Monthly(ish) Motivation #3

I guess I should change the name of this segment considering not one monthly motivation has actually been a month after the previous one, but I like the alliteration, so I'm going to try harder to hit that monthly mark. Now, to the post. This one was written by Angie who is one of NEST's most committed and talented volunteers despite only just turning 17 today (happy birthday, Angie!). I think she is really impressive and I'm sure you will too once you've read this wonderful post.

When I first started volunteering for NEST, I hadn’t expected the world of good that it would bring into my life. It began as something for an assignment, as me wanting to do my part in making the world a better place (as cheesy as that sounds), and as me wanting to break out of my shell. I had no idea that it would grow into so, so much more.

It all started when we were given an assignment in our English module to get involved with a project that tests our skills. NEST was a project highly recommended by teachers and when I heard about it, my interest was immediately piqued. The refugee crisis had always been an issue I was passionate about – it angered me seeing families forced out of their lives by violence and war, and having to rebuild their lives in a foreign country with a foreign language and culture, where they often didn’t feel welcome. So when the opportunity came to contribute to a cause I was passionate about, beyond giving donations and spreading awareness about it, I knew I had to take it.

I was hesitant, of course. At that point, I had only spent about a month in the UK, studying a Humanities and Social Sciences foundation course. I’d fallen into the trap of isolating myself in a rut of loneliness and homesickness, meaning I was more prone to letting my doubts run free in my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if I would get along with the learners and other volunteers or if I would even be a good teacher. But there was no avoiding the fact that I had to step outside my comfort zone if I didn’t want to waste away my time abroad.

The time for my first NEST session came, and I was a nervous wreck (sweaty palms, crowded thoughts, the works). I remember my first session as an awkward mess of introductions and learning the normal procedure of the sessions. I struggled with teaching my first learner, a beginner, and to this day I’m still endlessly thankful that I had an Arabic-speaking volunteer partnered with me on that session.

Despite my perceived awkwardness of my first session, I soon found myself loosening up, easing into the rhythm of the sessions, and getting the hang of them. I began to enjoy the sessions more than I would overthink about them. It wasn’t until after my third or fourth session, when I was walking home with a giant smile on my face and my feet feeling surprisingly light, that I realised it.

I had fallen in love.

I had fallen in love with the heart and dedication of the volunteers, who did all they could every session to help their learners. I had fallen in love with the strength, bravery and resilience that shone in our learners, their determination to achieve a better life never dying despite the obstacles they face. I had fallen in love with the atmosphere NEST brings — an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness, of smiles and hope, of family and belonging. NEST was a space where labels didn’t matter, where the learners could relax and make friends, where they could get support to push them further towards the bright future they deserved more than anything else — and I absolutely loved it.

My doubts about whether or not I was actually a good teacher didn’t just miraculously stop there, of course. But instead of letting them become obstacles, I let them motivate me into going to more sessions and improving myself. NEST became my home away from home. Knowing that I had a group of wonderful friends in it, that what we were doing helped to bring so much hope and light into the lives of others, that our actions were contributing to a cause bigger than all of us – that knowledge was what kept me going, what gets me out of bed on the days where I feel like I don’t have the energy to.

So, when asked what my motivation is for continuing to volunteer in NEST, it would be summed up in one word — love. I love the people in it, I love what it stands for, and I love what I’m doing in it. I love it like family, and like family, I want to see it thrive and grow and to be a part of it for as long as I can.