Adeline’ s Memories

Romania was always closer to my family. My uncle and my cousin come from Romania. That’s why I am here now. I am very lucky to be in this place and to continue getting closer to this country.

This month was very rich of first time experiences. I took the plane and left my country for the first time for 9 months. I was worried but excited in the same time. I was looking forward for this adventure and I knew that it will change me.

So the first days in Romania were very intensive. I met the team of the foundation and also 3 other volunteers. With Davide, Ivan and Tanya we’re sharing a house for these 9 months. I was very happy to meet them because we can exchange information about our cultures, our ways to cook, our points of view about different topics, etc…

The first weekend in Romania we were in a baptism party. I was very glad to see one of the Romanian traditions with the witches who say wishes to the children. It was so beautiful and emotional.

After that, we visited the 2 houses of the children and the 2 social apartments and we spent time with them to know better each other. We also visited the school and met the teachers. In these places we did games with the children which make them happy. I saw their smiles when we did the activities with them.

Thanks to Mary (a friend of my family who lives in Râmnicu Vâlcea), we visited really beautiful places like Călimănești, the thermal water center, and Transalpina. With the team of the foundation we visited the Village Museum, the churches and the library. We found places that we can spend time working there and taking a cup of tea in the town. We traveled also to Bucharest and Sibiu. These places make me feel closer to my country and peaceful.

The week in Bucharest was so amazing for me because the training was very interesting. And I’m very glad to meet the other volunteers and to exchange our experiences and our projects. I look forward to seeing them another time!

Like every experience there are bad days or bad feelings but every day is a new opportunity to learn more about the culture, my 3 room mates, the children in the foundation, etc… But the most important is that I will learn and know more about myself.