« Green Life » EVS project.
1. why did you choose to participate in an EVS project .
I was personaly motivated with the idea of spending one year abroad in a way you can integrate the local society. You’re not there as a student or as a turist, you took part in the society life as a volunteer by yours officials tasks but also by your participation in the social life.
I also was at a point of my life I needed to have practical experiences of working after many years of school and university.
2. why did you choose Romania.
I first choose a project, a mission that I was motivated for and that I thought I can be useful in. I found projects like this in different countries of Eastern Europe.
When I was accepted in Romania, I was glad because I had a very good image of this country with a rich nature, a big sense of the hospitality and an interesting culture.
3.how have you been selected by your sending organization.
I passed an interview in their office. We spoke about my motivations and my experiences of traveling. It was not really to evaluate me but more to know what kind of project can fit with my expectations and my profile. It was also to find a project that I will really enjoyed.
4. which preparatory activities you had done before departure.
I had a pre-departure training but I think today it doesnt exist anymore. This training gived you informations about administrative details (insurance, passport, contract, unemployed status), prepare you with the cultural shock and gived you opportunity to discuss with others evs volunteers.
5. fears and expectations at the beginning of the EVS stage.
I was afraid to feel very alone because I arrived in the middle of the winter when a lot of people prefer to stay at home. I was afraid to participate in a lot of small activities and not to have a long-term task in the project.
I expected to learn a lot about the work experience.
6. activities that you took part.
I went to the park Cozia to clean and to make some work to promote the park.
I also did some activities in school or after school about ecology with children.
I thought French to local people.
I took part in some punctual activities of my association.
7. training activities during the EVS stage.
You have an on-arrival and mid-term training. They help you to understand better your own experience and to share feelings with others volunteers from the country.
8. what did you learn from this EVS stage.
Not as much as I expected. For sure I learned Romanian and some computer skills or ecology knowledges but it was often superficial learning and not really deep learning. It was more about self development than about work experience or knowledges.
9. advices for potential EVS volunteers.
Dont accept to fast to take part in a project. You need to check if your main expectations are compatible with the work of the association. Discuss more with all the partners because spending one year abroad is not nothing. If you give all that time to a project, it is better to be sure that you will learn and get a part of what you came for.
10. advices for potential EVS volunteers in Romania.
Try to travel a lot and to learn the language as fast as possible. My best memories are certainly some discussions with the authentic local population. When you go in small villages and that you have time to share with the inhabitants, you begin to understant the Romanian spirit.
