Alessandro's experience in Portugal

Olá, this is Alessandro! My ESC project started in a small and colorful town in Portugal and reached the hearts of many people—especially my own. It was an experience that positively changed my life, opening my horizons to new cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking and understanding life.

I had the opportunity to interact with young people—from children to teenagers—spreading the value and importance of sharing, multiculturalism, and integration. My personal project within the small community of Águeda allowed me to talk about science with young people in a simple, intuitive, and immediate way, often in a language different from my own.

During this adventure, I met many people rich in stories to tell and emotions to share spontaneously. Together with them, I learned different languages, starting from the basics, and gradually absorbed the local language to the point where I could express myself and communicate in it. It is surprising for me to observe, now that the experience has ended, how it gave me the space and time to get to know myself much better—discovering new limits and new strengths from which to start again. It was a pleasant and valuable opportunity to expand my social network, build sincere new friendships, and understand how to collaborate and cooperate toward vital and essential common goals.

I can only encourage the readers of this personal testimony not to hesitate and to embark on a similar journey without the fear of feeling out of place. There will always be someone willing to listen to you, help you, welcome you, and make you feel part of something as big and important as what I experienced.

Alessandro