Month: April 2022

I find it incredible that a year has passed since I decided to come to Timisoara to do a European volunteering project. After a year of feeling lost and unmotivated, this experience came at the perfect time to give me back the desire and enthusiasm to do different things.

During this year, I have done more things than I can remember, and I have learned in so many aspects, that I still need time to process it. From construction and DIY, through marketing and social networks, to community engagement and facilitating activities for young people…

But it has also been a process of learning and personal discovery that has given me a lot. Living with 15 people in the same space has made me realize how important respect, patience, and empathy are. The multicultural environment in which we have moved here has made us more tolerant and aware of our weaknesses and strengths. We have experienced what solidarity is and we have learned a lot from each other. Despite some moments of chaos or small conflicts, there have been good vibes at Casa Tineretului all the time.

What, without a doubt, has made this experience something special and unrepeatable has been the people. Friends (who are already family), coordinators, youth workers, colleagues, locals… people who have inspired me and given me their time and love selflessly, and with whom I have shared everything. People who have made me feel at home from the first minute, and who have shown me that the bonds you create in experiences like these are much stronger than you can imagine at the beginning. They have made this something more than volunteering.

It is indisputable that what volunteering brings you goes far beyond the mere work you do in the host organization. But it is not only the project itself that makes this experience something remarkable that you will remember all your life. It’s all the extra hours you spend with colleagues, the talks that make you be more open-minded to new realities and points of view, teamwork, commitment, and dedication to a project that can have a very positive impact on the community… and, of course, all those fun moments you spend with your people.

Despite fatigue, improvisation or doubts, all this has been very worthwhile, and as much as I try to explain what all of this has meant for me, few people can understand it.

I have shared so many things, enjoyed everything so much, and received so many from others and from this experience… it excites me to know that I have been part of something so great that it has inspired, motivated, or encouraged other young people.

This will be with me forever and I hope to remember with pride that together with FITT and YCUP2, a group of international volunteers made magic.

I am back home exhausted but happy, grateful for the opportunity, proud of everything we achieved and looking forward to being back in Timisoara soon and seeing my dear adventure partners again.

In the past few days, I have had a much better opportunity to settle into the daily routine of working here and to get used to the usual rhythm of life as a volunteer at FITT.

During the week, I was able to get to know more of FITT’s youth centres and help out with various renovations and improvements. We scraped and repainted walls, renovated a bathroom and renewed the roofs.

In addition to the work in the youth centres, we also helped with the construction and extension of a transit centre for refugees from Ukraine, which is now located in the basement of the youth centre. For the facility, we brought in beds and put them in partitioned areas. We also set up areas for eating and a small dining area for children, and cleaned the entire accommodation and put it in good condition.

Besides the work, we also had the opportunity to get to know two countries through organised cultural evenings. While the Spanish volunteers prepared a delicious buffet for us, we learned about traditional dances and were allowed to taste some local food at the Romanian evening.

I also went on excursions with other volunteers over the past two weekends to get to know Romania and the area better. We spent one weekend in Budapest, where we spent our time seeing the city, eating well and relaxing in the thermal baths. The other weekend we rented two cars and went on a short road trip to get to know Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Sibiu and the regions around Timisoara better.

There are always certain things in life that one would like to do, but that is not the right time for it on one side or another. I had always wanted to live a long period out of Spain (I have had other experiences abroad, but only for a few months).

After one of the strangest years of my life, I decided to go for a whole year to Romania. Yes, Romania. What I didn’t know at that time was that this country was going to welcome me with open arms and teach me so many things.

I arrived with zero expectations about the work I would do, the people I would live and work with, and the city in general. And there you are! From the first minute, I felt like it would be one of the best experiences and I would not regret the decision made.

If I had to define my volunteering year in one word, I would say intensity—intensity in every way. I enjoyed it, cried, had bad moments, was very excited, lost desire, and laughed (a lot).

There’s been something new to do every day, and I love that. I have got skills that I thought I would not have in my life, and I have done many things for the first time (the magic of first times). It is a frantic experience. There have been days of hard work that made me think about what was I doing there. (Yes, I have had a few moments to think about myself and my future -only sometimes 😉) and, in the end, it always wins the bright side of things, and in this case, there have been plenty of them.

Talking to a friend the other day, she said: are you aware of how many people you’ve met this year? It gets to the point where you get used to meeting new people every week/month and don’t realise the reality. And what a great people! One of the best things I have taken away from this experience is people.

It has been challenging to live with many people in the same apartment (we have been up to 16). Each one of different countries and with its ways of living. It is stunning thinking about people you probably would not know in other circumstances, who now live and work with you, and they are essential in your life (and how great to have houses around the world 😉).

The bonds created by being part of a European volunteering project, and in this case, being part of FITT, are so strong that few people understand what it feels like, and it’s hard to explain if you don’t live it.

When it is all over, you wonder if it has been worth it and, if you have left your mark on the project and others the same way they have left it on you. And in my case, I can’t be prouder of what we have created together all this time.

My time as a short-term volunteer at FITT in Timisoara is coming to an end. Soon I will board the plane and say goodbye to Romania. But now it’s time to reflect on the days that have recently passed.

The last week served both to finish some remaining youth centres and to prepare for the work on the local senior centre, which will also be used by the youth in the future.

In a first meeting with the seniors in their centre, we were welcomed very hospitably and were allowed to get to know the organisation and its activities through many stories and tales during a relaxed get-together. We spent the following days removing waste around the centre, repairing the roof and painting the outside wall with new colours. We also brought some outdoor furniture with us to enjoy time outside when the weather is nice.

Also, on my last weekend in this project, we went on a trip together to the surrounding area. In Lugoj, we met up with the other volunteers and had the opportunity to exchange stories and get to know each other better over a BBQ and campfire.

Now I have only three days left, which I hope to enjoy with the other volunteers. I hope that besides the completion of the senior centre and its opening ceremony, there will be enough time to say goodbye to my fellow volunteers. I am sure that we could make several strong bonds and that the contact (even if we all go back to our countries) will not be broken.