Hello all! Today I will continue my story about my on-arrival training.
As I said in the previous post this was an unforgettable experience for me. I learned so much about myself and my connection to the world. We had so many fun activities together. One of the days we had a challenge to divide by small groups and talk with strangers on interesting topics concerning bulgarian culture and the European union. We decided to go to the garden of the National theatre and we found a few people that were brave enough to speak with us. It is really interesting to travel with foreigners in your own country. I saw Bulgaria from a completely different perspective. It was such a big pleasure to answer all their questions and to think about the best places in Sofia which I can show them in order to remember Bulgaria with good memories.
The free time that we had together was so unique and special as well. The second night we were playing film associations for a long time and I was so surprised that all of us watch and like the same movies no matter the country we were from. The last night was the best because we went to Delta Blues Bar where spontaneously we decided each country to sing a song in their own language. We were having so much fun dancing and singing, having deep conversations and most of us said that this was the most special moment from the whole training. I forgot to say that thanks to one of the volunteers we have most of this special moments recorded in videos and uploaded in YouTube. I will be watching them again and again for sure.
The last day was the most emotional day for me since we got so close and the thought of not seeing those beautiful people again made me really sad. I still can’t believe how is it possible to get to know people only for 5 days and to feel so close and connected to them like you have known them for years. I hope that I will see some of them in the future because we have so many interests and dreams in common. The last night that we had together we decided to go on the terrace in the 9th floor of the hotel and enjoy our last sunset together. We were listening to music and being present in the moment. I will never forget this sunset. After the sunset we went to the karaoke bar I told you about. During the whole training I felt so heard, appreciated and understood. I felt so lucky to be part of this training and to be able to experience the feeling of being safe and secure and to speak without any judgement at all. We felt like a big family and each one of us shared some of their most vulnerable stories which made me feel even closer to them and grateful that I am part of the ESC volunteering network.
I will finish with some good news. I would like to welcome Alex- the new volunteer to our team. She has uploaded her introduction video and I will share it with you here. She is a wonderful person and I can’t wait to get to know her more.
Thank you for being part of my ESC journey!
See you soon,
Polin
