Hi I’m Afshin and I am from Iran. I am 27 years old and I’ve been living in Greece for
two years and six month. I can speak four languages, Persian,Dari,English,and
Kourdish Kalhori. Some of the things that I like are wrestling and football. I did my
European Solidarity Corps Project in July to August. However, I still continue
volunteering up until now.
When I was in Iran,I worked in a motor bike company for about four years.When I
arrived in Polykastro,I was looking for an educational place to learn English. A friend
recommended me to OCC and this is how I found Open Cultural Center. I started
attending the classes as a student for a year. After that time the supervisor of OCC
asked me if I was interested in being a volunteer with them. I wanted to become a
volunteer and I accepted the offer.
Some of the main reasons that motivated me to become a volunteer were my will to
help other people. The situation in Greece is difficult for the refugees and I wanted to
help my community. Furthermore, I wanted to improve my language skills and acquire
experience in other fields too. In OCC I participate in various projects such as the bike
space and the classes for adults and children.
The responsibilities that I have are renting bikes to the refugee community, as well as
the Greek community. Moreover, I am in charge of the trainings and the workshops for
the people of the community and the new volunteers. With other members of the bike
space, we also repair and fix the bikes, as well as we are responsible for the general
maintenance of the bikes. In addition, I am an interpreter and an assistant teacher for
the group of children called Pirates, ages between 13 to 17. I was also an interpreter for
the adult’s classes. Currently, I work as an interpret and cultural mediator in another
european project.
By participating in all those projects I gained a lot of knowledge and experience. I
improved my English language skills. I had a chance to communicate with volunteers
and refugees from different nationalities. This helped me become better at my job as an
interpreter. I learned many things about the greek laws and other important matters in
order to help my community. I also improved a lot my communication skills. Through the
bike space project I didn’t learn only how to fix and repair bikes but also how to solve
problems with our clients.
My favorite part in OCC is meeting new people from around the world. I had the
possibility to interact with a lot of different volunteers. We exchanged our cultures, ways
of living and traditions. My Italian friends taught me how to make authentic Italian pasta.
Apart from that, through them I learned a lot of things about myself as well. I was
exposed to different perspectives and more aware about various topics.
My experience in OCC taught me the importance of sharing and helping. I hope that my
little contribution makes a difference and a change in the lives of the people that I met
and the people I helped. A big thanks to all of my friends who we went through this
beautiful journey together.
"This project is funded by EU Commission, the ESC program and the Greek National Agency Youth and Lifelong Learning."
English 
Catalan
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