
My adventure to Mexico began on August 21, 2018, at first I was a bit like this cup: the first trip this long alone, the first time away from home for so long, without knowing what I would do in detail and who I would be with. In short, not that I was not enthusiastic about what would happen, but the doubts and anxiety were many.
When I arrived at the airport in Mexico City, I immediately met two Italian guys who then became my adventure companions for the whole month and a half in which I was volunteering. Already from that moment things have improved because I realized that the anxiety I was feeling at that moment was normal and common and therefore there was no reason to worry. In fact, I didn't have much information about what I was going to do or where I was going to be because I myself was afraid of creating expectations that might not be like the real situation.
Right from the first day I got to know the El Diamante citadel which has been my home all along. A truly enchanting place, it was an oasis that allowed me not only to feel at home, but also to live an experience of community life that I had never experienced. I met many people, all exceptional and I am not kidding when I say that they were always ready to help me, even when I had to prepare some materials for kindergarten children. Just like the two tutors who followed me and helped me not only for practical things, but to try to make the most of all the time I had available.
Also on the first day, I also explored the town near which the citadel is located: Acatzingo. The first impact was not the best because for the first time I felt a stranger among the people and this did not leave me indifferent, moreover it is a very different country from the ones I have always seen and therefore it was almost impossible not to be impressed. In a few days, however, I learned to get to know the different corners better: the square, the market, the shops and so I changed my initial idea: a certainly different country, but with its beauties to be discovered. I think this sentence is perfect for all the places I have seen, I have not visited much, but I was fascinated by the places, the culture and the people I met.
All this and I only talked about a few days! The real adventure was the volunteer experience, because all I talked about is just the frame. I was lucky enough to have been in the Colegio Santa Marìa, a school that collects children from kindergarten to secondary school. I was precisely with the 4-year-old children, that is, in the second year of kindergarten and I supported their teacher in all activities. The time spent in the school is practically indescribable… the activities we did were simple: games, drawings, ballets, but what the children and in general all the people who work there have left me is really great.
They taught me to appreciate the little things, to be happy in simplicity and that love really makes a difference. While dealing with only one class, I got to see a little of the whole school and its different activities and it was nice for me to understand that the intention is precisely to transmit healthy and positive values, also from a perspective of future perspective. The idea is to do all possible good for the children / young people, hoping that this can then also be reflected externally throughout the community. All this, from my point of view, is a source of hope.
I did not believe that in such a short time such strong relationships could be created, but as soon as I realized that all the differences, which I could not fail to notice at the beginning, were the true wealth, I gave myself completely and I was able to live intensely every day and it is for this is that things went so well.
The opening cup is a gift that the inhabitants of the citadel gave me and its apparent color hides a surprise: lots of photos that tell of my experience.
Even now I feel like this cup. I don't remember much of all the fears and fears of the beginning, I carry many faces, many stories and many emotions in my heart. This volunteer experience allowed me to discover many things, not only about Mexico, but also about myself. I brought home new traditions, new friendships, but also a new mentality and a heart full of life!
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