Hauhon lomakeskuksen kesäleireillä on tänäkin vuonna mukana kaksi kansainvälistä vapaaehtoista. Yhteistyökumppanimme on nuorten johtajuusliike AIESEC, joka huolehtii vapaaehtoisten valitsemisesta ja saapumisesta Suomeen. Tämän kesän vapaaehtoiset Jeremiah ja David ovat kotoisin Kanadasta ja Hongkongista. Vapaaehtoisilla on takanaan ensimmäinen leiriviikko ja pyysimme heitä kuvailemaan tunnelmia leirityöstä Akkiksessa.
Jeremiahin terveiset:
”Hi, My name is Jeremiah and I am 19 years old. I am from Calgary, Canada. I study cellular molecular and microbial biology and enjoy learning about how organism are shaped by small units of life called cells. I would like to become a doctor someday and working at this camp will be a great experience to learn how to care for people both physically and emotionally.
I have always wanted to challenge myself to find my strengths and weaknesses. I applied to go on exchange in different countries in Europe and I didn’t want to stay in a classroom teaching English. I wanted something more and luckily I found these summer camps.
I would say I knew somethings about Finland before I started to look for exchanges. I watched some Youtube videos about Finland and Finnish nature. From these videos I learned that Finnish people like ther personal space except for sauna time. As it got closer to come here I learned more.
For the few days I have been here, I have enjoyed the fresh air. Before I left Calgary, there was some forest fire and the air was smoky. So it’s been nice to breathe freely. I have also enjoyed the food, it’s really great. Thank you to the kitchen staff!
I haven’t had any difficulty so far. Let’s hope it stays that way! My favorite thing to do here, other than work, is to just relax outside on one of the swinging chairs and breathe. The summer family are really nice. The staff has been very kind to us. Thank you to everyone! I really like working and living with them. I hope I can come back again!”
Davidin terveiset:
”I am David, 23 years old and from Hong Kong. Originally I was born in India and moved to Hong Kong when I was 2 years old. I am currently studying social work. Hong Kong is an international city, but the Indians in Hong Kong are victims of discrimination and tend to be treated badly. Hence, I want to use my language strength to help the vulnerable group in society.
I always wanted to apply overseas experiences while studying and I realized that the volunteer work program would be beneficial for me in the future as a social worker. I tried to do in-depth research about the Lasten Kesä camp and Finland which is known as the happiest country with the effective education system. Actually, there are plenty of summer camps in Hong Kong as well annually, so I really want to compare why Finland is the happiest and with the effective education system, there must be a reason for it.
After working here for a week, I got close with the staffs and the kids. I still remember the first day I was so nervous how I should talk to others and what to talk about, but the staff broke the ice and we talked for few hours. The Finnish culture is different from the Hong Kong culture, the people here are chill and true while the people in Hong Kong are defensive when it comes to meeting new friends.
I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with the staff, we do plenty of activities together like fishing, have pizzas and play beach volleyball. To be honest, I love the atmosphere and the people. However, I am still experiencing the language barrier with the kids, since the majority of them don’t speak English and it’s hard for me to communicate with them clearly. But we figured out to use body languages.
Finally, I really enjoyed spending free time with the staffs in the common area. We always shared how our day has been and if we have any plans for the next day. It is always good to be part of the team. Moreover, the staff is really nice and I enjoy being included in the team.”
Lisätietoa AIESEC:n toiminnasta: https://aiesec.fi/fi/
