If someone told me everything that was going to happen to me during this year that I have been living in Romania, I would not believe it. Not because of how crazy certain situations have been (which also), but because of how much I have changed personally and how I have acted under certain circumstances. It has been a year of discovery and growth; I consider it one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
My experience here has been marked by many people who have helped me grow in many ways, and whom I will never forget. Even if I lose contact with them over time, they will always be part of one of the most life-changing experiences, and for that I am very grateful.
My purpose in coming here was to put myself in situations I had not seen before and to face problems I did not know how to solve. It was a challenge for me, and I think I have more than fulfilled it. And it doesn't stop there, not only have I grown and learned on a personal level, but on a professional and cultural level I have improved in many ways.
Today I have a broader vision of the world around us, since after living and meeting people from so many different countries, and even visiting some of those countries, I have been able to learn a lot about different cultures. This has helped me to understand certain behaviors, attitudes and ways of seeing life. And to take all those resources and question the ideas that one has.
I would like to share the most valuable thing I have learned, and that is the idea of facing new challenges no matter how much they frighten us. Coming here, not speaking English, being separated from my friends and family, was something that terrified me, but it is those fears and those difficulties that later become lessons. Right now, I consider myself a person who values everything he has even more, and I think sometimes we have to test ourselves to find out what we are really like.
As I said, I look at the guy who started this volunteering and there's nothing left of him, maybe for someone else an experience like this doesn't mean that much, but if you consider that you want to change something in your life, don't be afraid and learn to deal with everything that you think you can't.