- 22 November 2016
- Posted by: Team for Youth Association
- Category: Volunteering Stories
An EVS project was something that I always wanted to do and thankfully now it’s happening. So, my adventure in Romania started on September 7th, since then a lot happened.
During the firsts weeks it was all about to get to know the city, the association, the others volunteers, the project, everything! Everything was new for me! But it was not so difficult to get used to it. It’s funny because now I don’t think that Portugal and Romania are so different. Of course there are the obvious differences, but in a way, I don’t feel that much that I’m not in my home.
I was very excited to start to work on my project, but at the same time I was nervous because I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Then, we (“we” because I’m not working alone) visited the schools and the kindergarten and we realized the type of activities we can do and I started to relax and to enjoy. We were very well received and all people were really nice to us (and still are!).
The kids really enjoy our presence and we love to go there. We are teaching something to them, but we are learning too. We try to do activities they like, so that they can learn in a non-formal way.
We also go to an association for kids with Down syndrome. In here, the activities are different, we help in their therapy. Sometimes isn’t easy, but we need and learned to have patience with them. Because they are learning new rules and new things too. And on top of that, these kids are pure love, they are so sweet with us.
But not everything is about work. When we return home, we relax and have fun with our friends, the others volunteers. They are an important part of this experience too. We can learn so much about different cultures. We can share things and relate with each other because we are all having the same experience. And, after this experience, we might have friends all over the world for the rest of our lives.
After two months in here I can say that I really like what I’m doing, is getting better than I expected. And I really like the people I’m sharing this experience with. And it’s so sad when we have to say goodbye to the volunteers that have to return home.
Ana Rita Coutinho (Portugal) is hosted in Baia Mare by Team for Youth Association, in the “Life Skills for Rural Education” project, a European Voluntary Service, financed by the European Commission, through the Erasmus Plus Program.
