Vanessa Malin is one of our European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteers and here she shares her experience of living in Siena and working at Siena Art.
Life in Siena by Vanessa Malin:
My name is Vanessa and I'm a 22-years-old ESC volunteer at the Siena Art institute. I'm originally from Germany and finished my Bachelor's degree in Literature last summer. I will be volunteering in Siena until the beginning of January. Having been here for about three months now I can see the puzzle pieces falling into place: things like having a famliar route to work, a go-to grocery store, finding my favorite cafe, creating bonds with new friends. It feels nice to experience how an unfamilliar city warms up to you little by little. I am also really enjoying the experience of meeting people from various ages, places, and backgrounds who share their life stories and ideals. After my graduation, I felt very lost since I was not sure what the path ahead of me could or should look like. Hearing about the life paths and aspirations of many different people during my ESC has helped me to gain a new perspective on my experiences and has opened my eyes to new possibilities for the future.
One of the most special experiences for me since arriving in Siena has been seeing the Palio festivities of the contrade, Siena's 17 historical neighbourhoods. Having spent most of my life in Germany and the Netherlands, I was not used to seeing the fervor that the people of Siena hold for their shared regional and historical bonds. Back home, the streets are dead quiet after dark and people seem more isolated from each other. It took a little adjusting to get used to the nightly parties and marches that could be seen in the streets and heard from our apartment, but in time I grew to warmly appreciate the liveliness of the neigbourhood and the enthusiasm of its inhabitants. Coincidentally, the contrada that I lived in over the summer, the Aquila, won the Palio this July and has not stopped celebrating it ever since! It has been really amazing getting to be amids the action and finding new surprises right on my doorstep every day.
My tasks as a volunteer at the Siena Art Institute are varied, and every day looks different. Some days are quiet, and you might find me researching a project or learning how to design a convincing poster on Canva with the other volunteers, while on other days we are out and about, assisting a group of students or hosting an event at the Institute. It is a joy to organize activities together with the other volunteers and to implement my own ideas. Our first big success was the event "Passeggiata verso la Musica", which we hosted together as a volunteering team with Camille, Andromachi, Malaika and me, in connection with the performance of the talented SienAgosto Music students this August. I'm looking forward to the next three months, full of more exciting projects during my ESC!
More information about European Solidarity Corps (ESC)
Become a VOLUNTEER at SART
