I’m Nosica, I am 23 years -old and I am from Belgium. I am a volunteer with European Solidarity Corp (ESC) and joined the youth organisation Boys’ and Girls’ club of Wales (BGC) on September 1st and (hopefully) I can stay here until July next year.
I have always dreamed of living abroad but I had never dared to do it until now. This year I had the opportunity to start an internship in an international organisation in Belgium. This organisation was taking part in ESC, which is how I first heard about it. I wanted to participate in a project related to communication and marketing since I have a Masters degree in that field and this was important because I wanted this project to be an asset for my future career. But most of all, I knew this project was the experience of a lifetime.
The Covid situation has already had an big impact on my life and work here, even though I’ve only been with BGC for a month and a half. Firstly, before applying for the project, the Covid situation made me realise that if I wanted to travel, I had to do it now while I could. This also meant that, when I arrived in Wales, I had to quarantine for two weeks. It was difficult but I was used to being careful and staying home in Belgium, so at least it wasn’t a new experience for me.
Once quarantine was over, we were finally able to explore! I walked around the city, and headed to Bute and Roath Park, and also headed further and visited into Cardiff Bay. I find it really peaceful here, and yet it’s also full of life too!
In the last month, new restrictions have come into place, which means our interactions are now limited with people outside our household and we cannot leave Cardiff to visit other cities. However, these restrictions have not stopped me from meeting others, mwho are mostly French, which I find comforting, as we speak the same language.
These restrictions also mean that I am currently working for BCG at home. I was worried about this at first, because I thought this might be difficult to meet people and make friends if I was working from home. Eventually, it didn’t stop me from getting to know new people. Social media is really useful during pandemic and there are a few Facebook groups for people living in Cardiff! I know this volunteering project is quite different than usually due to the pandemic but I still think it’s a great experience to live.