Volunteer work in Mallorca

 

When I found out about volunteering in Spain I didn’t hesitate and I applied immediately. Why not, it was my last year at school and because I love travelling, I knew that this experience will be unforgettable.

 

Why did I choose Mallorca? Honestly, I chose it because I wanted to spend my free time on beaches, on the sun under the palm trees. And this is exactly what happened. I worked, but it was like I was in paradise, simply wonderful. I flew to Palma de Mallorca from Bologna on June 6 where a ride was waiting for me to get me to the hostel Albergue Juvenil la Victòria, where I volunteered. The hostel lies on north-eastern part of the island, only a few kilometres from a small tourist city Alcúdie. A manager was waiting for me, he explained my tasks and they gave me my own apartment. I was ready to work. From Monday to Friday I was waking up at 9 a.m., drank my coffee and went to work at 10. We had breakfast, which lasted until 10:45. After that, we drank coffee. And then we finally got to work until 3 p.m. I cleaned rooms, did laundry and helped in the kitchen. Every day went by very quickly.

 

 

After I finished work, I grabbed my swimming suit, towel, sunscreen and jumped on the beach with my co-worker Cristina. The days that weren’t spent on the beach or playing volleyball, were spent in fantastic restaurants with typical local food. Spanish paella, pa amb oli (toast with tomato and olive oil with different, usually sea-food, sides), llom amb col (pork steaks rolled in cabbage) and more and more. There was a lot of delicious sea food. And for dessert, there was local Ensaimada (pastry with sugar and even better with nutella).

 

Cris and her sisters who also worked in the hostel introduced me to their friends and my unforgettable travelling through new places, history and culinary treats of Mallorca began. And most importantly, every story, the whole trip was spent with locals. And on this point I also want to say that I went on this exchange to improve my Spanish. But when I first talked to one of the locals, I thought they were speaking Chinese. Why, you want to know? Mallorquin is a mix of Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese and French language (maybe even a language more) so it really sounded strange to my ears. But after a few weeks of listening this language and learning some phrases, it got really interesting. I didn’t have problems communicating as everyone was so nice that they talked regular Spanish with me. Does “No pasa nada” sound familiar to you? In Mallorquin they say “No pasa rs”. And another example is “Como estas?”, in Mallorquin: “Uep! Com anam?” Interesting, isn’t it? But let’s stay on the topic.

 

 

We spent weekends (if we got out of the bed in time) and afternoons on trips, which were worth every minute. Cala Figuera (my favourite beach on the island), Palma de Mallorca (the capital city), romantic stone villages Valdemossa and Deia (villages, hidden in the heart of the mountains Serra de Tramuntana), a trip with a boat to the most eastern part of Mallorca (Cap de Formentor) and surrounding places of Alcudia.

 

A month went by too fast. They asked me to stay a little longer but I couldn’t because of my studies. But I’ll definitely come back soon. Possibly in 2017.

 

It is the island of sun because it’s very warm most of the year. With a little luck, you can have around 39 degrees in summer. And also because Mallorca has more than 400 hidden paradise beaches so everyone can find at least one to their taste. If you like lonely spots, hidden beaches, stone beaches or if you prefer enjoying in long, crowded, white, sandy beaches you can get everything you can think of here with good navigation and tips. It’s the island of pearls because it’s the biggest producer of jewellery from pearls.