Texto: Carina Steinhauser | Photography: Pedro Machado
It’s already after 11 p.m., I’m standing on the doorstep of a room, arguing with a half-naked adult woman, wondering what the hell I’m doing here. By now, I should be sitting in an Uber with the other volunteers, on our way to a bar.
For the second time in a row, I have worked as a volunteer at a surf camp in Ericeira. Shortly after quitting my job last year, I was able to spend four months here and fell in love. Not with a man, that would never occur to me, but with the camp, Ericeira, and the life it offered.
the woman is lying in a bed she shouldn’t be lying in, with the duvet pulled up to her armpits
This year [editor’s note: 2025], I was able to take two and a half months off to visit my favorite place again. When I came back, everything was still there: the six-bed volunteer room where snoring and alarm clocks dictate the time of day, the big lizard named Gregory living under the outside fridge, and the cook who provides the camp with good food and words of wisdom.
Volunteers work five hours a day, six days a week, and in return receive accommodation, meals, and surfing equipment. Tasks range from preparing breakfast and cleaning bathrooms to mowing the lawn or organizing a beer pong tournament. It never gets boring. But even if you work at a vacation spot, everyday problems don’t stay at home.
The woman is lying in a bed she shouldn’t be lying in, with the duvet pulled up to her armpits. She’s annoying me, but I remain friendly. This room actually belongs to Ole, a guest who arrived just a few minutes ago. The woman decided to occupy his room because she liked it better than her old sleeping place. Sure, it’s more expensive and she didn’t pay for it. Even when the new guest joins our discussion, she refuses to change beds.
As a volunteer, you are always available to talk to guests, but this usually leads to good conversations and unexpected connections. If you need some peace and quiet, you have to leave the camp and choose from Ericeira’s endless possibilities. Walking along the cliffs to São Julião beach, paddling out into the Atlantic, or sitting in one of the small cafés in the town center, watching life pass over the cobblestones.
this place introduced me to a unique feeling that will always draw me back
In Ericeira everything is a little slower, a little cooler and more blue. Of course, it’s easy to romanticize life here as I don’t have to make a living with Portuguese salary or rent. But since I’m experiencing German winter at the moment, I would definitely appreciate more daylight and an ocean breeze.
Ole, already fully in vacation mode, eventually rescues me by offering to sleep in another bed for the night. With him tagging along, we finally head to the bar called Neptuno. We all order a drink, sit down at a round table, and start playing cards. It’s a good evening. We laugh, battle it out and spill a beer.
This memory sums up my time volunteering in Ericeira well. Dealing with chaotic situations together and having a beer afterwards. This place introduced me to an amazing community, new friends inside and outside the camp and a unique feeling that will always draw me back.
Esta publicação também está disponível em | This article is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
