Mattia's experience in the Canary Islands

If the months of June and July were intense, August and September were certainly no less so.

Now that the project is coming to an end, I’ve started wrapping up my various personal projects: with the start of the school year, I could no longer rely on enough kids to continue the spikeball project on the beach; I completed the guidebook for the municipality where I work; I finished the promotional video for the local area; I learned the entire tobacco-processing process while working at the Palmeros Cigar Museum; I played my last drum lesson, sticks flying during the final beat; and in just a few weeks, I’ll end up with a set of wooden spoons thanks to a handicraft course taught by a friendly “nomad–anarchist–communist” (his own definition).

August began with a peaceful week in Fuerteventura together with the other volunteers. Between Airbnbs and wild camping, I had the chance to visit the most beautiful beaches of my life—crystal-clear water and endless stretches of sand in a volcanic landscape. From Fuerteventura, I flew directly to Tenerife, where after eight months I reunited with my family—what an emotion. I had left in December feeling the need to distance myself from my family environment, and I returned in August eager to see them again. They reminded me how important I am to them and that I have a place I can call “home.”

We spent the second family week in La Palma, my island, where—acting as a proper tour guide—I showed them all of its hidden secrets.

The first two weeks of September were unexpectedly spent in Poland, where I took part in a youth exchange focused on permaculture. I seized the opportunity on the spot after talking to a staff member from my association, and just five days later I found myself in a super-hippie Polish village talking about plants. It was hard at first to adapt—and with English too—but I met so many interesting people and enjoyed a very relaxed atmosphere. (I did this too. Incredible!!)