Volunteering with ESC

The European solidarity corp (ESC) is a great opportunity for youngsters like me, after six months of being part of the ESC I can tell that this trip changed my life and my way of thinking. Indeed, I was able to go to Romania to spend six months helping children and doing a lot of activities with the association Eiva and my fellow volunteers.

Traveling to Romania during a Pandemic

Because of the pandemic disease which is currently occurring everywhere in the world, I thought it wouldn’t be possible to travel. I was wrong, I had the chance to go abroad for half a year and it was, I think, the best decision I made and I will forever remember this opportunity.

Moreover, I had the chance to work in a field that I didn’t know before, education. I worked in different associations during the time I was here in Romania and I had multiple chances to learn how to work with children. One of my most difficult tasks was to be able to make myself understandable even for kids whom I don’t speak the language.

How was the volunteering experience?

It was a beautiful and fulfilling experience to bring a smile on children who are living in the streets. I was exposed to a life I didn’t know anything about, and It was a bit hard to learn all of that but I was able to figure everything out so I didn’t have that many problems.

I was helped of course by my fellow volunteers from Spain, France, Reunion Island, and Romania. But as a volunteer, there is a big part of learning on an intercultural level, so in this way, we met other volunteers from Turkey, England, Germany, Georgia.

Network expansion and Interculturalism

I was able to meet a lot of different people from different countries, this part of interculturality is really important for me now. At first, I thought I knew all these things, once again, I was wrong.

To be able to meet so many people and to discover so many different cultures is a blessing, it improved my way of thinking. Now I am more able to understand the people and even my own culture has been improved by this trip.

How European Solidarity Corps makes the best opportunity?

Before coming here I didn’t know anything about Romania or its people, now, I can proudly say that I love this country, its landscapes, and its people. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the European Solidarity Corps and the help of my sending organization and my hosting organization.

In multiple ways this is a big and great opportunity, you have the chance to travel in almost any country of Europe and more, to be part of a fulfilling and useful project for the community. It’s a great thing to meet new people as, I think, every volunteer is prone to meet new people in a good way, everyone I met was happy to be here and doing what they did.

Furthermore, it can help you build an international network, in a professional way, it’s once again a great opportunity to do so. Even on a resume, a year abroad helping a community, learning a new language, and trying to be useful for others is a great thing as it can show your involvement in the activities that you’re doing.