Our time in Lisbon is off to a great start as we have wrapped up our first week of volunteering and exploring the city. The seven of us have been volunteering in a small impoverished neighborhood along the outskirts of the city working with the local residents to rebuild and improve their homes. We spent the first couple of days building a new roof on an existing house and are now preparing for an entirely new home to be built as well. Through our volunteering we have been able to engage with the local community, as many of the neighbors, many times including children, are eager to help with the renovations in their community. After a week on site, everyone is starting to feel a little more confident with their handiwork and looking forward to all the ways we can help when we return next week.
Outside of volunteering, our group has had a blast exploring Lisbon, enjoying both the sights and the gorgeous weather. Yesterday, after volunteering, we all took a surf lesson at the beach of Cascais. Despite the intense winds, we managed to enjoy a full hour of great surfing. In addition, we toured a castle fortified by the moors in the eleventh century, lending beautiful views of both the city and the river.
As the only new EGL member on this trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this VA trip and had hardly even met some of the other people on this trip prior to arriving in Lisbon. I’m glad VA has enabled me to make connections with other EGLs, while being able to explore a new part of the world. This has been an incredible experience so far and I can’t wait to see what else Lisbon has in store for us!
EGL Family Abroad 