The most enriching experience of my life

Buna (Hello),

My name is Tuna. I would like to share my 3 months experience in Cioragirla. The name of the project that I took part in is “Grow Up By Education”. I worked with students at a high school. It is 30 minutes drive from the city center. Erasmus allowed me to discover more about myself and I would love to say thank you to the people I have met and the places I have seen.

EVS can be both positive and negative experience but if you don’t take risk you’ll never know: just try, become a volunteer, but be aware that you should make the best of your experience: be curious, explore, speak with the local people, find interesting information about the place you’re living in.

You grow as individual facing simple daily situations like buying bread in the new language (Salut, Ce Faci, Cât costă?) to deeper misunderstandings and cultural differences. You might discover that not everybody has the same values and realize you are the one who has to stand up for yourself.

What did we do with the students?

Firstly we thought them some Turkish words, later we also played some educational games. Moreover, we studied the differences in our cultures. We tried to make it as interesting as possible using interactive tools. We thought them to introduce themselves and tell about their hobbies. Finally, we organized a cultural evening, during it they thought us about Romania! That was such a pleasant experience.

There’s one question people ask me all the time…

“Did you improve your English?” I’m not sure about the answer. My foreign friends said my English skills improved in Romania. When I came here I was only capable to form a few sentences in English. However, thanks to many conversations with different people, I can now discuss many issues and speak without fear.

Do an EVS! You will have a chance to meet a lot of local and foreign people. I met people from Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Latvia, FYROM Macedonia (trust me, I even made friends from South America and Asia). It’s a very enriching experience of cultural exchange and a good way to learn English. I discovered so many new things: traditions, foods… I advise all of my Turkish friends to do an EVS! Finally, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. Thank you IYACA TEAM.

Multumesc mult.(Thanks a lot)

La revedere.(Goodbye)

Ai grijă.(Take care)