whilst getting soaked in the mesmerizing Swedish culture. I am fascinated by the concepts of Fritidsklubb and Fritidsgård, which unfortunately don't exist in Spain, but are essential to guide and create bonds with our new generations.

These two months have been full of exhilarating events for the youth and the kids in Centralen. We have carried out a plethora of sportive and creative activities, such as jewellery creation, artistic drawing, painting summer bags and clay figures. Moreover, we have organized several themed evenings, based on Halloween, Girl Power, Tivoli, kids with special needs. The one I had the pleasure to be in charge of was the Spanish evening. It was very successful. We enjoyed it to the fullest as I gave a workshop about Spain. We played some quizzes and we listened to Spanish music. We also tasted different types of Tortillas and a scrumptious Spanish Almond cake I had previously cooked, amongst other Spanish appetizers.

Concerning leisure plans, Sweden has a lot to offer. My adventure started with my social mentor, Océane, she showed me around Lomma and Malmö. We went to the sauna, a petrifying but soothing experience. I have also been riding my bike along the beautiful coast of Lomma. Furthermore, I have been to the Ukrainian band Go_A’s concert in Malmö and to Madonna's concert in Copenhagen (yes, Öresundståg is a miraculous invention!). I have also visited the colorful and enchanted village of Jakriborg, the refreshing nature parks in Alnarp university and Stockholm on the on-arrival course for ESC volunteers organized by MUCF.

Obviously, not everything has been a bed of roses as I had some culture shocks too, taking into account that I come from one of the warmest countries in Europe. For instance, I am still adapting to having so many hours of darkness, extremely early meal times in comparison to Spain, making Swedish friends, and experiencing the current minus degree temperatures whenever the coldest temperatures I have experienced in Alicante are 10 degrees! Nevertheless, I can assure you that this experience is paying off so far and I cannot wait to encounter more cultural differences that will only enrich my soul!

See you in two months!

Trevligt att träffas!

Maria MN