Outside is still winter even if the first day of spring will come very soon… anywhere I look around I see only snow and I am asking to myself when the spring will come in Poland.

Before my arriving in Poland I was announced that I must take part in a training during 18^th to 24^th March 2013 in the capital of Poland, Warsaw.

I didn’t expected that time will flow so easily and until 18^th March remained only two days, so I’ve started to prepare myself for this week in Warsaw.

In one day I woke up… the calendar showed me that it is 18^th March 2013. It was 7 o’clock in the morning and the day started to win the fight against the night. After I had my breakfast, I checked the luggage to be sure that I didn’t forget something which could be useful for these days and then I decided to leave the flat to catch the train.

I went outside… still winter… but I hoped to find the spring in Warsaw, a city which I visited nine months ago. I knew that it will be different, because of the free time which I might have to discover the city by my own or with the others volunteers (according of the trainers’ announcement we should walk a lot in the city).

I arrived in the railroad station and between me and the capital of Poland had remained only a train ride for two hours and a half. I’ve started to imagine how the training will be, but I didn’t have too much time to think about it, because the train stopped only for 5 minutes in the station, so I had to make myself comfortable in one of the train seats.

A whistle and the train started to move. While the train started to move I was thinking about how many questions I had about the European Voluntary Service. I hoped to find the answers  for all this questions, except one: what impact will have this experience into my life? The answer will be conditioned by myself, by my wish to be the change that I want to see it in the world, as Mahatma Gandhi used to say.

Looking through the window I couldn’t control my mind and I started to think about my family who I am sure that they miss me, especially my mom who miss me more day by day. I’d decided to stop thinking about it anymore, it started to make me sad, and I chose to meditate about my days which I spent here, in Poland.

Starting to meditate about those days, I realised that I have the feeling which makes me believe that I live here for a lot of years, even if there are a lot of language and cultural barriers between me and others , the people are open and thanks to them these barriers are becoming smaller and smaller day by day.

Also, I’ve started to understand the meaning of some conversations. Of course, most of them are in polish language. So that’s why I get my Romanian – Polish conversations guide and I started to learn more word and sentences. I recognise the sounds of this language and I know how to read (as when I was reading in the second class in primary school, but everything has a hard beginning), but after a while my tongues is starting to get tired and the pronunciation isn’t the best. I am sure that after one year I will be able to understand and speak Polish.

Sometimes time is running out so easy and the train arrived in the Central Station – Warsaw, so I had to get off the train and to continue my way to Agrykola Hostel where the training will take place. Because the weather was good and I had numb feet because of the period which I stayed on my seat, I’ve decided to walk and to discover in the same time the way to the hostel.

The approximately 3 km way to the hostel took me almost half an hour, during this period I met some teenagers who asked me to help them to sell a gold ring to pawn. Of course they hadn't the age for this transaction and I refused them, because I didn’t want to sell something which, probably, wasn’t their own.

The entire trip from Lodz to the hostel represented a way to discover Poland and an episode of Poles’ usual life.

When I arrived at the hostel, I went to my room and started to unpack everything. Over there I met some of the volunteers who will be my roommates. In short time we went to eat something and to meet the others. During the lunch time we talked a lot, everyone were curious about the other volunteers' experience.

After the lunch we join the trainers, Anna and Wojtek, in the meeting room. In short time we were all together and we could start with a big "dzień dobry” which don’t need any translation for any of the  volunteers who took part in this training. I liked very much the trainers' idea to speak alternative in polish language, the other one translating what was said.

After everybody presented himself, the trainers talked about their role and the goals of the training. But they didn't have a schedule for us, and they just asked us to help them to create it by telling them our needs, expectations and motivations for this training and our project too.

After the first day when I met all the other volunteers who came in Poland for a unique experience, we played games and talked a lot during these games. But after a while me and a guy from Azerbaijan went for a walk to Warsaw’s downtown. During almost two hours we walked and talked about the experience to be a volunteer, about the people from Poland are, projects, opportunities, and also comparisons between our country of origin and Poland.

When we came back to our room, I felt asleep like a baby. But when I get up in the morning I was surprised to see that is snowing again. In this morning, everyone was tired and the idea of the trainers to play a short game which brought us the energy was great, after which, Anna and Wojtek presented the schedule (see the photo), which made me have the big picture of the all week.

In this day we talked more about the projects in which we take part in, about the time we spend here as volunteers and about the people with who we interact every day. In this way we could know and learn in the same time from the others experiences.

In that evening a part of us decided to spend some time in the old city. Soon after we arrived in the old city, because of the cold weather we entered in a bar to have a coffee, a tea or a beer. It was a unique experience because of the diversity of the people who shared their stories with others, we were from eight different countries: Azerbaijan, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Wednesday, 20 March, began with a short polish lesson thanks to which I could add some new words in my vocabulary. It was a moment which prepared us for what had been happen in this day dedicated to polish culture, and to discover some parts of Warsaw.

After this short introduction in polish language we started our journey to discover the capital of Poland. The guide who we met in Plac Konstitucji helped us to understand the history of this city. In the first part I saw a city which is similar to Bucharest, because it was destroyed in 85% during the World War II. After the war the socialists came and they input a specific architecture which isn’t so spectacular.

During this time we visited the highest building from Warsaw, Palace of Culture and Science which was built by the socialists and I enjoyed the city’s panorama from the 30^th floor. Near the palace we found a place which marked on the ground the wall of a ghetto where Jews were separated during the war, remembering to us about their suffering.

After the long walk in the city, me and the other volunteers had dinner in the city, this was a surprise prepared by the trainers. In that evening we had the opportunity to discover the Polish gastronomy and being curious by nature, I tried all kind of dishes present on the table, dishes which I like very much.

The next day brought me a lot of answers for my questions and others too, about EVS, Poland, rights and responsibilities in projects and others. 

In the evening we had part of another surprise prepared by the trainers, traditional Polish dances, another way to discover the culture of this country. Also we had the occasion to learn some dances which they can be useful in future.

On Friday we had the opportunity to discover the city by myself. I had been visiting the Polish Army Museum for almost an hour, after it I’ve chose to go to see the National Stadium, where during that night the match Poland – Ukraine took place. I was surprise to find out that there was no tickets for this match. During my time walking on the street I stopped for some moments to talk with people to discover their opinion about Warsaw, Poland and what they know about Romanian. The knowledge of the people about Romania were connected with Ceausescu’s period, Dracula, and Romania is a member of European Union. I am decided to change this fact at least in Nowosolna and I want to promote what it means Romania in the world

In the evening almost all the volunteers chose watch the match all together, match about I don’t want to talk too much because it finished with the victory of Ukraine.

In the last day of the training we discussed about the opportunities to visit the country, and also about methods to learn the Polish language. Also in this day I could have the big picture of this project.

During this training we talk about the concept of volunteer in the EVS context, about the philosophy of this program, the cycle of the project, rights and responsibilities, motivations and expectations, culture and language, and also the management of the problematic situations. All of these helped me to find answers to almost all questions which I had connecting with this European Voluntary Service.

On Sunday morning I boarded in the train which took me more confident in my own forces, motivated to learn Polish language, and also with a lot of ideas which will be useful during my entire life.

                This week was very useful which made me understand what means to be a volunteer in a EVS project.