Biljana and Sara from Kumanovo had the opportunity to be part of the volunteer team for the project “Solidarity in Community,” which took place in Izvoarele, Romania, and lasted for a month. Below, we share their impressions:
We were accommodated in a beautiful wooden house in a mountainous area. We shared the house with sixteen volunteers from different countries. For us, this was a true adjustment to a rural environment and sharing space with so many young people in the same living space. Although it was a bit challenging at the beginning, everything turned out great. We adapted to each other, and they adapted to us. We became a team that supported each other. At that moment, we knew that the challenge and fear were behind us, and that we all came there with the same goal—to be a team and have a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Besides maintaining the house together, we cooked dinner, shared food, and spent the days together—our duties were even divided among us as team projects. From cutting wood to planning projects for young people… we worked, planned, and executed together. Part of the tasks were also outdoors in the gardens, clearing the soil from shrubs, cutting unnecessary branches, and cleaning the waste. At times, although it seemed difficult and a bit exhausting, working in a team gave us extra energy, so most of the time was fun and interesting. Cutting firewood was also a challenge for us, which we overcame, and we can proudly say that we are ready for the heating season. Some of us were also involved in other winter-related tasks, like preparing pickles, cabbage, marmalade, and quince compote, which we had previously harvested, as well as gathering walnuts and hazelnuts…
In addition to the physical work in nature and preparing for the coming winter, we had interesting events and projects. One event we would highlight is the intercultural event, which we organized ourselves, and we presented our country in an interactive way through quizzes and tasks. We, from Macedonia, had the honor of teaching the others and then leading several Macedonian dances. Each guest had their own few-minute session. It was truly fulfilling to see that our dances were quickly learned and enjoyed. We started with a slow rhythm, and once we saw that the steps were memorized, we gradually sped up to make it even more fun. An interesting project we had a lot of fun with was recording a live radio show. We talked about our overall volunteer experiences, the challenges we faced, fears, and expectations, as well as the fact that the first steps are always the most important in such experiences. We were also involved in a project to film a documentary about an ordinary day in the life of a teenager living in a rural environment. We are still working on the arrangement and editing of the videos. In this activity, we also learned new things, such as how a Romanian family lives, their habits, customs, and culture, which we found to be similar to ours… We also learned about Romanian culture through Romanian language lessons, which we had two to three times a week. But even the fact that we lived in a rural area was beneficial to us. It was enough to take a small walk around or go to the nearest shop, and we had already discovered something new. The village we stayed in, unlike our villages, was more developed, like a small town with schools, churches, organized streets, and recycling machines. However, despite that, there were beautiful natural areas with views of landscapes, birds, and various kinds of domestic and wild animals. The air, above all, was fresh, and as a result, we had more energy and enthusiasm to walk more and explore around in our free time. We used our free days to visit other places and cities, such as Brașov, Bucharest, Ploiești, Dracula’s Castle, and the salt mine.
All in all, Romania is a beautiful country with stunning nature and warm, hospitable people. So, with many new things learned, new friendships made, and unforgettable adventures and moments, we returned home carrying this experience with us as another big step towards realizing our future goals.
Biljana Tasevska
Hosting organization: Curba de Cultură
