Environment

From Sri Lanka to Germany

The project took place in:

Germany

Long term volunteering

Written by Charitha Jayasooriya from Sri Lanka

August 2017

I can’t believe that I spend 7 months in Germany. My main tasks of the project are depending on the situation. Monday I clean the chicken cage, this place is full with around 20 chickens. I clean the floor and put new hay into the small cage where they sleep. Normally Tuesday and Thursday I clean the horse stalls – we have 16 stalls. We have 3 different types of horses and ponies so they have different types of foods. I provide the food properly into the correct horse box. Wednesday it’s the rabbit cage time and put new hay into the floor. Normally Friday I clean clean the duck and swan pond.

These cleaning tasks are only in the morning, sometimes a young girl who works at my place come to help me.  In  the garden I remove the weeds and making the soil for the new plants we grow some vegetables to sell.

I work 40 hours per week, starting around 8.30 and finish at 5 in the afternoon. I feel happy with my work. I never did this kind of hard job in my life and every day I have to learn new things.

Both Saturdays and Sundays are my free days most of the time I travel with my friends. I’m so happy I have proper transport and I have a monthly ticket any time I can travel inside the city.

I found lots of Sri Lankan friends in Cologne and I have special friend who live in Duran most of the weekends I travel to Duran. I believe that I am very good at networking and I know how to make friends around me. My German knowledge is better than the first month.

I’m having a good relationship with my coordinator. All the college are very supportive. My main two coordinators don’t speak English so other colleges has to help me to translate. Sometime my coordinator also works with me. He always tries to teach me new things. I’m so lucky to have Johannes and Jesper as my mentors. They are always with me when I have a problem.

I’m so happy about my accommodation. Dr. Sabeena is a very nice lady who is a member of SCI. Since last month she was in the hospital, right now I’m living alone in big house Cologne. I feel very relaxed in my new place, like home. I cook my own food now and I feel much comfortable with cooking anyway it’s my hobby.

I didn’t attend to any workcamp since I came to Germany. But I did attend 3 seminars, including on arrival seminar. These seminars are very important because these seminars help me to get a clear idea of this “civil Service” and especially it helps to relax my mind.

 

When I think about Bundesfreiwilligendienst (Federal Civil Service) programme, I think this is a very good opportunity to learn about German culture, people, society and the work role of employee in Germany. I’m so happy that I got that rare opportunity and according to my experience in last seven months in Germany. I really recommend this project for any foreign volunteer who doesn’t speak German and this project is good for the people who are physically stronger.

The plan for next month, I want to travel again around Europe. I realized this seven months was changing and improving a lot of things in my life. These all experience will help me to have a successful future. And last seven months make me more confident and strong. I know this is not all I have to learn and change a lot of things in my life before I finish this voluntary service.

Hopefully, I could work with children in my project, for that I should build trust with my project leader, I hope I will success.

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