Here it is again, an interview with our volunteer. Today we will get to know Yulia Kononchuk, who has been writing fascinating posts at Communication Department for a year. She studies journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, likes travelling and collecting magazines.
- How did your story of volunteer experience begin?
-My first volunteering was during Nordic Night - evenings of Scandinavian culture at the Museum of History of Kyiv. Swedish teacher of my friend invited her, and I joined also. It was fun. I liked it, so a few months later, I helped organize media support for World Cleanup Day and took photos on locations during the event.
I only got into ESN on the second attempt. In January 2021, I saw a recruitment post from ESN Kyiv but recollected to fill out the form only 4 hours before the deadline. I quickly wrote it and sent it. My application was lost, so I received an invitation to an interview a week later.
- Where do you get your inspiration as a writer?
- Writing for ESN is like a job for me because I have a task, a deadline, and expectations from the team that I will do it. When you take on responsibilities, you must fulfill them. Coming up with topics is difficult. So, brainstorming helps me in this. In my opinion, writing material is sometimes easier than inventing a theme.
- Do you want to participate in Erasmus+ exchange?
- I wanted to go to Erasmus+ from the first year of studying, but the Coronavirus dashed all my hopes. Last semester, I applied for Erasmus+ exchange in Hungary but did not pass it. I was upset then, but to be honest, now I'm even glad that I stayed in Kyiv. Therefore, I wish everyone who was not accepted to Erasmus+ stay positive because perhaps your fate is already waiting for you in your homeland. Next year I'm already finishing my bachelor's degree, after which I plan to take a gap year — I'm a little tired of studying already. Then I will return to my master's degree, where I may try to go to Erasmus+ again. But I think that, most likely, I will go straight abroad.
-"ESN unites" isn't it just a phrase, is it?
- Perhaps you remember those texts in English textbooks about penfriends. In high school, I wanted to make such a friend, and now, seven years later, my dream came true when I became a buddy for a student who came to us for an exchange. This experience helped me realize my national identity and, oddly enough, understand that I am still not mentally European, although I grew up on American cartoons and European books, travelled a lot around the world, and know English. Being a buddy made me feel how different we are in our worldviews. And this is even cooler because it is very interesting to look at ordinary things from different perspectives. So yes, ESN unites not only with other motivated Ukrainians but also with people from all over the world.
- What internal barriers did the ESN volunteer experience help you overcome?
- In general, I no longer had any internal barriers when I joined the organization, because before that I already had practice in editorial offices, so there was nothing fundamentally new for me. Unfortunately, I have a lot of anxiety when I speak English, even though I have confirmed the Upper-Intermediate international IELTS exam back in January 2019. I am gradually trying to deal with this, and I hope that in the future ESN will help me finally get rid of this fear.
- We have heard that you like travelling. Which countries/cities are on your top list?
- Yes, I have travelled a lot in my life and even lived alone for a few months in Istanbul this year. It is difficult to compare the European countries, the United Arab Emirates, and, for example, Thailand where I have been to.
The best trips of my life have always been unexpected. Probably it is because then there are no expectations at all that can't come true. For example, at school, I dreamed of visiting Germany, so at the end of October 2019, I had tickets with my mother to Nuremberg. But suddenly, in early October, my sister offered to go with her to Paris, a city that I had never been interested in. It would be stupid to turn down such an opportunity — and this trip was one of the best in my life, although I have never been a fan of either French culture or France in general.
It seems to me that it is incredibly important to respect different cultures and try not to judge them by Western European standards only. It can be very difficult, but I try to be more open to new things.
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