ALEX (THE U.K.)

Volunteered From SEPTEMBER 2021 TO DECEMBER 2021

2021 A year after graduating from university in 2020 and working in a job for a year, I started looking for opportunities to volunteer and work with refugees as it is something I would like to do in the future. The Habibi Center immediately jumped out at me as the perfect place to volunteer. I wasn’t sure how good I would be at teaching as this was my first experience of it, however with the support of the other teachers I felt comfortable in the role very quickly. The students are truly inspiring people who are so friendly and eager to learn. They always seemed to understand the importance of school and would often tell me how thankful they were of the opportunity to study at the Habibi Center. They would always keep me on my toes with the questions they would ask, and also asked for lots of different examples of how to use what I was teaching them in real world settings. The relationship with my students wasn’t only based on teaching. We would often have long conversations about everything from life and culture, to music and food, with them teaching me many things about their home countries as well. I also want to thank the amazing teachers that became like a family to me during my time in Athens. Stephanie, Alex, Camille, Mathew, Emily, Gladys, and Alena, thank you for sharing some wonderful experiences with me that I will never forget.