Hello! My name is Sabina, I’m 19 years old from Republic of Moldova. I’ve visited plenty of countries, and made more than hundred new friends and connections from all over the world. How? Just read my story…
Good roots…
I was 13 years old when I’ve started volunteering. For me getting new knowledges is the main priority! “We are living for learning and learning for living” I say. Volunteering for me is about learning and experiencing something new, but what about dreams? My best dream was to travel, and for many years it was an impossible goal for me to achieve. I’ve started my studies in Tourism and Hotel Services, but it did not help much. I kept the idea in my mind: ”how to combine learning and travelling?” and then I discovered Erasmus+!
The most important thing for me is that Erasmus+ is not about tourism… Is about this kind of combination between getting new experiences, making new intercultural connections, listening, learning, improving yourself… Something I was exactly looking for.
And voila, little Sabina back then 17 years old, with a small bag of volunteering experience, quite good level of English and many, many expectations, has joined her first Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Italy. And it opened a totally new word for me!
… that let grow!
Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “ImpAct for Nature”, Paestum, Italy was my first and definitely the best Youth Exchange experience. There I found new friends, a lot of knowledge, great vibes, new cultures, discovered other languages, all of it what is making me feel useful and happy.
In this project I’ve learned a lot about sustainability and how to take good care for the environment we’re living in. The most interesting was really practical workshops. For me this youth exchange was a special one…We discovered ways of making natural gas, directly from home leftovers, and how vegetables and fruits can grow naturally, without any chemical additives. I learned things that I truly never even thought about before, how they work, which one don’t have the opportunity to see normally at home.
But the first youth exchange wasn’t the last one for me. Since I get involved, it was so engaging, exciting and inspiring that I couldn’t stop myself from joining another project. Well, every time when I hear people saying like “it’s my 15th project” I’m making such an expressive face, and I understand…people are really very much into Erasmus+ projects!
After I have joined a training course in Armenia, to understand better how to organize a youth exchange, I took part in another Italian youth exchange called “Discovering Different Cultures”. It was about networking, and about wonderful place of Cinque Terre…
This project was really different. The most interesting thing for us was a total isolation…We had been hosted in a small village, somewhere on the top of Rovinaglia, where there was absolutely no internet, no markets, no cars…nothing! And it was PERFECT. We discovered different cultures of the participants, played games and listened to new music. Also we made many outdoor activities with locals, and all of them were very receptive and communicative.
And then there was an opportunity to travel to Lithuania, for another youth exchange called “Breaking Trials, Breaking Barriers”. It allowed me to discover a lot about nature, climate change and human rights. There was an amazing fresh air in Lithuania, great views and inspiring place to host our group of 35 young and energetic people…in the middle of a forest, without good internet connection, but with tennis table, volleyball improvised stadium and lots of friendship…what can be better?
It was an amazing youth exchange which made me learn how diverse and beautiful our planet is. We had great Lithuanian and Georgian leaders who helped us to discover a lot of quality information. And one of the most beautiful memories from this exchange – dancing and singing “Dragostea din Tei” at a basketball match, after Moldavian cultural night, because the DJ of the match was one of the participants!
And the story continues on a new level
Erasmus+ is a big part of my life. I can say that my personality is growing based on knowledge and experiences from Erasmus+ projects, examples, conclusions, concepts, etc. And of course now my English skills are much better 🙂
And I got soooo much energy after each project, that I could not stop myself from sharing about them when I was back at home. I always try to diversify the audience who will listen to my stories. Many young people, after hearing my experiences also want to participate in international youth projects and actually do so, which makes me proud and makes me understand that I am doing exactly what is needed.
This story couldn’t be possible without wonderful people from MilleniuM Training and Development Institute from Chisinau, who helped me a lot to make my dream come true, and to build and grow today’s Sabina. Now, back in Moldova I promote Erasmus+ and make other young people involved! Everybody can do it! The main thing is not to forget that Erasmus+ is first of all about learning and experiencing. Of course it is also about travelling and discovering. And well, it is also about pretty Insta stories 🙂
