Il breve racconto della nostra volontaria SVE Giulia che sta svolgendo il suo servizio in Ucraina, a Sumy.
Easter is approaching in Sumy!
Being a volunteer means a lot. It means giving, sharing, caring.
However, it also means learning! This is why on Monday we had a workshop on how to create beautiful “pysanky”, the Ukrainian Easter eggs. Under the competent supervision of Tanya, we learnt the unique technique of decorating eggs with traditional Ukrainian designs, such as sun, spirals, houses, ostriches and various geometric shapes, by melting wax and dipping the egg into natural dyes.
According to the tradition, pysankas are given to the dear ones as a symbol of love, life and protection. This was totally new and charming for me, definitely worth trying!
The activities continue in Sumy: last Saturday we organised a visit to the Fire Station for the children of Sagacitas, the local organisation that works with refugees from the Donbass.
No need to say how interesting it was for kids (and not only for them): a fireman showed us how the fire truck works and explained all the procedures in case of emergency. The children were amazed! A big thank you to those that made this possible.
On Thursday, the children from my Euroclub learnt the importance of a single currency by simulating a trade system with different currencies and different goods to be traded. They were given an exchange rate and they could purchase and sell the goods (candies) with their mates and getting loans from the Bank (me). Funny and educational, although the rules of economy can be very harsh!
Our intense week continued with preparation activities for the forthcoming events, such as the Earth Day to be held on April 22nd, a conference about different cultures on Wednesday at Sumy State University, language classes and Euroclubs. It might sound like routine, but each week is totally new and unexpected.
As I said at the beginning, volunteering is mostly about giving. However, sometimes you realise you get more than what you give…
Giulia Pilia