'A Day in the Crescent' - A Blog From Erasmus+ Student Traineeship Participant, Esperanza Berrocal

A Day in the Crescent is a short blog written by Spaniard Esperanza Berrocal, one of our volunteers for our 2022-23 season who is doing an Erasmus+ Student Traineeship. She is studying Performance in Seville in Spain.

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A Day in the Crescent

To wake up in the Crescent is to wake up to a new adventure every day. I’ve got a routine, but it has never felt like a monotone one. I’m surrounded by the same people but somehow my day is filled with new memories that I know I will cherish forever. I find myself referring to our house in the Crescent as our home, because I do feel like I am living with a family.

Two years ago, I was living alone in an apartment that I decorated the way I liked it, had the whole place for myself and I could do “whatever” I wanted, but it didn’t feel like home. Now I know why everybody says that “Home” is about family, not about a place. We are all friends in the house, we appreciate, respect, and love each other. This is also my first time sharing a space with people like this. But it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to share your food, share your different experiences in your country or talk about your day.

As if it wasn’t enough, I am extremely lucky to be a volunteer in a wonderful place with incredible people that I also consider family. I work as an actress and drama facilitator in Crooked House Theatre Company. I have the opportunity to perform in a play while I also gain new experiences in facilitating drama for young people. I’ve been and seen different teaching and facilitating techniques during my drama studying years, but in Crooked House they approach every situation and every workshop from absolute respect and kindness towards our participants and volunteers. I truly feel like my knowledge in facilitating (and in theatre) has broadened and I know that when I go back to Spain, I’ll have loads of more tools regarding theatre and acting.

Thanks to this experience, I feel like I’m slowly starting to know what being independent really is. I feel like now I’m able to build my future in a more confident and better way. Ireland is a country that has taught me about kindness, new mindsets, fun, responsibility and, in general, life. I come from Sevilla, a city in south Spain. Sevilla is also filled with kind people, warm smiles, and good hearts. However, I never expected to feel this warmth so soon in Newbridge. My almost two months here have been filled with incredible moments of laughter, love, and all sorts of emotions.

I feel privileged to be sharing these experiences with people I love, trust, and adore. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel scared or anxious about the future.

-Esperanza Berrocal