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Hi,

  My name is Lena Marie Hein and I come from Winsen/Luhe, which is a lovely small town in northern Germany. Until recently, I was a 19-year-old student at “Gymnasium Bürgerweide”, from which I graduated a couple of months ago. As a consequence, after 13 years of having attended school, I aimed at leaving my familiar surroundings behind for a certain period of time and experience something new, something unfamiliar in order to not only broaden my own horizon but also, and in the first place, to serve and support other people in what they do and this is why I chose to come to Moldova as a volunteer.

  In theory, I might as well just spend a year as a volunteer in Germany. However, Germany mainly proposes surroundings and mindsets which I tend to be quite familiar with. Therefore, I hold the view that going abroad, experiencing other people, other cultures and thus other frames of mind firsthand conjures up the opportune occasion for me to grow and develop as a personality while assisting other people in their work.

  In this, I opted to apply for the position at RCTV Memoria because it offers insights which are impossible to gain when staying in Germany, it offers me a way of learning that, for instance, textbooks etc. can never reveal because to me, the only way for profound comprehension to prevail is to experience, plunging into the “unknown”.

  In accordance with that, I am of the opinion that guaranteed human rights constitute an indispensable part of a prosperous society, thus not destroying its own foundations but rather enriching the life of everyone as well as contributing to social progress. These topics form a substructure I consider highly absorbing and result in the vision and mission of RCTV Memoria which I can ergo entirely identify with.

  With reference to the nine months I am going to live here in particular, I actually attempt not to have too many specific prospects so I can be open to whatever may expect me here, considering this a welcoming challenge to step out of and expand my comfort zone in order to respond to unforeseen occurrences adequately.

  Despite that, I anticipate these nine months abroad to teach me even more about empathy, taking responsibility for myself and other people, respecting differences and tolerating the beliefs of others. Therefore, I sense that such a volunteering involvement abroad definitely opens new paths with reference to social competence by means of thinking in different ways and being challenged in one’s very own viewpoints, hence extending one’s own capacities and potentials.

  For these reasons, I am certain to come out of this volunteering involvement with new competences, new relationships and great memories, having had an enriching intercultural experience in every sense of the word. I am really looking forward to the months ahead, whatever they may bring!