Address: 14 6/33 Darabos St. Debrecen 4026
Phone: +36 30 277 4696 every day between 10-17 hours
Offices:
4026 Debrecen, Péterfia street 18. (Debrecen Plaza I. floor)
4400 Nyíregyháza, Bocskai street 25.
5000 Szolnok, Ady Endre street 28/A (Szolnok Plaza I. floor)
5300 Karcag, Városudvar 1.
E-mail: info@kozpontegyesulet.hu
29 March 2024 (friday)


Archive



Regarding to our 20th birthday – Interview with Magdalena Mroczka-val

We did an interview with a former EVS volunteer of our Association, who spent 1 year at the Association as a volunteer. In the interview which is made with Magdalena Mroczka we can gain insight deeper to the beauty of the foreign volunteering and its mysteries, also we can know that, how a former volunteer of ours sees the Centre. In the future we will do interviews with more Centre people. Read those too then.

When and how did you get in touch with the Association? Why did you choose our Association?
My first contact was when I was applying for EVS project in the summer of 2017 and I chose Köz-pont because of the project I was applying for.

What motivated you to be a volunteer in a foreign Country?
On a big scale, I wanted to experience something new, to do something completely outside of what I was doing before and see how I would like it. On a small scale, I just wanted to live somewhere else for a while.

Which Hungarian words, sentences, were the first ones you have learned? Is there is any expression, which you haven’t forgotten to this day?
As any old-time volunteer will tell you, my first word that I had to learn, quick, was számla, followed by any greetings we were using in the office. Also! Nem internet irodában. That happened a lot in winter! As the days go by I use less and less Hungarian. I tired my best to hold on the little knowledge I had but a saying that I still use to this day is “Nem tudom.” This just shows you how much I knew at the time… (Using this as an actual answer to people gets really confusing for them, as they try to figure out what the hell I am speaking and why.)

What kind of tasks did you helped in?
My “thing” during EVS was media. So anything you can put into that category I probably worked on at some point. Posters, pictures, videos, editing said pictures and videos, audio files, radio programs, reports, blog posts, articles.

Have any relationships been born here during your time?
I still have contact with my EVS group to this day, including my mentor! One of my best friends is a girl that I met on a project.

Which cities did you get to during your volunteer year?
I was going between Níregyhaza and Debrecen on a weekly basis. I was also able to visit Budapeszt, Karcag, Szolnok, Hajdúszoboszló, Tiszafüred and Visegrád.

What is that memory of the Association what would you never forget? What is your favourite moment, which can be connected to the Association?
This is very funny probably just for me and the people that were present during this. So, one day on a quarter year evaluation training we had this exercise/game with János, I can’t even remember what was it exactly but there was a rhyme and we had to do things in the rhyme as certain people: ourselves, young girl, military general and an old person. I will never be able to tell you why, but the moment János showed us “the way” of old person I lost it. Started laughing so much I couldn’t see anything because of the tears that were falling. I don’t even know why! The worst thing was that anytime anybody mentioned that game for the entire training I just started laughing!

What was the hardest thing for you during your time here? What nodded you off the most from your comfort zone?
Public speaking. I cannot tell you how much I hated it, ever since I started school. Turned out that when I have to speak about a subject I am familiar with I can go on stage in front of 30, 40, 50 people and give a 20 minutes speech like I would be talking over dinner with my friends. So ten presentations later I could be told that I would be giving a presentation the next day I could answer, “Sure. How much time I have to fill?” and have zero problems with it.

Which movie could you describe with, your volunteering period?
“Groundhog day”... I think.

What have you learned, developed in during your time here?
This will sound weird. Just a warning. I learned how to learn. I know, just hear me out! There were many situations where I was asked if I can do something. Normally when asking this question you expect a yes or no answer. I was asked this question a lot connected to a small task in a bigger project, a project that had to be done no matter what, so I learned to answer: “No, but let me look into it.” This way I had an hour or two to read about what I needed to do to complete the task and if it would be possible for me to do. Then I would give you a yes or no answer. This approach taught me to efficiently research things I needed now, and learn on the job which is the best type of learning for me.

What was the hardest thing to let go at the end of your volunteer period?
Living with the people I lived with. When a group of people are put together, without any prior knowledge of each other you need to find something in common, quick! In the beginning, these will be little things, you like the same music, you want to learn a survival skill that the other person know (for example cooking, the number of things we get to try because of the multi-country mix is amazing!). Then, you get used to the routine you have with each other and it’s comforting to know that when there is a Formula 1 race or Football Championship game you will hear screaming from a room next door (or a bed next door) or questions “Why did you do that? That was so stupid!” to a computer screen. So when the time comes and you don’t get to experience those things, you will miss them the most.

What are the three words would you use to describe the Association?
Places. People. Experiences.

If you have to recommend the abroad volunteering to young people, what would you say?
Aim high knowing your limits! Yes, there will be conflicts, problems and uncomfortable situations, but they will be there no matter the place and time. Of course, not everything will be this fairy tale that we sometimes like to imagine. But the things that you get, things you can experience will be nothing like you can experience at home. There will be plenty of days filled with laughter, places and experiences that you will remember forever!

What are you doing for living currently?
Nothing.

What was your favourite Association program? Why is that?
I didn’t participate much in any programs so I don’t have any.

Have you organized an own program? If you have, what was that?
...Not really? I did side projects? I developed my podcast, with help from Mustárház volunteer.

If you’d be able to, would you start again the volunteering at us?
That is a complicated question with a complicated answer. I am no longer in Hunagary so my ability to volunteer is limited, but if I can one day, we will see!

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