This was one hell of a semester, I gotta say! The people I’ve met so far, the activities we’ve done, places travelled to etc. have all been so radical! And what better way to start the half-time break, than with a Nevo Parudimos official-employees/volunteers Christmas banquet?!

First of all, we had a “Secret Santa” program, meaning each of us had to buy somebody else a lil’ present. Mine was pretty awesome! I got a t-shirt on which it says “That’s what she said”. Well, “The Office” fans will know how to appreciate this. And I’m not saying we never have gatherings (au contraire), but it was nice seeing everyone in such a semi-formal setting, all dressed up and proper. We even had an award ceremony, consisting of five categories, which are as follows: The most creative volunteer, The heart of the party, The craziest volunteer, The most active volunteer, aaaand The funniest volunteer. The honor of the last fell upon my shoulders (sorry, Tizi 😛 ). After the dinner at the restaurant, we went to our local youth center and finished the party there. All in all, pretty decent.

Unfortunately, it was also a goodbye party for a flatmate of mine. I hope you’re doing well, Caro! 🙂

We got a new center for activities, a week or so after the teambuilding. It seemed like too much of a drag at first, because it’s situated at the far edge of town. Yet, feeling kinda bored going to the same schools/centers all the time, I said “What the hell” and went with the flow(or, well, bus…). I was soon to be pleasantly surprised.

So, the center in question is called “Primavara”, which means “Spring”. It is a facility for children with disabilities, and the volunteering program consisted of two shifts, morning and afternoon. In the morning, we would assist the teachers/specialists with whatever would be needed and simply watch and learn. The afternoon shift was more like the classic volunteering I’ve grown to know and love, but a bit more challenging. The looks on the faces of children when we would arrive was just priceless, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. They’d require some extra work, but all in all, they were really cooperative and genuinely happy to “hang out” with us. Not to mention, all the staff there are amazing, friendly and patient people. If I had to pick between the morning and the afternoon shift, I wouldn’t be able to. So I decided to do both.

All in all, I found my favorite activity.

At the end of October, since we got quite a few new volunteers, the NGO decided to take us to Coronini, a place facing the marvelous Danube river, to do a team building.

The activies themselves, wouldn’t you believe it, were in the same format as AOT and the youth exchange. And while they may had been useful for the newbies, the rest of us didn’t really learn anything. Although, outside the activities is where it was at, as they say. The volunteers and the employees alike, all hanging out together, exchanging stories and experiences. That’s what brought us all closer together. So, in that sense, the team building was a huge success!
After the nice weekend, the activities continued as normal, with a dash more of teamwork and creativity.

After the OAT, I did not have a lot of time to rest. In fact, two weeks later, I went to a youth exchange with three friends (an ex volunteer, a current volunteer and an ex employee of my hosting org), and it was a blast!
It took place in a camp called “Marabu” in Milcoveni, a village very close to the Serbian border. In total, we were 35 participants from different countries (Romania, Germany, Greece, Macedonia). The title of the youth exchange was “Tolerance brings harmony” and the format was exactly like the OAT I wrote about in my last post. Only here, we were in the countryside, out in the open, with tons of fresh air. Also, those of us from Resita also played a role as the facilitator’s helpers as opposed to regular participants, although I didn’t really feel the difference tbh. Other than staying in the village, we had two trips. One to a town of Oravita, which was essentially a walkfest, where we had to listen to the Romanian group leader complaining about how the weather is hot, he is feeling thirsty and sweaty, and does not want to walk anymore. Although, our second trip was way more amazing. We went to Timisoara, where we had a lecture about the Roma history in Romania. Afterwards we had lunch at the local beer factory (Timisoareana for the win!) after which we got to roam freely, so we did. The city was beautiful, with three awesome squares, right next to each other. Although, the nights at the village were the best part. Again, I had made some excellent friends, even more so than during OAT.

Ladies and gentlemen, do a youth exchange while you’re still young. You won’t regret it!

It’s been two months of my volunteering contract, so I had to go to Bucuresti, Romania’s capital, in order to do an “On Arrival Training” course with other volunteers from all over Romania.

