My name is Allegra,
I am a 21 years old traveler from Italy. When I finished school I decided to take 2 gap years to travel before university. I fell in love with Athens since the first time I came and it was amazing to found such an interesting project here like the one organised by the Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal. I worked as a European Solidarity Corps participant – volunteer for the project “green social innovation for young persons” in the Welcommon Hostel.
When I arrived in the hostel Greece was in lockdown so the only guests in the hostel were refugees. The other volunteers were organizing classes and events in which we were taking part all together. That was the best thing for me as I felt connected to all the people living in the hostel, no matter the language barrier. We were doing games together, cooking, eating, teaching to each other.
It was such a beautiful experience living with people coming from cultures and environments so different from mine (residents and volunteers). Everyday you learn something new about a language you didn’t know, a typical food of the middle est, about politics, about culture and traditions. You learn something about yourself as well.
I became way more conscious about many topics and problems that I didn’t know about before coming here.
I grew up a lot during my staying here, and living in my favourite neighborhood of Athens and getting to know such amazing people is an experience I will never forget.
