Montalto – “Uma casa portuguesa”

I’m writing this post because today was a special day in the little kitchen of the Ortostorto farm, one of the places that I’m currently working as a volunteer.

In the Ortostorto farm many activities are daily developed, such as the kitchen laboratory where the clients learn how to cook and work independently in the kitchen.

Inspired by the training in Sermugnano where we volunteers were encouraged to share our cultures and customs in our work-places, I decided to give it a try.

 

Since one of the things that Portuguese and Italians share is their love for food, before the farm close for Easter celebrations, I aimed to bring them a little bit of Portuguese gastronomy.

 

The menu of the day was “Bacalhau à Brás” e “Ervilhas com ovos escalfados”, or as I and Fed (one of the clients) were calling: “Cibo Portuguese”.

 

 

As always, the kitchen was filled with enthusiastic workers. I was surrounded by laughs, Portuguese music and smells that took me home.

 

 

I’m very glad with this opportunity because nothing makes me happier than cooking for others and seeing them enjoy it. And I can happily say that the Portuguese food won their hearts.

Written by: Inês

The gene of traveling

Inês

 

Deciding to go to another country, leaving your life behind can be a difficult task. But for me it was a decision that I set for myself many years ago. My name is Inês, I’m 23 years old, and I’m a volunteer in AliceNova in Italy. I took an airplane on the twenty-seventh of June from Portugal to Italy, and I stay here for one year.

If everyone’s path shows how they end up being in the place they are, mine is very simple. Since I remember, I always wanted to travel, pack one of those big bags, put on my back and go. It took me some time to get the courage or to find the right moment. The first time I went abroad was when I entered university, and I took the opportunity to do Erasmus in Finland for five months. I remember that the professor responsible told me that once you go, you will always crave for more.

This became my reality. At the beginning of 2017 I had the opportunity to do one month of volunteering in Guinea Bissau in Africa. Without thinking twice, I went for it. But those who are born with the gene of traveling, aren’t satisfied with just once or twice. And when I went somewhere, I would not want “just to visit”. I wanted to take part in something, mix myself in the culture, with the people. I wanted to learn the language, the culture, to work, not only be an observant but a piece of the machine, the place.

So, just a few months before finishing my bachelor in Social Education, I started searching for voluntary projects abroad. Once, I had already stumbled on the site of proatlantico which shows every volunteer opportunity in Europe and partner countries, but I examined every opportunity seriously and carefully only this time. And then I found it: one year in Italy where I could put in practice what I studied.

I would be lying if I didn’t tell that at first, I was a little unsure. One year is too long! I just finished university, shouldn’t I find a job? I don’t speak Italian, so how can I work? All these questions rushed in my mind, but you know, brave people aren’t the ones that have no fear, but are the ones that despite their own fears keep moving forward. With this in mind, I followed every step given by the site and enrolled.

After a few weeks I got an email, scheduling a skype meeting. I’m still not sure if I did a good job or not in this meeting, but after one week I received an email, saying that I was accepted. And so, here I am. Three months have already passed, three months living in Viterbo, sharing a house with five girls from different countries, three mounts of discovering and learning. The past three months have been an amazing experience and hopefully the nine months that are still to come will be the same or even more incredible. Before I completely finish, I leave you with a quote:

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.”

Samuel Johnson