We were stationed at a Beatles-themed hotel dubbed “Yesterday” and each of us (15 people in total) had their own room! The program was quite nice, although taxing at times. Breakfast is from 8 till 10, when the activities start. Each one would last an hour and a half, followed up by a half hour break. Lunch time was from 13 till 15, after which the activities would resume till 18, followed up by dinner at 19. After that, we’d get to roam free. The activities were mostly team building-styled, and it was amazing how the trainers managed to make a group of 15 random strangers into actual friends in only five days. Other than the team buildings, activities included learning about Romanian, as well as our respective cultures, finding out more about our rights and responsibilities as volunteers, and “punishments” for those of us who would be late to an activity. Since we had the nights free, we were able to see the Bucuresti center, which was decent, I guess. But most of the fun would happen in the hotel rooms, where we chilled with some not so soft drinks.

All in all, it was great. I learned more about teamwork, made some really nice friends and got even more enthusiastic about my project in Resita.

After one month of volunteering, I have to say I’d grown accustomed to the town, its residents, as well as my fellow volunteers. Our volunteering activities take place mostly at schools, but since it is the summer break, we are deduced to going mostly to youth centers, which have summer programs.

One school that actually has activities to be done during this time, is the one in the so called “ghetto” of the town, known as Mociur. The kids there are awfully energetic and won’t listen even to actual authority, let alone a group of volunteers. Along with the fact that we are not Romanian speakers, things get a bit complicated at times. Although, it’s really fulfilling, and while they may be lively, the kids there are not bad. I mean, there is no such thing as a bad kid, they’re all innocent. Other than Mociur, I’ve been to a kindergarten a few times (way more energy-consuming, actually!!!!) and to a youth center called “ABC”. The kindergarteners are thrice as energetic and Mociur kids, so before we do any actual activity, we tire them out with a wide array of energizers. Works well! Now, the ABC is a whole different story. The kids there are calm and more willing to participate, and we get assistance from the teachers as well. I’d call it the “easiest” activity at this point. All in all, each of the three places is fulfilling, as well as enjoyable. Aside from the activities, we still go to “Racing Cafe” weekly, as well as make apartment parties. We’ve also gone to one of the local lakes once or twice.

Honestly, the past month’s been lots of fun! Can’t wait to see what’s in store next!

Hello everyone! My name is Denis and I am a volunteer at Nevo Parudimos, Resita city, Romania. It’s been a month since I got here, so it’s about time I did a post. Well, where to start… upon coming here, I was greeted by my flatmates, my coordinator, and another worker from Nevo. The first impression I got completely stuck with me. Everybody was really friendly and welcoming, something that did not change at all during this month. Accomodation-wise, things are pretty chill. I share a flat with 4 other volunteers, with all the utilitiesn paid. All we need to provide for ourselves is food, of course, and the weekly food money more than makes up for it. Now to the meat of the subject, the activities. Unfortunately, as I got here during the summer, half of the places where the activities take place are closed due to the summer break. So far, I’ve been to the local kindergarten, Mociur(a school where a kind of summer classes are being held) and the local orphanage. It was a bit tricky at first, since I don’t speak Romanian (YET!), but I’ve quickly gotten the hang of it and now I do the activities with gusto. More on that in my next post, so stay tuned!
Next off, let’s talk about free time… For a small town, Resita has a decent amount of content to offer, I’d say. Also, lucky for me, there was a rock festival called “Custom” going on here the first week I came and we got the chance to volunteer there and see the concert for free. It was loads of fun. Festival aside, there is this nice little bar you can go to, which plays nice music. It’s called “Racing” and the beers there are only 1.27 euro, so I definitely recommend it! If you’re more of a type to enjoy the outdoors, Resita is definitely the place for you. Surrounded by forest and hills, not to mention 5 lakes in the vicinity, which are a perfect way to cool off during summer. Anyway, long story short, I’m loving it here so far and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Till my next, more elaborate post, bye! Or as they say here in Romania, pa!

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