Picture yourself living the biggest adventure of your life. I’m pretty sure you pictured a scenario with a lot of challenges, learning and exploring. With AIESEC, the biggest adventure of your life can be placed abroad and can be a lifetime experience that helps you develop great personal skills and help the world become a better place. If you want to know more about it, keep reading our interview with Dániel, a 19-year-old Hungarian guy who is having the time of his life in Morocco.
Can you tell us why you choose to make a volunteer exchange with AIESEC?
Because this is a big opportunity for me, I think this is a big adventure and I can improve my skills. Also, this project is not so expensive, so a student like me can pay for it.
Cool! Have you ever volunteered before or this opportunity was your first experience?
This is my first experience.
So, how did you choose your destination and the project you’ve been working on? Did you ever think about visiting Morocco before?
No, no. I’ve never thought about it, but I didn’t want to choose Europe. In Europe, there aren’t so many cultural differences. Morocco is Africa, and it’s far from my home country, and a very different culture. So it’s a bigger adventure than Europe. And the flight ticket wasn’t so expensive.
AIESEC is a worldwide organization and you can find several different destinations options for your exchange. From Marrocco to Indonesia. It can be your chance to go somewhere you’ve always dreamed of or do like Dániel and have your adventure at a place you might never imagine before. And what’s best: you don’t need experience or background to have an opportunity!
Those are good reasons to choose a destination. So, can you tell us more about the cultural differences you have seen there and what caught your attention the most?
The biggest difference is the mentality of people. Here in Morocco the level of hygiene and the salary, and the whole economy is much lower than the normal European level. But the biggest surprise for me here is that people are enjoying life, they are happier than in Europe. Maybe this is the biggest difference. For example, when you are in a little trouble like you don’t have enough money to pay or you fall on the street, people come and help you with a big smile. Or in every workplace, the workers are smiling.
During his stay in Morrocco, Dániel is living in a local house with AIESEC members and shared the space with a Chinese and Turkish exchange participants. This kind of contact gives you the chance to approach other cultures and make friends around the world. Here’s what he says about this experience:
Sharing the place was no problem. It was like a dormitory, and I liked living with the Chinese and Turkish guys because they were very nice. Life with the local guys is very funny so I enjoy it!
Now, let’s talk a bit about your work. What’s your project?
The name of the project Yalla Health. I work with little kids.
How’s your work routine?
I arrive at 10. I play with them first, and we make easy tasks. At noon we feed them, and after lunch, we continue the tasks and the games. Kids are autistic and we make tasks to help them develop focus. I finish at 3 pm.
And why did you pick this project?
I love children, and I like to work with kids because in my home county I do aikido training for children, so I have experience with them. Maybe I’m a little bit of a kid too.
Earlier you said that you choose to make a volunteer exchange because you thought it was a good experience to develop your skills. Which skills do you believe you have developed the most?
Maybe patience. It’s a very important skill to be patient. Be patient with the kids, with your colleagues be patient with your things. I was very stressed in my home country, but here I’ve learned how to be patient. Because life here is slower than in Europe.
Besides bringing a positive impact on a community, a volunteer exchange can help you develop interpersonal and soft skills.
Now, tell us more about your adventures in Morocco discovering and traveling…
I’ve been to the 4 biggest cities. I live in Rabat, the capital, and this is my favorite city in Morocco. I went to Casablanca and Marrakech with the Turkish and Chinese guys. Marrakech is exciting and from there we went to the Sahara desert. It was maybe the most beautiful place that I’ve ever seen. In Marrakech, I met a lot of Berber people between the mountains and their lifestyle was very interesting. The Medina (Old city) in every city is wonderful but very dangerous. I was alone in Fes, the old capital, it’s the real Moroccan city and it was beautiful too.
Which was your favorite place to visit?
My favorite place was the Sahara desert. It was the biggest adventure, riding in the camels, watching the sunset, seeing the sky at night, and the silence was like in Hollywood films. It was amazing.
This was Dániel’s story about his adventure in Morocco. To hear more, follow Aiesec in Hungary on Instagram. To live your own access aiesec.org and search for the best opportunity that it’s waiting for you 🙂
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