Portugal, my home country

Beatriz is answering 13 questions that  helped her to describe her voluntary experience 

1) What motivated you to go abroad? I decided to go abroad for several reasons, but the main ones were to get out of my comfort zone, to challenge my independence a little, to take a break from studying, but above all to think about my future and what I want to do.

2) What skills did you acquire during your experience abroad? The skills I improved the most were my social skills. They weren't the only ones, of course, but they were the ones that I and the people around me noticed the most improvement in. I began to find it easier to speak in public and give presentations, and I became more open to meeting other people. I also became more confident in other aspects of my life, such as spending the afternoon in a café, something I found difficult to do before. 

3) Why do you think going abroad is beneficial? In my opinion, going to another country is beneficial for several reasons. Firstly, to get to know a new country and its culture. Then, all the new people you meet while you're there, the adventures and memories you share. And also the things you learn while you're there, and how much you can grow as a person.

5) If you had to do it all over again, would you do it again, and if so, in which country? If I could do it again, I'd be happy to. I'd probably go to Greece for a while as I wanted to try it out first, but I think I'd also like to visit Ireland. But if I could, I wouldn't mind going back to Portugal either. 

6) What was your most memorable experience abroad? During these 11 months I made many memories with friends I met while volunteering. Some of the ones that stand out for me were the carnival in February, the evening outings we went on, the walks we did and sunsets we saw, and of course the games we played as a group or all the good times I had with my housemate. Not to forget all the good times I spend with the kids and the fun activities and games we did. 

7) Was there anything you learned about yourself or your own culture by being in a different environment? It's funny, because I went to volunteer in my country of origin. I've always had contact with my culture and my home country, but with volunteering I was able to get to know customs and other regions that I hadn't known before. I got to know more about my country. 

8) Would you recommend a foreign experience to other young people? I would definetely recommend this experience to other young people. You can meet people from other countries, experience activities you might not have done before, see new places, etc. 

9) Did you know how to speak the language of the host country before coming? If not, how did you overcome language barriers? I could in fact speak the language fluently, that is something that helped me a ot, but I got to witness how the other volunteers, that did not speak portuguese, used various ways to communicate with the kids. They learned some portuguese vocabulary that our co-workers and the kids would teach them. They also communicated with them through gestures, and often the kids would also ask for help to translate what they wanted to say. 

10) Why did you choose this particular destination? Like I said before, Portugal is my home country. I wanted to feel more connected to my culture and the country itself. I also wanted to see how things were there in terms of living in case I decide to go back. 

11) Did you try any new activities or foods during your trip? I did try new foods from different regions in Portugal, foods and snacks I hat not tried before. I also got to try foods from other countries, thanks to the Intercultural evenings we would organize every two months at the organization, so I also got to try some French, Italian and Turkish food. 

12) How did you adapt your lifestyle to the local culture? I adapted very quickly since it is my culture as well, but I noticed that I started to implement some habits in my daily life, like going for a little coffee after lunch every day with my co-workers. 

13) Did you make any new connections with other people? I did a lot of connections during my time spend there. I made mostly french connections and even some luxemburgish ones. I made friends with some Turkish volunteers and also with portuguese locals. Some of these connections I still keep contact on a regular basis and I know that if I travel, be it in Portugal, France or even Turkey, I would love to go and visit these people.

Updated on Þriðjudagur, 17/02/2026