My new home! First month of ESC by Rosa
This all started when Flora (ESC manager) sent me an email telling me that I have been chosen for the project! For those who believe it, probably was the fate or destiny that brought me here in Heidelberg! I have already lived abroad for study but obviously now is different, when my plane took off I still couldn’t believe it but I was about to land on German soil! :D
When I arrived, Paul was there, my super mentor (yes, because if you decide to apply for this project, you’ll not only have one mentor but two, Paul and Anna! Plus Maria, the next door neighbor, who will help you in case you have problems with the apartment) who together with Flora welcomed me to my new home, the Hagebutze! There I met my new adventure companions, Ollie and Gus, who like good boys, left me the biggest room, a gesture that I really appreciated. The next day, I chose another new faithful adventure companion, my legendary bicycle! It’s funny because where I come from it’s not very common to use bike, but I know that in Heidelberg (as in the rest of Germany) the bicycle seems to be the best means of transport ever invented! :P I had problems at the beginning because I got a flat tire and it seems crazy but I didn’t have the faintest idea of how to fix it! But luckily to the rescue and into my aid, I have a true expert and connoisseur of bicycles, my roommate Gus; who is gradually trying to teach me how to fix it (although I’m still confused). So no worries if you don’t have Gus to help you, you’ll learn how to repair bikes too!
But, I finally get there, the workplace, where I have to spend one year of my life, the Werkstattschule! Entering in the Werkstattschule is like entering in wonderland! You are surrounded by amazing people who make magic with wood! Before starting the year, with the whole team together I took a small two-day trip to a farm, sleeping on straw for the first time ever! It was really fun and it was also a good opportunity to get to know everyone better (at the beginning you’ll struggle to remember all the names and the whole team but with time you’ll succeed!).
Before immersing myself in school projects, among the various activities I carried out, I participated in two initial workshops to acquire the right training to be able to work with children. Including one with Paul and Anna, to learn how to sculpt the wood (carving, drawing, coloring etc.) which in German is called ‘Schnitzen’ or ‘Holzarbeiten’! And another one with Christian (the right person to ask for pieces of wood you need or advise to work better, he’ll always be available to help you, as will the others too!) for the use of wood cutting machines, in German ‘Sagen Machine’ (but for your safety at the beginning you’ll only use the small ones!).
But let's go to school! In my country I have already worked in schools with children and the experience made it easier and helped me a lot, but let's not forget that speaking the same language is fundamental for the communication and that is perhaps the greatest difficulty you maybe can encounter if you don't speak German yet. But I know this is part of the process of this adventure and I’m not giving up no matter how difficult it may seem, German is truly a fascinating language (but by my side in any case, I have a super German teacher, Karin who once a week between one biscuit and another is teaching me this magnificent language)! My job at school mainly consists of taking care of a small group of children/teenagers (always depends by the grade) 4-5 people max. of the ‘Schnitzen Team’, the wood carving part. I show them the various tools and how to use it (das Schnitzeisen, der Knupfel, die Schraubzwinge, etc.), then we move on to the practice. The projects last a week and each time you’ll probably feel like you are leaving a piece of yourself there forever and when I say goodbye to the kids on the last day it seems strange because I probably won't see them again, but the beauty of the projects is this too! :D Your tasks will not only be school work, but you will also have many other things to do such as carrying out a personal project or helping the team in preparing the tools needed for school.
On the weekends I finally had the time to start exploring the wonders that Heidelberg hides. It's truly a magical and romantic city, and when I walk through the streets I feel like I'm in a fairy tale! I can definitely recommend visiting der Schloss, the Heidelberg Castle and the Philosophenweg from where you can admire a splendid panoramic view of the city from above! For updates stay tuned!