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.