"Little Paris"
"Little Paris"
School duties were over, and the biggest time-consumer and stress-generator gave us a moment to breathe. However, the desire for development slumbered in five young people, and they decided not to just relax over the summer. Their wandering shoes didn't stay at home for long, and with the flick of a plane ticket, they found themselves in Romania. Ugh, Romania? We also didn't know what to expect. Each of us had heard of Dracula, Transylvania, but few knew that Bucharest is called "Little Paris." Bucharest was the place where our wandering shoes headed immediately after touching Balkan soil after a two-hour flight. We spent one full day in Bucharest, as we flew to Romania a day earlier.
Our first impressions were mixed; Bucharest was full of contrasts – beautiful historic buildings, not to mention the majestic Parliament (the second largest administrative building in the world and the heaviest building in the world), alternated with poor-looking neighborhoods and sometimes chaotic operations. An irresistible combination of Balkan nature with a visible ingredient of the European Union. That's how we allowed ourselves to describe this city with a very specific, yet pleasant atmosphere that amused us more than once.
And here we go!
There was enough exploring for the first day, so off to rest and gather new strength for the next day, when we moved from Bucharest to the project, which took place in Targu Jiu. All participants met at the airport, from where we traveled together to this picturesque town. First impressions, conversations, jokes, and budding friendships. In this spirit, our journey to Targu Jiu passed through Romanian villages and beautiful Romanian nature. Sometimes we felt as if time had stopped. We arrived safely in Targu Jiu. We were accommodated in two guesthouses, which were about 5 minutes apart. Our Slovak group was accommodated together with Turks, Lithuanians, and Italians. In the second guesthouse were Serbs, Greeks, Georgians, and the other half of the Italian team. The accommodation was cozy at first glance, and even at second. The first day was free; everyone was tired from the journey but ready to meet new people. Already on the first day, we all met together and had conversations late into the evening.
New Skill for Self-Empowerment, this was the theme of our youth exchange. The exchange was organized by the Romanian organization Cecis. Each of us was curious about what activities the organizers had prepared for us. Some of the participants were also involved in planning activities, helping local volunteers who worked for the Cecis organization. These were mostly high school students who were incredibly helpful in everything we, as participants, needed. They spent every free moment with us and showed us places we probably wouldn't find on TripAdvisor. However, the activities sometimes had smaller, sometimes larger shortcomings. With every project, it depends on which organization organizes the exchange and how it approaches it. However, the disappointment with the activities was overshadowed by them, now our friends. In every negative thing, something positive can be found, and we found it. Sometimes it's enough to be grateful for small things, to notice the little things around you, and with a bit of positive thinking, despite minor disappointments, to enjoy it.
We won't forget! A week has passed since the exchange, and we are left with only beautiful memories thanks to the people who created a great atmosphere where everyone found their place. Just a casual conversation with someone who sees things differently than you forced you to think and be a little more tolerant, understanding, and patient. Sometimes it was enough just to listen, look around, and the diversity of people who met there was fascinating. Despite our cultures and language barriers, we had a lot of fun. We created many inside jokes that we still smirk about. A very interesting part was also the intercultural evenings, when we truly had fun and also learned a lot of things. We Slovaks prepared a short informal presentation of Slovakia, where we played a few funny videos, prepared competitions, and of course, our Slovak dances. The girls competed in egg blowing and the boys in dancing the odzemok. Of course, we also brought some Slovak cuisine and distilleries. The intercultural evenings awakened in many of us the desire to visit some of the countries, as hosts would surely be found. So hopefully, see you soon!
And I have nothing left but to thank for this kind experience and for the opportunity to meet such exceptional and good people.
Veronika Klesniaková