Samaher Saif Al Yazal
The Bahraini traveler Abdullah Al -Madfai went through an exceptional volunteer experience that spanned three months between Tunisia and Brazil, during which he focused on the tourist and cultural content industry, teaching the English language for children, in addition to introducing the two peoples to the culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain, its customs and traditions.
The artillery, who visited more than 35 countries, said that his passion for travel and volunteering prompted him to choose this experience, explaining that Tunisia represented an opportunity to dive into its rich Arab culture and its history that has extended since the Carthage civilization, as well as supporting and encouraging Arab tourism, while his choice of Brazil was a desire to take a completely different experience in a different Latin environment in terms of language, religion and customs, and get out of the comfort circle towards new challenges.
He pointed out that his volunteer project in Tunisia was the manufacture of tourist and cultural content to promote the country through social media, in cooperation with the “Yazik” World Organization, indicating that his study of the media gave him the opportunity to implement what he learned practically.
In Brazil, he explained that the project was more diverse, as it focused on the tourism and cultural content industry, in addition to visiting schools to introduce children to the culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain through presentation and interactive offers, and teaching the English language using enjoyable educational methods, as part of his volunteer participation with the organization itself.
And on the most prominent stations of his trip in Tunisia, Al -Madfai stated that he visited 10 states that included Bizerte, Tozeur, Gabes, Djerba, Sfax, Al -Jam, Monastir, Nabeul, Hammamet, Sousse, Mahdia and Tunisia, the capital. He added that moving through small buses “Al -Louj” was a new and sometimes difficult experience, but it gave him the opportunity to integrate into the daily life of the Tunisians and discover their diversity between the coastal, rural and desert cities, pointing to the hospitality and warm generosity he touched, especially when they know that he is from an Arab Gulf state.
Regarding Brazil, Al -Madfai said that he visited 6 states, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and the capital, Brazilia, indicating that his long bus flights, which ranged between 16 and 28 hours, despite their hardship, were full of lessons and experiences. He added that the Brazilian people are distinguished by their love for life and enjoyment of daily moments, as well as their strong association with the family, stressing that these features were clearly reflected in their dealings with him.
Al -Madfai stressed that during his journey, he was keen to represent Bahrain in the best way, as he was carrying the flag of the Kingdom and presented Bahraini desserts as a memorial to the people, adding that traveling for him is not just a personal experience but rather a message and behavior that reflects the Bahraini image abroad.
He said: “I was always keen to take memorial photos with the flag of Bahrain to remain in the memory of the peoples that I visit, especially in distant countries such as Tunisia and Brazil, which some may not know much about Bahrain and its culture.”
On the experience of living with a Brazilian family, Al -Madfai explained that it was one of the most beautiful stations of his journey, where he stayed with a mother, her son and her grandson in the city of Vera de Centana, Bahia. He stated that he shared the details of daily life from preparing food, cleaning the house and teaching the grandson, praising the mutual respect he touched, as the family took the initiative to remove the pig products from the house after knowing its Islamic religion, and they devoted him a suitable place to pray. He added: “I shared with a role in information about Islam, while they learned more about Christianity and their customs, and this coexistence was a wonderful example of openness and respect.” He explained that despite some challenges related to security and safety in Brazil, the experience was rich and gave it an opportunity to understand the privacy of each society and the need to respect it.
The artillery called on the Bahraini youth to exploit their times in entering volunteer experiences inside and outside Bahrain, stressing that such experiences contribute to the development of the character, and the youth gain the skills of communication, audacity and flexibility at work. He said: “Do not wait for the opportunity to come, but search for it and make it yourself, learn and gain skills, and volunteer to contribute to spreading knowledge and helping others.”
The artillery addressed his message to the youth, saying: “Trust in God first, then continuity is the key to success. Arrange your priorities and define your goals, and do not depend on temporary enthusiasm, but rather make continuity your guide to achieving your dreams. ”
