Estudante do curso de Engenharia Mecânica da FAHOR
My Experience at Camp Berlin-Charlottenburg 2025
From July 26th to August 9th
From July 26th to August 9th, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in Camp Berlin-Charlottenburg 2025. It was an unforgettable experience that taught me so much about the world, other cultures, and also about myself. I am deeply grateful to everyone who made this exchange possible, it truly opened my eyes to things I could never have experienced otherwise.
My journey began alongside my colleague Laura, who was also going to the same camp. First, we took a bus to the capital of our state, where we boarded our first flight to São Paulo. From there, we took an 11-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and finally another flight to Berlin. The whole trip was quite challenging, as it was my first time traveling abroad. There were many emotions, challenges, and new experiences, but it was definitely something that made me grow from the very beginning.
When we arrived in Germany, one of the teamers of another camp came to pick us up and accompanied us to the camp. Together with her and another participant from Serbia, we took trains and buses for the first time, carrying our luggage until we finally arrived. In total, the trip took almost 40 hours, we were exhausted, but very excited.
As soon as we arrived at the camp, we were warmly welcomed. We unpacked, took a shower, and shared a delicious meal with the group that evening. From the very first day, we had integration activities to help everyone connect and get to know each other. The leaders were always dedicated to making us feel comfortable, and the first weekend was full of team spirit and friendship. We also organized the kitchen teams for the first week and learned how the daily routines would work. On Monday morning, we started early with a strong breakfast and took our bicycles to the first cemetery where we would be working.
Riding a bike through Berlin was such an incredible experience, it made me feel like I was part of the city, as if I actually lived there. Our work during the first week involved helping restore a wall, and it was a great opportunity for teamwork. The people working there were extremely kind and caring.
In the second week, we moved to a different cemetery, and I must admit I felt a bit sad to leave the first one. Still, the new experience was just as enjoyable. We did a variety of tasks such as cleaning benches, trimming plants, and collaborating with new people from the group. During our free time, we had plenty of activities at the camp, as well as several outings around the city. The leaders always encouraged us to make our own choices about what we wanted to do. The trips were always fun, but spending time at the camp was also really nice.
In the evenings, we had the country nights where each group presented something about their culture, with typical food, music, and stories about their home countries. It was one of the most special parts of the experience, it gave me a completely new perspective of the world and made me realize how big and diverse it truly is.
Now that I’m back home in Brazil, I often find myself thinking about how precious that time was. I miss the people I met there and how quickly they became so important to me.
For someone like me, from Brazil, joining another camp might be difficult, but I truly recommend this experience to everyone! I encourage my friends to give it a try because I’m certain I came back transformed, with an even stronger desire to connect with other cultures and learn more about this amazing world created by God. I sincerely thank EYS for all their care and support, from before the trip, during the entire camp, and even on our way back home.
Without a doubt, this project changes the lives of everyone who takes part in it, and I will be forever grateful for having had this opportunity. I pray that God continues to bless those who created and lead this project so that it keeps growing and continues giving young people like me the chance to live such an amazing experience abroad. Thank you for everything! 💛
