I was really, really upset with the news about the refugees and felt like I had to do something

“Most of my classmates and friends were travelling and island-hopping last summer but I was really, really upset with the news about the refugees and felt like I had to do something. I was studying medicine at the time here in Trinity and everyone was saying ‘oh maybe you should wait to finish your studies and you could be a doctor there’ but they actually needed help right then, so decided to volunteer a couple of weeks on the Greek island of Samos. I was there to help out with very basic things like going through and handing out donated clothes. I taught English and we also started swimming lessons which were a great success as none of them knew how to swim and they were crossing the sea on those dodgy boats. Meeting those people was an amazing experience, I grew so much personally and it made me realize how lucky we are to live in a country like Ireland. I made lots of new friends, obviously with the volunteers from all over the world, but also with some of the refugees that I’m still in touch with. It’s great to receive regular updates on their progress and new lives.