A year with Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

It was my sister who, having already done an ESC volunteering program in Finland, encouraged me to do the same. Ideally, I wanted to find a project mixing culture, History, tourism, as well as a good dose of foreign languages, but most of the projects I could find were focused on children and teenagers, which wasn't really my cup of tea. But one evening, by a stroke of luck, I logged on to the European Solidarity Corps website, and there, right at the top of the list, was the rare gem I had been waiting for. A one-year project in Germany, at the Mendelssohn House Museum, located in Leipzig, a city I knew nothing about, from which I did not expect much, but which made me fall completely under its spell. And so I set off on October 8th, 2021.

For those who don't know Felix Mendelssohn, he is one of the most famous romantic composers of the 19th century, considered by many to be the Mozart of his time. The museum where I worked pays tribute to the man and his work, and is special in that it is located in the house where Mendelssohn lived with his family in Leipzig for the last two years of his life. It is the last surviving home of the musician, and it is an extremely beautiful, authentic and touching place, where one expects the great composer to walk in at any time.

Within the museum, I had a lot of different and various tasks to accomplish: welcoming visitors, selling tickets and souvenirs, doing guided tours in several languages for groups of students, journalists or individuals, supporting the smooth running of the concerts held each week, actively participating in the organisation of special events (weddings, Children's Day, Museum Night, etc.), but also transcribing and translating historical documents in preparation of the upcoming opening of a new exhibition. As you can see, all my passions and interests were thus combined in my volunteering project, and one could really believe that it had been tailor-made for me.

For 10 months, my ESC project allowed me to fully develop myself - both professionally and in my private life - and it was one of the happiest years of my life. I was able to get to know myself better, to define more precisely my desires for the future, and to fall even more in love with a country that I already knew but that still had so much to show me and to teach me. I made friends with people from all over Europe, and our group created a small, rich and multicoloured European community in the heart of Leipzig. I developed a special bond with my colleagues at the museum who all welcomed me with open arms, and like any self-respecting year of ESC, I was also able to travel, of course throughout Germany, in particular to Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Munich, Erfurt, Halle, Weimar, Dresden, etc. but also to Denmark and Hungary.

Today I just want to go back to Leipzig, and I can only warmly encourage any young person wishing to experience a European adventure, develop their knowledge and skills, make friends and travel, to embark on the ESC adventure!

Updated on Mandag, 24/10/2022