What does it mean to feel European Volunteer? For me, it will be moments, like counting days to meet these amazing people and share our experiences. Time is passing by quickly, I can remember the moment we just came to the Czech Republic, started our work and met on on-arrival training at the beginning of our ESC project. It’s more than halfway of volunteering. We got used to living in a foreign country. We made friends, started own projects have feelings and thoughts about our presence here. I am writing this article in plural because its us. The volunteers, people who drastically change their life and moved to different country, culture, language, society, surrounding to make a difference. There are many motives and amazing histories of each individual person. 

That’s why training like midterm is crucial as a part of our long term education. We summarize our experiences, share them, but the cultural mirror is present. We observe and comment surrounding to understand and know ourselves. I am more conscious now how Europe which consists of so many different nationalities with own unique histories, is actually one Union. Each person has own beliefs, dreams, past, future, and own opinion. It is our duty to respect each other and share our opinions, because we all educate, work and progress for reaching our personal goals which are parallel to people around us. It is not about racing to get something. It is about equality, sustainability, cooperation and understanding to build a balanced and bright future. 

It is not ideological believes which can turn into utopia. These thoughts come as a highlight of the midterm training which was ideal for individuals to share common views and respect each other’s thoughts. I really enjoyed the open space and open platform of the midterm. The environment is also important. It is crucial to choose the proper space for training, especially small towns, villages, which can help to focus on nature and each other. The big city can distract us and divide the group. We are united and have a common goal, work and definitions of being a volunteer. I really enjoyed midterm where we could summarize our stay in the Czech Republic, talk about future possibilities, and see how we progressed in our volunteering process. Open platform and space for sharing were most crucial for each individual to share. I am really aware of improvement of each person who I met since on arrival. Keep it going. 

This is not farewell…