Duru Beliz ÇELİKER

Pizza, Pasta and a Bit of Volunteering

The Road to Teaching

Ciao, I am Duru Beliz Çeliker.

Even though I had been to Italy before, this summer was a different kind of beginning. When I arrived for my European Solidarity Corps volunteering project in Treviso, my aim this time was not just to see new places but to live inside a new culture, work, and share what I know.

Over my time in the Silea, Cendon area I had the chance to work with children aged 4 to 12 and to experience Italy not as a tourist but a little more like someone who lives there.

Working with Children

At the heart of the project were English activities with children aged 4 to 12. Before I started, my plans were very tidy. Then I met the children and decided to make my plans a lot more colourful with them.

We tried to teach English through play, music, dance and creativity. We learned colours by painting, imitated animals and their sounds, and made the process fun with obstacle courses, water games and much more.

Sometimes I planned how an activity would go; sometimes the children decided. Honestly, the second option was usually more fun.

The experience showed me how important flexibility and patience are when working with young children. The finest moments were when children picked up a word during a game and then used it spontaneously later — that was when I felt all the effort had paid off.

Learning While Teaching

The project was not only an experience in teaching English. I learned to communicate with children, to adapt to different ways of learning, and that sometimes the best method is not in the plan you prepared but in the idea that appears in the moment.

Being let a little into the children’s world, seeing their curiosity and energy up close, reminded me how creative education can be.

I also had the chance to practise Italian. Using the language in daily life made it easier to adapt to a new culture and build stronger bonds with people.

From Volunteering to a Nomad Life

Of course it was unthinkable not to make use of the free time a European project offers. While discovering different Italian cities during the project, in my free time I also visited Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam.

Each city offered a different culture, different architecture and a different way of living. One day I was learning colours with children; a few days later I was discovering new streets in another European city.

That balance turned the project into more than work and learning — it became an experience of getting to know Europe closely.

Travelling gave me not only new places but the chance to observe how different people live and to widen my own perspective.

What This Experience Gave Me

Looking back at the end of my volunteering in Treviso, I do not think I am the same person who started the project.

I became more patient, more creative and better able to adapt to different conditions. Living in a new country, working with people from other cultures, communicating with children and discovering different European cities gave me a new perspective, both personally and professionally.

Best of all, the experience showed me that volunteering is not only about giving something. Sometimes you go to teach and realise on the way home that you were the one who learned the most.

Thank You, Italy

I came to this project to learn and to teach. Looking back, the most valuable thing was the experience itself.

From the children’s laughter to new friendships, from Italy’s small streets to different European cities, this summer was not just a project for me but a beautiful chapter of my life.

And when you reach the end of some chapters, you know the story will continue.

Ci vediamo, Italia!