My Charity Shop

When you want to learn a new language you have to do a huge effort. There are a lots of ways that you can follow and I tried all of them.
I watched English films, with English subtitles and without it.
I read English books, newspaper and a photoshop magazine to learn more about photography.
I listened English songs, I read the lyrics and tried to sing it, with not beautiful end ...
But one of the most pleasant way was make a volunteer in a charity shop.

My charity shop was situated in Park Street in one of the main roads of Bristol. It was a clothes shop, where all of the money that we have been earning is destined to a Childre´s hospital. In this hospital live children who have life-limited. South west Children Hospice try to make smile them and their families in their last days. British people give us the clothes that they are not going to use anymore, and we can sell it for low prices.

In Spain we don't have this kind of shops but it is a good idea to help people. I have learnt a lot there, it is a good community. I feel very proud to collaborate in this organization. Now I am going to tell you my experience and feelings that I have been living there.

My first day like all of the beginning was my coldest day. They don't have heating in the stock, but I was steaming the clothes so I could survive. In my house I have ironed but I have not ever steamed before, so it was a new task for me. Some people can thing is a bored task, but when I was looking how I was improving the clothes' appearance, and the clothes would bought they would be bought, I started to feel satisfying.  In the same day I had met my first british colleague, she is Julia a woman who has lived a lot of experience in her life in the hospital and traveling around the world. She helped me with Hannah my manager to introduce myself in the team.

It was a wonderful experience work in a English team, know how they work and think about business. Quickly I gave my personality to the job with a big smile always. I missed my shame and the atmosphere was becoming warmer than before.

A lot of volunteer from other countries have been helping the shop. I have meet italian, french and spanish people there, but we were always speaking our best english, because we wanted to improve it. However not all of the team is foreign, it was more than 5 british volunteers who helped us in our work. It's incredible how more than 10 people were working in a shop without earn money. If you tell Spanish person that you are working without earn money, they will think that you are crazy.

From my point of view, Spanish people should think more to help before earn money. You will get money when you give a service to someone. The concept of work sometimes is wrong, everyone have to look for a space in the life, where they can do something that people wanted of them. It is a big mistake think about to earn money doing something that people do not need. And if you don't know to do anything it is the best opportunity to learn, you have your mind free to get the best information. Practice in a company for free, learn how you can work, how you can help and complete your knowledge. If you are clever a lots of company will be interested in you, and if it doesn't happen trust in yourself and try to start of a new business.

Finally I want to be grateful with Hannah and all of the South West Childrens Hospice team for help me, not just to improve my english. I have learnt many things about the life and how I can be a better person. Thank you.