About volunteering in Iceland – a land of fire and ice by Olga Nykonchuk

At the beginning of the year I didn’t suspect that I would be travelling to a place such far away, but i guess you never know what will happen in life. At this stormy time even a week before the trip I was not convinced I would come here, even though I already had the tickets. Island welcomed me with the sun and honestly the first few days I thought that here is the weather constantly – naive:). Only on the third day when the storm broke out did I realize how wrong I was. Then there was the small road to the lower shore where I found my new family. We were cooking, eating, laughing and repairing the house for the volunteers who will come in the summer to live here and go to the beach to pick up the plastic that the ocean is carrying to Island (that’s basically all we have to do). But no…more games, learning Spanish, yoga, crossfit, photography and writing magazine articles about the environment and of course an impatient look forward to the coastal weather. Sometimes you think that you make unimportant decisions, and you are not the one who is defeating the world. But no, even small things like replacing old light bulbs in a flat, eating local products, sorting the dirt or even driving the car more smoothly are already changing your carbon footprint. Giving people a different life, filling your life with sensation, making new friends, just being happy in a circle of like-minded people is about my volunteering in Ireland. And also it’s about waterfalls, volcanoes, a sudden change of weather and a lot of Spanish music – do not hesitate ⠀ I love this place, it seems the next year the building will have a sauna and a Jacuzzi. But I’m already happy here without it – finding your people is priceless, seeing the littoral landscape is a dream come true, making small contributions to make this world a better place – anyone can do it. Well, ahead of me, a month and a half of research on the island and surely more volunteer projects in the future. We are grateful to @All-Ukrainian Association for Youth Cooperation Alternative-V for this opportunity.⠀The best is yet to come.⠀ Thanks and best wishes to Veraldarvinir Wf Iceland