This spring is unprecedented… I can say that spring seems a little strange to me. In the spring, the flowers bloomed. With the wind touching your skin, hope spreads throughout your body. It did not feel that way this time. It came to me was like an endless storm that took everything. I felt as if everything inside of me was being thrown somewhere. What I knew flew into the wind. Lost. I tried to put everything I knew together to not lose, without even understanding what was lost at first. Of course, I did not get any results. I found myself silly. I am tired.
Then I decided to take a step back and do what I thought I did best. To observe what is happening around me… I let myself go on the roads I belong to and saw that spring was dragging everyone, not just me, to other places. This spring is unprecedented. It is like a blow to our dreams, tired of fighting like the spring is falling. It seems to distance us from everything, most importantly, from ourselves. Of course, while doing this, it does not neglect to use this potential of those of us who forget themselves while trying to be unique in our similarities.
After realizing this, I did what I had to do to understand the reason and surrender myself to nature. The nature that comes alive in the spring witnesses a different miracle, the miracle of birth and creation in the spring… At that moment, I felt like being reborn and realized that this spring, this time chose to show its face differently.
Nature, which has always welcomed us with unconditional flowers, made us a condition this time. This was our first bloom. In fact, the spring, which I thought had blown our hopes like a storm with its arrival, did not create these storms. We created them and let the beautiful energy within us go. It is our job to blame the spring. After all, this spring is unprecedented. This spring actually reflected what we are inside of us. To understand this, it was not necessary to look but to feel, to live.
Spring is like a field. Whatever you sow, you reap…
Hello, I am Burak and the purpose of my writing is to share my reason for applying to the ESC project and my journey with FITT with people who want to be participants in international projects. I hope you can find a way out of your difficulties after this article and you will never lose your hope.
Everyone has or will have some goals to achieve in life. We make many plans for these. We choose our circle of friends in line with our goals. Sometimes we dedicate ourselves to being a part of the society we are in and try to achieve our goals in this way. Other times we try to achieve this by trying to be different from our environment. Whichever path you choose, you can be successful, but we don’t proceed according to our own personality. If we choose to pretend to be someone different from who we are, then we lose. I lost a lot. Even when I thought I was winning, I was not aware of actually losing. Because I didn’t act like myself.
Searching for My Path
Like everyone else, I wanted to get a job after graduating from university. I applied to many places, but in the meantime, I had a lot of difficulties that made me listen to myself. While I was struggling with the problems I couldn’t get through for about 2-3 months, I was able to listen to what I actually wanted. I immediately realized how much I wanted to carry out projects in the international arena rather than a business life, and I was holding this in the deepest of my desires.
I think now that we should do the things we have desired to do, even though we have other goals, while we still can. Before it is too late. Therefore, I stopped looking for a job and, during this pandemic, I courageously started looking for international projects. I came across a 1-year project that the European Solidarity Program is funding in Romania. I already had a volunteering experience in Romania, but I preferred a different organization this time.
After examining the project in detail, I thought it would be a suitable project for me and I have done my application and filled out the form. Then, without wasting any time, the association named FITT sent me an email stating that they had received my application and wanted to interview me. I have never expected such a fast reply. I was actually surprised. After we decided on the interview day, I made my preparation. Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be accepted because I was so stressed at the interview. Generally, when someone says “interview”, I become nervous.
About 2 weeks later, I received an email saying that I was accepted in the project and all processes (visa application, information, etc.) were carried out with great care and speed. I have always seen myself as loyal to my job and following the deadline. It really surprised me that others showed the same care and attention to me. During my visa application, the embassy asked for different documents besides the required documents. They were not with me as I did not know about them, but FITT, with great professionalism and swiftness in providing the missing documents, prepared it and sent it to me. I felt like we were playing music with FITT’s staff in a big opera. Because no matter what job you do in your life, you cannot expect everyone to give the value you give to your business. However, FITT embraced my job as its own job and answered every question I had in mind.
