Airida Pučinskaitė Monthly Blog

Hello, my name is Airida. I am 21 years old. I come from a very small Lithuanian city called Širvintos. I absolutely love my small city, I get really tired in big cities, so Ankara became a significant challenge for me. I never planned to volunteer abroad. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a modest, timid girl who never leave her comfort zone. But one day, after I left university, my life turned upside down. The decision to leave my studies seemed to open the doors to new opportunities. I chose the path of volunteering. It was very scary to step out of my comfort zone and go live in another country, knowing that I would be far from home, with a different culture and language. But now, with a calm heart, I can say that it was the best decision of my life. Volunteering became a unique opportunity to get to know the local community, share my skills, contribute to social work, try myself in various areas, and rediscover myself.

The first month in Ankara was full of challenges, but ultimately, it helped me experience and learn many new things. First and foremost, language posed challenges. My English skills were not the strongest, so understanding another person was not always easy.

But now I can confidently say that I feel much stronger, and I can communicate with people in English more freely, which is a significant achievement for me. I am happy to have the opportunity to learn the Turkish language it is a beautiful language. I also improved my knowledge of filming and photography. I always thought it wasn't for me and didn't enjoy doing it because I never knew how to do it properly. Now it doesn't bother me, and I even enjoy it.

It's hard to believe but in the first month in Ankara I found myself. I discovered something that calms me and allows me to take a break from the rushing world - ice skating. We had the opportunity to visit a youth center and try ice skating. At first, it was intimidating. I clung to the walls, but eventually, the fear faded, and I started gliding on the ice. I cannot describe the feeling that overwhelmed me then, it allowed me to escape briefly and be with myself.

This is not my first time in Turkey, but this volunteering experience inspired me to rediscover this country. In Ankara, I tried many traditional Turkish dishes I had never tasted before. I like Turkish coffee and tea. And the food tastes much better after drinking Ayran. And now, just thinking about börek, sütlaç, katmer makes me salivate.

I am delighted to be part of the "LÖSEV" team and help children with cancer. During volunteering, I met many different people with different lifestyles, languages, religions, and cultures. It makes this new stage of life even more interesting. Every Saturday, we have cultural evenings from different countries, learning more about each other. In the first month, we presented Lithuania. We showcased our culture, played "KAHOOT," tasted Lithuanian traditional dishes, and danced traditional dances. We had a great time. I melted with happiness hearing how much other volunteers learned from our cultural evening.

I also celebrated my 21st birthday in Ankara. It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The day started wonderfully. My roommate prepared breakfast for me, and then we met with other volunteers. I didn't understand anything. All this time, I thought we gathered to get acquainted and discuss common volunteer goals. We all sat down, introduced ourselves, and suddenly everyone started clapping. Of course, thinking that there was an interesting activity ahead, I also started clapping, but suddenly everyone started singing and congratulating me on my birthday. IT WAS UNREAL. Speaking of unreal things, we got the opportunity to see the whole city from the minaret of the largest mosque in Ankara surrounded by night lights.

So, volunteering is a great opportunity to grow as a person, discover yourself, and spend time wonderfully.