 |
| Marc in the carpentry workshop. |
''I have learnt a lot about myself. I think that I have gained in confidence a lot. I talked for an hour in a school in front of a full class, which was quite difficult. I would not have done that before I came here. Professionally I have learnt to use a lot of different machines, including building things with wood.''
Marc
Marc did a Leonardo project in Sweden. Everything is Possible went to visit his project and interviewed him on the last days of his project:
Tell us about yourself: I’m Marc, I’m on the last day of my project. I’m 24 years old. My project is in Arvidsjaur.
How did you hear about Leonardo Project?I heard about Leonardo project through EVS and through Everything is Possible. I have done an EVS in the past. I chose this programme because of the opportunity that it gives me.
What do you do in your project every day?I wake up at 7.30. I ride my bicycle on the way to work. I get to IDEUM for 8 o’clock. Then we have a cup of coffee to wake up and then we go to the workshop. We work with wood, making fire place, outside house and other activities. I also worked with bicycles: fixing and repairing them and painting and decorating when I have been here.
How is your accommodation?Our apartment is maybe 2 minutes walk away from another hostel which is where most of the volunteer are. Between us there are two supermarkets, which is very good. We are maybe 5min-10min walk away from our project which is at IDEUM. For lunch, we get maybe 800-900 Krona a week, which works at £90-£100. The food is generally different. Today we had rice with beef and sauce with paprika. It was very nice.
Was there a language barrier?Maybe in English it was not really a language barrier because everybody in Sweden speaks English, If they don’t they understand some. But within a week of us being in Sweden we started language training at a place which is a school for 15-17 years old. So we had a lot of training. We were there 2 and half days a week. After a month we were there for a day.
What support did you receive before and during your project?The support before I left: we had a few meeting with Ash. We talked a lot about the project. At IDEUM we had on arrival training and an induction. Jan Hoge was our carpentry boss and every time he gave us new tasks he would show us how to do it and let us do it, so we could find our own way. If we have any problem I could call Ash or send her an email, but mostly I would talk with Michael or other people.
What do you do during your free time?When we finish work, normal routine: I went to the swimming baths or I would go to the gym, which was quite good. Sadly I broke my phone in my project, so I wasn’t able to do both of them during some time. You pay for membership. But sadly I injured my thumb in the middle of my project, which stopped me doing swimming activities and things at the gym. So I had to wait that it gets better before I do it again. I was at the hospital once or twice a week. During the weekend we had a lot of different activities we could do. I took part riding snow mobiles, ice fishing and I went to the rein to the inland at the end of winter. I have enjoyed everything of it.
What did you learn during your project?I have learnt a lot about myself. I think that I have gained in confidence a lot. I talked for an hour in a school in front of a full class, which was quite difficult. I would not have done that before I came here. Professionally I have learnt to use a lot of different machines, including building things with wood.
Would you recommend this experience to others?I would definitely recommend this project to anybody, just because I think everything about this programme is great. I loved it all.
What do you want to do after your Leonardo training?I would like to find a job for a time. And I would like to do an EVS or maybe visit my friend in Sweden.
This interview has been done on the last day of Marc's project in Sweden