Starting a Long-Term Experience in Romania
About 10-15 days later I received my visa and plane ticket. I was so excited. It was the first time I was going to have a 1-year project and I was going to live in a different country for a year. Moreover, in these pandemic conditions, while everyone’s life had changed radically, I decided to go on such a project. There was fear inside, but I had already made my decision.
I had a tiring journey and you cannot feel comfortable wearing masks for hours. It was almost night when I got off the plane, but I knew there would be someone to greet me. So it happened. We passed from the airport to the hotel. I stayed at the hotel for a while. Everything was pre-arranged for me. I didn’t need to ask anything, they did everything too much. They provided a schedule every week. Within the scope of these programs, they provided all kinds of information about the project and basic needs. We have completed the legal processes and implemented a work program that suits me together.
In addition to what I can contribute to the project, I have never worked with an association that is so interested in my own personal development.
I’m excited for the following months and I’m looking forward to beautiful and unique experiences with FITT. 🙂 🙂 🙂
There were a lot of workshops this week. I will show you some of them. The first one was how to take photo by smart phones. It was quite interesting for me because I am not talented about taking photos. Now, I know how to use my smart phone’s options at basic level. It changed the quality of my photos already ! 😀
We had ” FITT Art Up ” event for two days. We became a place of expression in urban space through tightrope walking workshops, creative juggling workshops, painting workshops, theatre and led shows. Thanks to everyone who helped us to create that place of fun.
Also, we had a ceramic class which is so great to see. Dali was responsible from that event who has master degree for ceramics and our colleague. We are lucky to have that kind of friends all around us. As you can imagine, it’s always good to try something new. We can’t wait to see the next event.
This week started too fast. First of all, we have created some brochures and posters. Then, we placed them to the neighbourhoods which is close to our youth centres. As you know we wanted to introduce the events to the city. Now it begins !
It continious from 13 November to 30 November. 10 different group of people from all around Romania will perform in Timisoara. A series of 10 invited performances through which we want to support the mass of young people in culture, to participate in social inclusion and to participate in the construction of a cultural identity of Timisoara with projects organized for young people.
Also, FITT Timisoara has created the newest indoor music festival in Timișoara to promote rock music artists, diversify cultural events in the city and encourage the public to participate in such events.
If you visit the city you shouldn’t miss that event for sure ! If you want more details please visit the link : https://www.facebook.com/events/412293346131378/
The best new for this week. FITT won an award in Romania ! As you know, I mentioned before about “Youth Centers Up” Project. That Project won the best volunteering project in Romania. This felt me really good. Because when I checked the project. I saw that 125 people around the world that they were working so hard together. They created something from zero. Now, this effort took an award. Congrats ladies and gentlemens who worked for this project. I wish for you the best.
The Best Volunteering Project In Romania – Youth Centers Up
Ozlem who is my colleague from FITT. She is responsible from taking photos of FITT events. By the way, also she is from Turkey. For this weekend, she made a plan about Belgrade. Because Serbia is so close to Timisoara so she wanted to see Belgrade for two days. I couldn’t join her because of my foot. We need to organise new trip to Belgrade ! Photos were looking awesome !
This week, I have found a group of people who organises soccer games every week so I wanted to join them. Game was quite good but at the end of game, my foot was not. However, I’ve met with amazing people. I guess we will countinue to play cause bets are opened. We can’t Stop now ! 😀
There are some moments which is incomparable in our lives. I think EVS experience must be one of them. This is my second time in Erasmus+ programme in Romania.The first one was different from EVS.It was Erasmus+ student exchange programme. Now, I came as a volunteer with EVS programme as you know.Because of the great time that I have spent here so I am here again.
First off all, I wanted to thank Nadia and Marco who is part of FITT organization. Because they took care of everything about me from the airport to the place where I will stay. Not only them but also every people around us, asking what do we need and this makes you more relaxed for sure.
After accommodation and the other preparations, we organized a sightseeing in FITT building. I am telling sightseeing because our organizations building is very huge. Timisoara Youth House has accommodation facilities, training and sports rooms, also with a 400 seats spectacle and cinema hall, ballet rooms, music rooms extc so our conditions are great here.
