Elias Altenberg (Belgium) – Long term volunteering at IDC, from september 2024 to may 2025.
My name is Elias, I’m 18 years old and I come from Belgium. After I graduated from high school, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to study. I was interested in many courses of study, but it was difficult for me to decide on just one. That’s why I decided to do a voluntary service. That’s how I came to Lastours.
At first, I was a little undecided as to whether I would make friends here and whether I wouldn’t get homesick. Fortunately, I’ve made some good friends here, because volunteering brings us together. I’ve now realized that it’s definitely worth leaving your comfort zone, because he who dares doesn’t win. Ultimately, I am very glad that I didn’t go to university and am staying here in Lastours. I received a warm welcome when I arrived here and my fears of homesickness or loneliness quickly disappeared. One of my tasks at the IDC is to look after the animals. We have a pig, donkeys, a pony, a mule and two chicken coops. Of course, I also take on other tasks, such as helping with the removals. By working here, I hope to gain experience and knowledge that I can use later. I hope I will find inspiration to know what I am studying and I would like to find myself (SPOILER ALERT: Yes, I found what I will study).
The day-to-day work and working outside helps me a lot. Of course, I haven’t been here very long, but I’ve already learned a lot. Working in a team, for example, is an essential part of it. Working and living together with the others was a big change from everyday school life at the beginning, but over time I got used to it and now I enjoy it. I am pleased that I will be spending a few months here. I can set up a personal project and gain knowledge. But that’s not all. Living here is also a learning process. I have learned to live ecologically and sustainably. This includes avoiding waste, for example. We have a compost that helps us avoid food waste. We also live on a minimal footprint. That might sound a bit scary, but it’s actually not that bad. I thought I would manage with the space I currently live in and yet I do. So I’m looking forward to my time in Lastours at the IDC and the adventure that awaits me. 🙂
UPDATE (that I wrote at the end of my mission in may 2025)
My personal goal was to find out what u want to study later. Staying at IDC helped me reach this goal and I decided to study marine biology. I think this is a branch that can be useful to protect the environment and face the problems of the future. The duay-to-day work and working outside helps me a lot. Working in a team, for example, is an essential part of it. Working and living together with the others was a big change from everyday school life at the beginning, but over time I got used to it and now I enjoy it. I am pleased that I spent a few months here. I could set up a personal project and gain knowledge. But that’s not all. Living here was also a learning process. I have learned to live ecologically and sustainably. This includes avoiding waste, for example. We have a compost that helps us avoid food waste. We also live on a minimal footprint. That might sound a bit scary, but it’s actually not that bad. I thought I would manage with the space I lived in and yet I did. So I’m looking with a calming feeling to the time in Lastours at IDC and the adventure i lived.
