New Volunteer: Lali

My name is Lali and I am 31 years old Russian/Georgian who currently lives in Barcelona.I was growing up in a small town called Perm in a western part of Russia, while living there I always dreamed to explore the world and learnt about different cultures, languages, food, music etc. When I was 18, I moved to England to do my studies there and that was the time when I stated to meet international people and travel around Europe. I’ve lived in London for 13 years and during these years I’ve gained so much experience and knowledge which made me realise that I want to go further and do volunteering work.

I’ve been looking for some opportunities in different countries and just before covid 19 kicked in, I planned to come to Colombia during spring 2020 for 3 months, but because of outbreak of pandemic I had to postpone it.

It took me 3 years to finally find time and energy to accomplish my plans and in September 2023 I made it to Medellin. In the first week of my stay in Medellin I’ve reached out to Alex from ‘Intercambio’ and asked him if I can take part in the volunteering program, in which I could teach kids a little bit about my culture and help them with English. I was lucky enough to get this opportunity! I believe this experience makes a huge difference for the kids as well as for my personal growth.

It was my dream finally coming true! Once I’ve started taking part in ‘Intercambio’, I fell in love with the program and the kids as they are so full of life and joy. They love coming to lessons and they really put a lot of effort in learning. To see this, it makes me believe organisations like that make this world a safer and better place.