After that, we have visited 5 Youth Centers which is created by other volunteers before I came here. We have cleaned and prepared for the next events. Also, We collected recycled materials and organized the building.
At the weekend, we had a 3D printing events with kids at Sagului Youth Center. I wasn’t participant. I was not taking part as a participant but instead helping around with what was needed. The topic was „Discover how the 3D Printer works and how to do little repairs with it”.
Our last week passed by us so quickly we did not even realize. Day by day the center became more colorful and more joyful. The great atmosphere that we made by dancing, singing, working, communicating and smiling filled the room. We were tired in the last day of work but we encouraged each other so we can finish happy the center. The opening day approached us so fast, we were not ready to say goodbye to each other and go home.
At the opening we had a raffle, a lovely girl that came to sing for us, and lots of food, drinks and games for the people from the neighborhood that joined us. The KAMATE team aka purple team is now spread in all different countries, but we are still talking and helping each other.
We were a great team and with this diversity we had made this team so cool. We converted any fight to a material for memes and we all have an amazing feedback of these few weeks spend as a little family.
The final week came. We had a long journey together. It was full of unforgettable moments, joy, fun and at the same time, many hardships, and a lot of time spent working. But in the end it didn’t matter. Nothing could compare the happiness we felt when we saw all that kids playing in the center, the young people using it and starting to make a karaoke moment in the day of the opening and all the locals leaving in peace after all the challenges we had in the beginning of the project. I can’t put into words what I felt. I couldn’t decide if I’m sad because we already finished and the time flew by me, or be happy of what we’ve achieved together.
But this wasn’t the hardest moment of the week. The hardest part of the project was when we finally had to say goodbye to each other. It was strange. I don’t know if I will ever see them again or if they will visit Romania after this project but in that moment I just wanted to stay a day more and talk more and enjoy more time together.
Anyway, they are already home, staying with their families. Talking to them about this experience. Showing their friends photos of their stay in Romania. The old and cozy life is back again, but a little bit different. We all learned something about people and ourselves, about solidarity and we will remember those moments and will use all that we have learned to make a better world, to teach people new things and to make a better future for everybody.
This week began with a conference about what is happening in this project and a lot of nice people came to speak and to see what the first wave teams did. At the end it was a cool concert too.
This week was the first one we started to work in the center. We started to clean the space and the walls. Today we are gonna have a concrete floor too. At some point we had problems with some materials because we didn’t know how to use it. Mihai (president of FITT) came with some people to show us. We are really sorry for Mihai because we throw some dust on his clothes but we hope he managed to clean them. Ayman left too. Every week someone is leaving because of problems and we just hope that we will manage to finish our work. The saddest part is that Ayman couldn’t come to the goodbye party which was really nice and everybody had fun. I need to say something about the opening events from the other teams. Everybody was surprised and amazed for what they did. They made some really nice spaces and gave us so much hope. I appreciate what they did and I think everyone will miss them a bit. On Monday we will move in the hotel from the 3rd floor of the youth house which is closer to our center and it’s really nice. That’s all I can say about this week. A really hard and beautiful time with our team and the other teams too.
Week 3 started real good on Tuesday, we had planned a meeting to discuss the things we need at the youth center. First, we managed to bring some furniture from the donators to the youth house and after that we started polishing and painting the chairs and the closets. Together we’ve made some nice-looking furniture. One of the guys had this nice idea to paint on a black table a chess game. We finished our work pretty quickly, so the next days looked more easier. But oh, we were wrong.
Finally we found out what hard work is expecting us inside the youth center. We managed to get almost all the paint down from the walls and clean a bit the inside. As on the outside, we got down some graffiti and some cement from the white walls and cut the bad grass with our hands. After a bit of time, some children came to us and said that they will collect money to buys us the necessary materials to remake the youth center. Close to the weekend, the children came again with their mother to bring us joy and muffins made by them.
This week passed by us really fast and we ended it with happiness at the goodbye party where we exchanged gifts and spend some time with the others volunteers.
