Spending my lockdown in Ireland took work. Everyone told me I was lucky I didn’t lose my job; I know I was. But it wasn’t enough; I started feeling anxious, scared, and uncertain.
My job in Ireland was a good one; I was a content reviewer. However, I was searching for a change and wanted to leave months before I did. In December 2019, I expected to leave Ireland by August 2020, but COVID-19 came, and everyone’s plans were cancelled or modified.
July arrived, and Europe started to open its borders, but travelling wasn’t that easy and not the same. I went on holiday for a week, which was terrific; I had to quarantine on my return to Ireland. I’m not complaining; we must do what we are asked for. But it was weird to go on holidays, feel free again and come back and feel judged for doing something I love and need.
It was months of crying and suffering anxiety, asking for my mum’s arm. I needed to move and make that step I had been looking for since I arrived in Ireland. But Ireland got me. Ireland made me stay there for two years and eight months; it became my home. Ireland was one of the best years of my life.
I knew it was time—time to move, time to leave my home again, time to go uncertain, time to leave not knowing where I would end, time to keep making my dreams come true.
So, I found myself becoming a member of Workaway. After a month, I decided to look for host families and leave my everyday life. I was never that nervous; I didn’t feel like that when I left Argentina in 2018. I was leaving my comfy life to follow my leap.
My dream was to see the Northern Lights. Have you heard about them? Have you seen them, at least in photos or videos? I’m crazy about them. So, I started my journey in Denmark, north of Europe.
The Workaway was in Bornholm. Bornholm is a Danish Island far from the continent and surrounded by the Baltic Sea. To get there, you can either take a ferry from Ystad (southern Sweden), Køge (a bit south of Denmark), Sassntiz (Germany), or Poland or fly from Copenhagen.
Bornholm is a small island with few towns. The biggest is Rønne, and the second is Nexø, where I stayed for two months.
My first Workaway experience – escaping lockdown
While scrolling through the website, I found a few workaways in the same area. The cultural exchange I applied for involved child care, cleaning, and cooking. I stayed in the house for free and had free food.
The most beautiful thing about this way of travelling is that there will usually be more than one workawayer. We were two volunteers: one from England and me from Argentina.
The first two days, I felt weird, but on the other side, the energy was fantastic.
‘I feel like I’m in a movie every time I go out for a cycle, a walk, a swim.’ I said this almost every day.
New concepts
I learnt and listened to new concepts, like unschooling children. In this method, the children choose what they want to learn and home-school on what they like.
I also learnt some Danish words. Whenever I went to the shop, people talked to me in Danish. I didn’t understand, but I guessed what they were saying.
Cliff notes
Everything changed when my life journey started, including how I see and enjoy life. It’s incredible how one decision can change your route. Have you ever chased a dream? If not, I’ll recommend that you do it. It’s worth it. For better or worse, it will teach you more than you think.