Vincent(22)

After my bachelor in Cultural Anthropology in Amsterdam I did not know what I wanted. A master? A job? I chose a gap year, but not the backpacking-through-Asia type. I found a volunteer project on Terceira, the third largest island of the Azores.

Through the organization MONTIS I work on restoring traditional volcanic stone walls — curraletas — that define the Azorean landscape. It is physical outdoor work, with a team of local farmers and other volunteers. Room and board are free.

Angra do Heroismo is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A colorful harbor town with 10,000 inhabitants, rebuilt after the 1980 earthquake. Nightlife is modest but cozy — three bars and a disco. The Touradas a Corda (bull runs with rope) in summer are spectacular and unique.

As an EU citizen under 25 I do not need a visa and am covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). My costs are minimal: €200 per month for personal expenses. Island life is cheap — an imperial (small beer) costs €1, a plate of lapas (limpets) €5 at the market.

What I learn here is priceless. Azoreans live with the seasons, the sea and the volcanoes. My neighbor Joaquim is 80 and still milks his cows every morning. He tells stories about emigration to America in the 1960s — ironic, because now I am the emigrant.

My gap year is ending, but I am considering staying. There is a program from the Azores government that offers young professionals a €5,000 relocation subsidy if they settle on the islands. With my anthropology background I could work at the heritage office. Life here has changed me.