My volunteering at ADI Jerusalem emerged to 62 days of sovereignty, happiness, freedom and blessedness. I am Lea (18), from Germany and decided to do a traineeship in ADI Jerusalem after the achievement of my graduation.

My normal working day started at 7:30. That means getting up at 6 am and taking the bus at 6:40 to be in time. But after some time I got used to it and to be honest: I really enjoyed the longer bus ride in the morning hours. Starting your working day at ADI means getting a friendly „Boker tow“ every morning. My workplace at ADI was the 4th floor for the young adults. Shortly before breakfast we, Anton from Germany and I, had to take Raffael and Ronnie (two of ADI’s residents) out of their wheelchair in a „Stander“ to ensure a better blood circulation for them. After that it was time for breakfast and the resident`s teaching lessons. We tried to use the abilities of our residents to support their learning-progresses. That’s why the games mostly isolate one ore two special sensory organs like the ear and tactile sense. The games are geared to each childrens’ abilities.

At ca. 11 am it is time for the „Tasuka“, where the children manufacture small ticklers or paper plates which will be sold after the production. Because of the complex children’s disability it is necessary to help them with each working-step. Finishing the „Tasuka“ means preparing the children for lunch and feed them at 12:40 am. But ADI has beside the Tasuka different activities every day, even if the children are relented upon a regulated daily routine. The Pool-day for example has taken place on my floor every Wednesday or the „restaurant-day“ has taken place every Thursday. The end of the shift depends on which floor you work. My regular working day ended at 13:10 though . Then we could get lunch at ADI together with the other volunteers, while exchanging our new experiences.

We spend our free time together with a lot of hobby activities including: visiting the Dead Sea, The Biblical Zoo, the Old City, Tel Aviv (beach), Ashkelon, the other ADI facilities or the „volunteer apartments“ (and much more). Meeting other volunteers of different nationalities and learning about each others culture made my trip even more interesting and rewarding.

And now I can say: It was an honor for me to be a part of the ADI team which means collecting unforgettable impressions with unforgettable people! My second trip to ADI will be planned soon!