Further, closer
Daniela, a young woman from Colombia
H ablar this summer means to me talk about a tangible change in my way of seeing life. After days of preparation with my sister Camila, we finally had the difficult moment of embarking for the first time on an adventure far from “home”. The uncertainty of what we might find beyond where we thought our limit was had us in suspense.
To my surprise, the morning of August 3 became the beginning of a wonderful and transformative journey. As soon as I arrived at the house of the Oblate sisters, I met a lot of new faces full of joy and willingness to show us step by step the best way to live the experience.
The further I believed myself to be from home, the closer I felt. Since little by little we were strengthening ties and getting to know a little more about the mission and the role of each one in it. As the days went by, my little brothers and our four “mothers” nurtured my heart with gestures of affection and kindness.
The experience of volunteering in Bussafu took me back in time, to when I was a child and saw every detail of life exciting. Since, even without being able to communicate with words easily, both the elderly and those who cared for them, showed their pleasure, emotion and gratitude for our presence every day.
My colleagues in Bussafu, “my bosses”, helped me to give a particular meaning to the word volunteering. With their actions and inventions they managed to fill with joy a week of the life of the group of "big children" who gathered around a table to carry out different activities to enjoy the morning hours. With this they showed me the power of the will, to serve others and learn from everything that surrounds us.
Many of the things I saw were not told to me in books or in college classes. For this I thank God for opening my world and changing my gaze. For giving me the opportunity to share my days with people so full of life that despite their tribulations, they embarked on an adventure of immersion in another culture and brought back to Spain testimonies that reflect the possibility of maintaining an enriching and transforming intercultural dialogue .
Father Ángel and all the others present in Tetouan opened the doors to their lives for us and shared part of their mission with us. Through the testimonies of the community, we realized that there is still much to do. And even more importantly, that it is in the hands of those of us who have the possibility to contribute, in whatever way this contribution may have, a grain of sand to make this change possible.
To all, thank you very much for making my summer a dream come true. It is not a secret to anyone that much of the learning comes from home and for me it was for two weeks where my soul was happy.
A part of my heart stayed in each of the smiles that I received during the experience.