How I became heard and hearted by SCI…

The 8th of March. Evening. My flight Kyiv/Bonn. And a fear. A terrible fear if I could find myself in this new life. 

I managed to get to Germany a few weeks before the borders were closed and the Coronavirus outbreak happened there. Meanwhile, an inner voice whispered to me that everything was going to be alright. A lot of chaotic thoughts in my head, but all of them are ordered now, and that’s because I know what I’m doing here. All the intended work has gone to the dogs. Tears, despair? Never. Just brainstorming, searching for new solutions, and here we are with a colleague in common trouble coming up with an online digitized workcamp format. Ours, innovative, useful one.

SCI opened up to me at once and I have opened up to it mutually. It accepted me as an “eternal student“ who has a great desire for volunteering but little experience. Here I was given the opportunity to implement my ideas and be myself. How seemingly important it is for a person, isn’t it?

So, for me, SCI is about long-lasting tradition but a new approach. To be here is the riskiest decision of all my 23 years of life. But that risk is justified. It’s my second month here and I love every morning greeting by the colleagues, the atmosphere in the office and international cooperation in general. I hate long lunch breaks, putting stamps on letters and the smell of cigarettes. 

For me, it’s the old in the new, the simplicity in all the complexity of our lives, it’s the individuality in collectivism. It’s the challenges that fall to your share and your strength to handle with dignity. My inner devils fought and this was the stage of accepting the situation.

I can feel the family spirit. I love the wisdom and innovation here; I’m blessed to be heard after all. I adore the solidarity between people of different backgrounds and… as I realised, we can survive and overcome everything, as long as our hearts are open! 

You took my heart, SCI, and gave me power. As it turned out then my inner voice was not mistaken.

This is my story and here I would like to be heard again. And I successfully found myself in this new life with all these challenges.

Whatever it is, I won’t be that person anymore. 

That’s where I found my peace of mind and became myself. 

That’s where I am open-hearted…by SCI ♥

* This story was part of the the first SCI Stories contest “Voice yourself”. Natalia, thank you very much for your participation. Thanks to people like you, the SCI movement continues to be alive and positively impacting the lives of thousands of people!