A few days ago, I looked at the calendar and found out with surprise that it's been 1.5 months since I came here. It is still early to summarize, though I may already draw some conclusions, add together thoughts in mind and feelings in heart and so get a look on entire image of things happening. Over the past period I had been changing my mood and desires for thousand times. I let go some of my fears and obtained another ones. It's like I have already lived here several lifetimes, though it the very beginning of my journey. I wander how many more lives I am about to live here?
Constant tiredness and feeling that body refuses to stand against overwhelming new life make it hard to estimate things properly. Anyway, there are moments amazingly bright in any state of mind. Craiova the city I already feel home, Christmas lights, old buildings, fabulous bakings on every street corner and a chance to see familiar faces, like I've lived here for decades. People I live and work with, who has become "my" people, flat where mint and camomile tea never ends, evening pies and gatherings. It's hard to belive that part of this folks will leave earlier than me. Seems that March will begin with tears.
Travelling in Romania, fairytale castles and, of course, New Year atmosphere in all public squares. Energy of children in school is like a hurricane, I feel a marathon runner after each lesson. Favourite details, places and moments begin to appear The life I had before EVS is still mine and real, but it feels as if frozen. I experience sadness about close people everything else is in stasis inside me. I believe the clock will turn on again when I am back there Right now I am somewhere between before and after. As if I have already woke up, but decided to end viewing the dream and closed my eyes again. And I love my dream. I am still afraid and I still can't easily express my thoughts in English, but I do want to enter the New Year with determination and warmness in the heart. And I sincerely want to say thank you to everyone here and everyone there, who believe in me.
23.12.2016
So much has happened in last few months, it is hard to remember the details. So I should start form the beginning. More specifically, from the end of last year 2016. In order not to stay in Craiova for New Year and to see some new places, me and my fellow volunteers went to Bulgaria. When our train crossed the Romania-Bulgaria border, I felt like being back home, all because signs around us were all in Cyrillic letters, turns out I missed my native alphabet. Four very eventful days in Bulgaria (Sofia, Plovdiv, mountains and new people) and the train bears us all the way to Serbia, where we were to celebrate our New Year. Belgrade took our breath away with its homely streets and hospitable people. But the weekend was finally over and we had to get back to Craiova.
We had a lot of work, new activities added up. And it takes time to get back to a working rhythm. But every new day with its new activities in school, handball club or Ancaar brings new knowledge and new experience with it. It takes longer to prepare now and this month seems more challenging to me than the previous one, but they work well-done, hugs from school-kids or drawings by autism children in Ancaar make me smile and have faith in my own powers. There is no time to fit in studying English or Romanian and that saddens me a lot. I hope I would be able to spend more time on it in future. Sometimes me and the other volunteers meet up to watch films in English, and it is hard, yet every understood phrase seems like a little victory. There is a ice rink still open at Craiova’s central square, and every time I pass by it, I think that next time I will definitely go there, but postpone it every time. I promise myself to do it in February.
We should not postpone anything in our lives, especially now when every day of your volunteering is worth months of your life outside EVS. I change, I discover more things and I hope that I become better. It’s a small live inside of a bigger one.
31.01.2017
I was finally able to skate. The last day when the ice rink was open. My friend from St. Petersburg came to see me, it was interesting to show for him my life in Craiova. But February, unlike the previous months, passed without travel. But we went to my favorite Brasov for training. Again a lot of new people, interesting coaches and nice places. I wondered what would be waiting for me after the project?
So far there is no answer to this question, but I think that I will not receive it at the end of June. All I can do is enjoy the time that I have here.
After the training, a friend from Russia came to visit me and we had a great time in Brasov and Bucharest. The weather was sunny and we walked a lot. Now all Craiova was covered with snow and all the parks look fabulous and magical. I thought that the winter in Romania is much warmer than the winter in Russia, but it turned out that there are also -20 degrees and snowdrifts here.
There are five people in the apartment live now (I, Lena, Marina, Burhan and Isabella). Burhan from Turkey, and Isabella from Italy. We hang papers on our refrigerator with phrases and words from Turkish, Russian, Italian and Romanian. It is very healthy to feel unity with people of different nationalities.
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28.02.2017
On March 1, the Romanians have a holiday Mărţişor. People give each other bracelets with red and white threads. So they celebrate the onset of spring and the departure of cold weather. When I came to school to attend classes, children gave me many such bracelets. It was very cute. Lessons at school are one of my favorite moments in my work here. Children always greet us with joyful embraces.
I again had guests. My mother and sister came to Romania. We rented a car and visited several cities: Craiova, Brasov, Constanta, Bucharest. It was an amazing trip, it was especially nice to see the sea in Constanta.
March was a sad month here, because Now it is time, when there are fewer volunteers, almost every day someone leaves to home, the projects are over and one must learn to say goodbye. I'm here until the summer, but it's so strange to feel that people who have been around for four months will soon be gone from my life and it's not known when and which way will lead us to each other again.
