Exactly one year ago, I gave all the documents to the Macedonian embassy in Poland and was waiting to receive temporary residence to go to Macedonia. I felt contradictory emotions about moving abroad for one year and volunteering at Volunteers Centre Skopje (VCS). On one hand, I felt excited to change my life, meet new people, have interesting work, and learn Macedonian. But I also felt fear about what I will do with my life in the future, if I will adapt to the new place, or if I would miss my friends in Poland. After two months of waiting for a visa, I finally went to Macedonia by bus, with 24 hours to contemplate this big change. After arriving in Skopje, I felt welcomed and I knew this would be a good place for me.

Before going to volunteer, I had been working in a call center, so somehow it was still office work, the style of working is different. I recognize that actually here we have space for our creativity and individuality. One of the main things that we do here is VOICES magazine. In these 10 months, I have written around 10 articles about different topics, from articles about my region Silesia to ones about potato culture in Germany and Poland. VOICES is also a podcast where we can share things that we like with our youth audience. I did a podcast about coffee, living in Macedonia and about stress. Through this experience, I got to try myself in recording, as well as in preparation and editing.

Our volunteering is strongly connected with non-formal education. Before, I had participated in many European projects, so I was familiar with the topic, but here I developed skills in organizing different workshops—from public speaking to making pocket ashtrays. Actually, everything we do here is connected with sharing our knowledge and learning new skills.

Before coming here, I didn’t see myself as someone comfortable with social media. VCS had Instagram and Facebook, but on TikTok the organization was not so active. When I arrived, I proposed bringing TikTok back to life, and over time, it started reaching an audience. I learned how to edit videos and expand my creativity by finding new topics and ideas. Now, I feel more comfortable with publishing and being visible on social media.

Volunteering is not only official daily ‘work’, but also connections with the local community. During this time we organised many karaoke nights or pub quizzes to get to know local people. First local person that I met was my Macedonian mentor, who showed me around the city and explained local habits and differences. But he wasn’t the only person that I made friends with. Through many events and even random moments, I built many friendships with both locals and foreigners. In my free time, I also travelled around Macedonia and the Balkans. Since Macedonia is in the center of the region, I had the opportunity to visit many places.

I also developed a routine in the city. By living somewhere for a longer time, I could find places I liked, get to know the city well, and discover new passions. I started to learn Macedonian, which showed me how fascinating and useful other Slavic languages can be in daily life. As a volunteer, I had more time in my daily schedule, so I started going to the gym, which is just 5 minutes from my flat. I discovered that it gave me a better routine and more opportunities to meet local people.

So far, I would say that I accomplished most of my goals. I learned Macedonian to the point of having daily conversations, met many amazing people, and felt fulfilled in my workplace. I also found out what I don’t want to do in the future, so when I come back, I think it will be easier to find my direction in life. I will take with me many memories and experiences from Macedonia, and I can definitely say that I would do it all again.

Jakub Pokuciński

Sending organization: Bona Fides