ABC Wednesday, W for Workcamps, Wiesbaden

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with W. Please join us!

 Participating in an international short term volunteer project ( so called Workcamp ) can be an exciting prospect. It is an interesting and meaningful way to travel with purpose and spend 2-3 weeks in a foreign environment. Working and living together with other volunteers from around the world provides an excellent opportunity to make many new friends, learn about unknown places and culture, gain new skills and experience. Your time, energy, and enthusiasm can make a difference in areas where help is really needed.

My best holidays were the ones I spent in international workcamps, ecumenical workcamps to be precise.

It started when I was a student in the summer of 1953. Students were asked to help cleaning houses in the areas covered with mud and debris due to the flood  in Zeeland of January that year. It was a great experience to work with so many  young people from abroad.

In 1955 I went to an ecumenical workcamp in Wiesbaden- Biebrich in Germany.

I stayed  there from 29 July till  28 August. We were with 35 campers from 14 countries. Most of the campers were German from East and West Germany.
Our work was mainly working on a road and digging foundations of houses for settlers from  East Germany.Some of us were to go to a nearby factory of building materials.

Pitching our tents

Working on the road

From left to right: Germany, Sweden, U.S.A.

                                       From left to right campers from
                                        Jordan, Norway, U.S.A., Greece