The whole of March we practiced and taught the dance for Autism Day, on the first of April we performed with dancing on the square. I have never participated in flashmobs and never danced on the square before. It was awesome!
02.04.2017
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In April we decided that it was time to travel and went from the already native Craiova in search of a new beuatuful place. Our way lay through three countries: Belgium, Holland, France. There was very little time everywhere. But now, it seems, I can add a few "made" points to my life. :
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* Try real Dutch food
* Hitchhiking, train, bus, plane, tram
* View on Amsterdam from the terrace of the public library
* Ate salted cucumbers in Montmartre
* Walk to the extreme point of Amsterdam
* See a fairytale forest full of bells under Brussels
* to be in a beautiful little Belgian city
* Never be late for transportation (although the chance was great)
* Almost not sleep
* See Paris in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night and all for one walk
* Try this homemade Belgian beer
* Positive and negative CouchSurfing experience
* Drink wine on the roof with a view of Paris and the luminous Eiffel Tower
* Try Belgian waffles
* Wash laundry in the street
* Visit the Van Gogh Museum and see the real canvases
* To go on excursions on a city and to learn surprising details
* Recognize the smell of "weed" on every corner in Amsterdam
* Coffee. Anytime and anywhere. Otherwise, do not survive.
* To freeze, warm your hands on the thermos with tea and freeze again.
* Finally read again on the trip and feel that you are following the route of Vincent Van Gogh, from town to town
* Listen to a piece of sermon in the Catholic Church
* Breathe, see, recognize and be grateful for every new moment
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28.04.2017
My last month of volunteering turned out to be very full of travels and events. We held a "global village" where volunteers represented each of their own country. It was interesting to show Russia, dance folk dances with people, as well as learn something new about other countries.
We had the last lesson at school, it was very sad, but I felt like a real teacher because the children gave us many flowers.
And then the journey began, every free weekend we went somewhere. Once we went to the town of Severin not far from Craiova, we finally saw the Danube River and even bathed in it. We also saw a monument to King Decembala carved into a rock on the border with Serbia, a very epic sight.
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Then we set off in a difficult way by hitchhiking through Bulgaria to Macedonia. Heat, roads, cars and here we are in Ohrid. I fell in love with this city and the lake from the first minute. An amazing feeling of oneness with nature. We also visited the capital of Macedonia-Skopje. I have never seen anywhere such a larg of huge statues as in Skopje.
But it was not the last trip, I finally made a Schengen visa and was able to go to Spain and Italy. I visited Barcelona, ​​but unfortunately only for one day, then flew to Turin where our volunteers live from another project, it was great to see them again. After I went to Milan to my friend, this is not the first time I've been to Milan, but for the first time I was in such a hot weather, we walked a lot, ate ice cream and I learned a lot about the history of Italy.
Back in Romania, I try to enjoy the last days on the project, finish all the cases and decide how to live after. But the answer to me never came. I know for sure that EVS has changed me, I have become more open to the new, have learned cultural features, improved my English and the main thing I felt I really live!
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28.06.2017
My journey has begun in Moscow. I saw the EVS position on the website "Sphera" and I had just a few hours to send a motivation letter but I managed to do it.
And then I passed the interview and after long days waiting for my visa approving I'm here in Romania, in a very nice small town Craiova.
Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself.
I was born in Russia, in Ryazan and studied as a director at the Theatre Academy in St. Petersburg and worked at the TV studio in Moscow.
I always wanted to be a volunteer in an international program, but I thought that my English is not good enough for the EVS.
But the EVS has given me a chance!
I have already met wonderful people from Russia, Italy, Georgia, and of course from Romania.
We are still waiting for the people from Turkey to join to our project.
Our organisation has been very helpful and aided us whenever we required assitance.
Our coordinator Luiza explains everything to us and really helps.
Yesterday coordinators also gave us a city quest, we saw a lot of beautiful places in Craiova. It was very fun and active, I immediately remembered my trips to the camps when I was a child.
I think I’m in an amazing place!
My acquaintance with the EVS, the city and people here just begins ...
I’m looking forward to start the work with children.
This very excited and interesting week is coming to the end, but I am really glad that EVS is continued..
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29.11.2016
In addition to traveling through Western Europe in April, we had an event "Children's Day", the event was organized by Turkish volunteers from another organization, but we helped. It was great to change into a clown, play with children and paint their faces with colors.
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In May the whole month I was busy with activities, a school, children with autism and language cafes. We held a regular language cafe in which we showed the old Russian film "Ivan Vasilievich is changing his profession." I hope that the foreigners liked this comedy and they learned something new for themselves.
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In the first days of May we hitchhiked to the sea for a music festival, but it was very cold and we were all tired, so the impressions were not the best.
Also we again prepared for the event for children on the first of June. I again dressed up as a character Pippi Long Stocking, despite the heat, which had already begun in Craiova, it was an excellent event.
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02.06.2017
