The new year is already here and so we are the volunteers. Things have not changed that much: just a little bit more of snow and a bit colder, but the same faces that we were willing to see when we thought about coming back. These days back home have recharged our batteries due to the strength and positivism taken from our loved ones who were waiting for us full of pride and enthusiasm to tell them all our stories.

Anyhow, the most striking fact of coming back is the continuous feeling of strangeness: I felt as an intruder in my own bed, I could not remember the few clothes that I left behind, the way of interacting with my friends was surprising, even the language sounded weird in my lips sometimes. In a way, I guess this is the prove to see that we are evolving, changing… that, even if we do not want to lose what we have at home, it is not longer enough. Suddenly, you need to see the world and learn about new perspectives to understand it.

The time at home has been short and, even if the decision of not staying long was mine, the goodbye was way more emotive than last time. I have tried to seize the moment the best I could and share it with whom I really felt I wanted to. I tried not to waste a minute and I know I did not, but I wish I could see them more often and share what I am doing here. I will bring it back as experience. Meanwhile I will enjoy the presence and knowledge of my new friends.

Now a week has gone since work started again. It is time to start focusing again. We are doing it gradually, feeling the effect of the snow that slows down everything, even our lives’ routine. The second stage of the EVS has already started and it is going to be more personal, more exigent and at least as fun as the first one. Now we will have the space to create something for what we are passionate and we will develop it testing our limits and improving our competences. It is the moment to take decisions and to follow them so they work.

In this part of the adventure we need to trust ourselves completely as we will be our own ceiling, what will give us the opportunity to find in ourselves what we really are capable of. Let’s see what surrounds us and find what we want to do for it.