A WORLD WORTH LIVING IN!!!

After writing a small testimony about what is volunteer work and what is the experience of participating in a forum / congress / conference like the FISC, now I have to tell you what we are living in Malmo, Sweden, at this time.

This is just beginning, but what a start!!! Encounters with faces known in similar events, shy smiles shared by those who recognize each other, tight hugs with almost strangers with whom we shared some indelible memory, outrageous laughter (I’m speaking in English with another Uruguayan or in French with an Englishman – who obviously does not speak a word in French).

And then, then work: some (I can count them on the fingers of my hands) volunteer interpreters (3 professionals, the rest … well, we are the rest – those who do what we can). So what do we do?: we sit in a corner of a room with our investiture (a bunch of colored ribbons) inviting all those who need translation to approach us, and we smile (but just to hide the panic we feel: we have never done this before and we hesitate whether we will be able to open our mouth and make a sound) but we keep smiling and go. We think we’re going to sit there to tell what others are saying, but soon we realize we’re running from one corner to another, changing the language as shirts, making signs and gestures to cover the silence (we did not understand anything and we have 10 staring faces anxious wishing to know – we too!!!

Help!!!
Socorro!!!
Aide!!!
Hjälp!!!

 And then, then the reward, despite all the small mistakes, small parts without translation, gestures, faces of panic (after 5 minutes of translation, your smile vanishes and everyone can see your face of terror – and just out of “Freddy Krueger, Jason and Terminator attack again”). The wonderful reward of gratitude of those confused faces that appreciate your effort and understand that what we are doing is breaking down barriers, getting closer, trying to get to the other, all the others to understand each other. And then yes, there is “the jackpot”, the jackpot of all lotteries in the world: is true: we are all together, side by side, each one contributing their part to make this world a world worth living in, and it is, we’re living that…
And to top it, the cherry on top of the ice-cream: Malmo and its people: how wonderful, a harmonious city that gives us an incredible welcome with joy, warmth and the friendliness of its people.

Thanks ICAE, thanks “supergirls” of the general secretariat, thanks Malmo and its people, thanks Ounsi, Natalia, Rita and Ale … without your help and adaptability … … … I don’t even want to think about it.