Halfway

      The last week, we worked in Creative center.

I like this center because we have a lot of material for working and the people enjoy with our activities. For example, the last day we made a dragon with colour paper and they are excited and happy with the activity and this is very rewarding because I feel that I am useful. 

      Another activity was to help painting two classes in a school and was funny but hard because the paint is not cleaned alone hahaha

      For other part, this week, for example, we are working in another center with little children and really I love this activity because I don’t need to know idioms for communicate whit them… is totally intuitive and funny and they love us.

      These two months and half have passed very quickly because I like my job and my life in Arad because teachers, children, mates, volunteers are very nice with me.

         

Sonia Domínguez López

My onarrival training and weekly reports

Between 22-28 May I participated in a course in Bucharest. We were in a luxury hotel and I was enjoying the beautiful apartment on the top floor. Training was addressed to volunteers about 30 persons from diverse countries across Europe, but also overseas countries such as Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Reunion. 

Through the traveling by train from Arad to Bucharest, I had good opportunity to met with other volunteers from other organizations based in Arad and also enjoyed beautiful landscape across Romania. Local rail traffic is not too good. The journey was about 12 hours, but I enjoyed it-views of the nature is amazing, like documentary film. Some tasks at onarrival course were pikants - for example: to finding 10 persons born in Bucharest and asking them what they like or dislike in life in the city, what is the sense of national humor, or what is insult to make funny of.. End of course wasnot easy for ew

eryone. We would like to stay there more time:).

Back in Arad-the most activity we were doing now in Tacovici center. People tere are very proactives. This week we planted together several summer plants to beautify the garden. The creative center continues with the teaching of English-and at the same time we learn Romanian language. Last time we learned part of the body. In addition, we try in both centers stimulate skills resident of painting and drawing. I like spend my free time discovering new places in town. Some places are strange-especially the periphery of cities, ruins, prisons..but it is also esence of local live.

Michael

First month working

     This week we started to work in a new center, Ghiocelul with children with disabilities. This center is really good for the children and there are people prepared to care and help this children. This is really good for us too, because we can learn how we have to be with the children to help them, but our principal job here is play with them and recive their love, they are amazing. Moreover, in this center we helped to keep a good garden, we are prepared for all!!!

     On the other hand, we continued go to the others centers like Tabacovici, where made animals with the flowers and the tree leaves, it’s a good way to see their imagination.

     We are glad to can help this people and we are lucky to have a project like this one. In the beginning we swere scared because we didn’t know if we are prepared for this, we didn’t know the language… but now we have realised that we can do many activities in the Creative center and Tabacovici as well. This is a wonderful experience because with a new day we know new things.

     For the next month we have to think about a lot of activities because this people are full of energy!! If you want know more about our experience in this EVS follow us on facebook, twitter or instagram.

Davinia

Our first activities

The week started with the European day. With this event we had the possibility to share the EVS, fortunately, in fact during the morning we made sure that the young people, between 16 and 30, haven’t heard about it. Now we hope that someone will seize this fantastic opportunity. Add to this, the European day was amazing! We tested a lot of traditional food and saw traditional dances, for being able to know better the different cultures in our Europe. 

In this week we also started to work. When the last month we visited the centers, we weren’t very happy because we have feared to not be ready for this experience. When the last Tuesday we finished to work, we were very satisfied. We passed the initial shock! This was a good lesson, never trust of first impression!

The best satisfaction arrived the second day of work in Tabaccovic and Creative centers. There we had the possibility to work with older people, so we had the chance to do more focused activities. Both of the guys and the social workers were really happy for our presence.

We are waiting with a lot of enthusiasm the new week!

If you are curious to know our week as well,  follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram. 

Luigi Tredicine

The first month of EVS in Arad

The main task of this first month of EVS was to defeat and get through the cultural shock. Living in a new and different country is always a challenge but, the cultural shock is not only about the country or the language (English or Romanian in our case), is also about living with people from other countries, with other habits, almost in the whole aspects of our lives. After one month I think that the best way to defeat the differences is thinking about our similarities, because, for sure we are coming from different countries and from different social and cultural backgrounds, but, at least, we are here together, basically in the same situation of fear and disorientation, but we are young and bold as well.

After one month is easy to see the improvements, in a lot of aspects, language or behaviour for example. It is easy, at the ending of the day to perceive another brick of your general knowledge, and nothing is better than this, nothing is better than improving yourself.

I saw the biggest improvements for me during the week of On-arrival. The aim of the On-arrival training is to sponsor the Erasmus plus and the country Romania, but it was so useful for linking volunteers from different cities as well. During the On-arrival we discovered a lot of things about the Country and the habits, and about our rights and duties during the EVS. We learned the right approach for our working and a lot of activities. For me the On-arrival was the first step for defeating the cultural shock, and for me It was a success.

After one month it could be really easy, not easy at all but easy. You could find the right people for you, the right situations and, last but not the least, the right state of mind for living the EVS at the best of your possibilities.

                                                                                                                                    Alessio Gorgoni