Belgium
Arrived in Belgium, I immediately try to ask for information about my next destination, I know that I will have to spend next 15 days before leaving, but I don’t know how to prove my stay in the European capital when I leave for Turkey.
They tell me that the only way is to testify to my presence in Belgium, and that’s what I will do in the following days.
I am really frustrated about everything, and even asking for information from those who should know more is difficult, I understand that we are in a situation that has blown everyone away, but in any case, I do not lose hope.
I am full of hope, but for the moment I just have to wait, and so I enjoy the city and also the visit to my sister that I haven’t seen for a long time.
I spend the first few days as a tourist since it is my first time here. But in the meantime, I have active contacts with the host organization which actively keeps me updated on the possibility of departure.
I must say that Brussels is a city that fascinates me a lot, a quiet place but above all a multiethnic and multicultural city, and it wasn’t difficult to settle in.
The days pass, and my hope of leaving is getting stronger, but the advance of the virus becomes strong and above all fast and unfortunately 2 days before the scheduled departure the borders are also closed from Belgium and the rest of Europe.
It was hard to accept at first and in me, I always had that little flame of hope that accompanied me.
But I had to accept the fact that to go to Turkey I would have to wait, without knowing how long, and it was a long time… After a month lived in despair and with the various restrictions given due to the virus there was a moment in which I would have given up, but at the same time there was always a reason that didn’t make me give up, so I decided to continue waiting in Belgium.
Living in Belgium was not boring at all despite the restrictions, I have the possibility of going out of course keeping the social distance and wearing a mask in places with people, but during my stop here I am in constant contact with my coordinator, my mentors and another volunteer in Turkey, who supported and motivated me; with them, I took online training and thanks to my coordinator I learned some notions about the project management.
After 2 months I decided to move house, renting a room and sharing an apartment with other guys, in doing so I left my sister’s house who helped me so much.
So I started a new adventure and found myself sharing the house with other people, who fortunately turned out to be very good friends, it was almost like living in an American TV series, living with other people sharing moments and it also helped me in making new friends, and even if my thought was to go to Turkey, living with them made me happy and also creative, I started to draw and get passionate about drawing, and for me, this new hobby was like an outlet for all the past moments so far.
I met extraordinary people in Belgium and it is thanks to them and also to my sister that despite all the misadventures I have been through so far my motivation has always been high.
The experience was very nice even if lived in a difficult time for everyone, I even shot a video with my roommates and my sister is a cover of a Spanish song called, “El sitio de mi recreo” and the translated title means “The place where I am happy”, and it was a good moment and thanks to this video we will be able to remember this experience together.
Then some news, it’s June and apparently, the borders with Turkey are reopening and I finally manage to take flight.
And on June 16th I’m finally in Bodrum, Turkey.
I can say that my umpteenth adventure of 2020 is about to begin.