Name: Franziska Maentele
Nationality: German
Age: 20
After finishing school I decided to spend some time abroad to get to know another culture, improve my English and just to gain work experience.
When I first heard of the Simon Communities of Ireland I was impressed by the idea of ending homelessness and how to help people in difficult situations. I knew that it would be a great challenge to do such work.
In my work as a Full Time Volunteer in the Supported Housing Project in Thurles I saw how important it is for there to be somebody who listens to and who cares about the residents.
I have learned that not everybody’s lives turn out as they originally planned them to be. I now appreciate that simple things like talking with residents can be important and that even a game of Scrabble can make their day a bit brighter.
I have learned that not everybody’s lives turn out as they originally planned them to be. I now appreciate that simple things like talking with residents can be important and that even a game of Scrabble can make their day a bit brighter.
I really enjoyed my work in the Simon Community and will take a lot of life experience from it.
When I look back at the past 6 months I can really see that my goals got fulfilled and my time as a Full Time Volunteer in Thurles was a very positive experience.
When I look back at the past 6 months I can really see that my goals got fulfilled and my time as a Full Time Volunteer in Thurles was a very positive experience.
Name: Britta Kressin
Nationality: German
Age: 19
In my school time we made a trip to Dublin and I really enjoyed the time in the Irish capital.
So when I decided that I would like to go abroad after finishing school to improve my English and to experience something different, Ireland was the first country I thought of.
So when I decided that I would like to go abroad after finishing school to improve my English and to experience something different, Ireland was the first country I thought of.
The work of Simon Community with homeless people was something new for me.
I really enjoyed my time in the project especially to have a nice chat with a resident over a cup of tea. In these six months I lived a part of their lives alongside them. We celebrated together things like birthdays and Christmas, I tried to give hope when things went bad and I saw when somebody moved on. I recognised the little steps some residents made to improve their lives.
I think I got a new point of view towards life in general. On the one side I was there for them, but on the other side I learned from their experiences.
I really enjoyed my time in the project especially to have a nice chat with a resident over a cup of tea. In these six months I lived a part of their lives alongside them. We celebrated together things like birthdays and Christmas, I tried to give hope when things went bad and I saw when somebody moved on. I recognised the little steps some residents made to improve their lives.
I think I got a new point of view towards life in general. On the one side I was there for them, but on the other side I learned from their experiences.
Another part was the contact with the other volunteers. Over the time you get to know many people from all over the world with their different languages and cultures. It was good to see how other people got along with the new environment and the Irish culture. As for the rain, it wasn’t that bad at all! Also Ireland was really nice to me and I got the opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful parts with sunshine!
I know that I will look back on my time here and think it was a wonderful experience.
