ALENA (RUSSIA)

Volunteered From AUGUST 2021 TO OCTOBER 2021

2021 I had been looking for a place to volunteer as a teacher for a short period of time. I didn’t plan on spending my time in Greece, but then I found the Habibi Center, and it felt like it was the right place. I stayed there for 8 weeks. At first, I thought that it’d be a long time, but now I wish it had lasted longer. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect and what was waiting for me there, I just wanted to teach. What I found at the Habibi Center was so much more than just a teaching experience. I found a little family. I started off by teaching three classes and I was nervous about it. I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle 4,5 hours of teaching per day, I doubted I’d have enough energy for that. After my first day teaching, however, all my fears disappeared, as I got to teach the most incredible students. Every day they’d give me tons of positive emotions, their motivation to study sparked my motivation to teach. And no matter how hard my day was, my students would always light it up for me. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. Sometimes we’d stay and chat after the classes, talking about everything in the world. I got to learn more about their cultures, I even tried several national dishes my wonderful students cooked for me. I’m so thankful to my students for everything I’ve learned from them. Not only the student, but also the teachers are extraordinary people. We’ve done so much together; I can definitely say I’ve learned a lot from them. Stephanie, Alex, Camille, Matthew, Steven, Gladys, Emily and Al, thank you for all the support and comfort you gave me, for the incredible days I got to share with you and unforgettable experiences. I hope to get back one day and hear my students calling me “teacher” again.