Anfang März haben unsere Freiwilligen ihr Zwischenseminar absolviert und somit die zweite Hälfte ihres Freiwilligendienstes begonnen. Einladen konnten wir ebenso eine Freiwillige der Organisationen pax Christi Aachen, die ihren Freiwilligendienst in Nordmazedonien absolviert.
Uh, when I look back it looks like it was long time ago, but actually it is only five months. Five months of life in Halle, in Germany, and I can say it is one of the best opportunities and decisions in my life. As a long time volunteer in ''Association for prevention of addiction NARKO-NE'' from Sarajevo, I knew a lot about Friedenskreis from Halle and their work. So, watching that all, I have made a decision to apply for volunteering in Germany. I was waiting to apply for two years because COVID-19 has made it take longer. Thanks to my sending organisation ''NARKO-NE'', now I'm here enjoying and living a life, life full of everyday learning and growth, life where I have found myself.
The seminar for international volunteers organized by the Friedenskreis took place in the small town of Mühlhausen, in the federal state of Thuringia. In that house, like a small castle, we had the Reflection seminar, which aimed to encourage us to question our social, political, and emotional experience after a few months of our arrival in Germany.
My volunteering story started at the end of September 2022. Cold night at Belgrade bus station waiting for the bus to take me to what I saw as a turning point in my life. I was scared and thrilled about journey that lies in front of me. I was a bit worried how I will do my daily activities in a new environment, will people understand me because my initial lack of German language skills and will I be able to integrate in a new society that is in numerous ways different comparing to the habitat that I came from.
In the creative space KrimZkrams in Halle, the volunteers gathered on 8th of December to attend the seminar about sustainability. They were firstly invited to explore the inspiring space and get to know what are the guiding principles of kunZstoffe – urbane Ideenwerkstatt e.V. (https://kunzstoffe.de/)
Then the participants were encouraged to present their own ideas as the possible solutions to the challenges connected to sustainable development. The coordinators of the workshop explained these challenges through stories from everyday life.
While taking part in Erasmus exchange at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, I’ve learned about Friedenskreis for the first time. The guiding principles of the organization inspired me to apply for the voluntary service. Here I am in Halle again, a year after my semester abroad, initially working in growing international cooperation department of the Friedenskreis office. Together with my teammates I already had the opportunity to create a cultural project aimed to support young people in their role in peacebuilding. Within this project I'm able to learn a lot about how NGOs from different countries cooperate. At the same time I utilize my knowledge of comparative literature acquired during studies.
I'm writing this sitting next to the Saale river, watching the sunset painting the sky in pastel colors. Everyday I prove to myself that this was the best decision I could have made. It all started in January and 8 months later I'm in a bus driving for 24 hours. All formalities and traveling were worth it as soon as I saw Inger picking us up in Leipzig, driving us home while the sunrise was welcoming us. Since arriving this city brought me peace and opportunity to do what I enjoy the most and that's being in the woods by river listening to music or reading. I could go on walks for hours and still discover more creative work of local artist, which are giving the city a soul along with the breathtaking architecture.
My volunteer story begins on April 1, 2022. Although almost 3 months have passed since then, I remember very vividly the day when I arrived at the airport in Leipzig after 16 hours traveling by bus. I remember that it was much colder than it was in Serbia, that it was raining, and that I was very scared. Fortunately, that feeling didn’t last long. As the saying goes, a man can easily get used to the good things, and so can to Halle and his new life here.