Hristina, Bulgaria

My name is Hristina and I live and study in Blagoevgrad. “We All Play in One Team”, which took place in Poronin, Poland, was my second Erasmus+ project and my first one with Active Bulgarian Society.

Before the project, I knew half of the other Bulgarian participants. However, I was still a little bit nervous and curious before I met all of them. The other participants were from Poland, Italy, and Turkey.

This project educated us about the advantages of having a healthy lifestyle. We played various games, worked in different groups, we were going on trips and had fun all the time. Every activity was connected with sports, healthy food and way of living. The experience I got is unforgettable.

Every day was totally different from the other and this was the coolest thing of all that has happened to us. We learned how to film and edit videos, had tasks in other cities and improved our social skills. The Bulgarian group organized Oxford Debates, represented Bulgaria during the cultural night and ABS on the NGO’s market. My favorite moments during the project was while we were planning the energizers and the games.
During the project, we became familiar with other countries’ traditions, cultures and learned things that cannot be shared anywhere in Bulgaria.
I am extremely happy that I was part of this project and that I met so many new people.

Savina, Bulgaria

My name is Savina Tsvetkova. I am from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria and I am 18. What is better than spending time with foreigners, exchanging different ideas about other cultures and gaining valuable knowledge. Well, this describes the Youth Exchanges.

The unforgettable experience took place in the breathtaking Poronin for a week. There were many different and interesting activities connected to the topic “We all play in one team”. I extremely enjoyed every activity and I learned a lot. I had the chance to be a leader for the first time and it was great.

We, as a group, did a lot of creative workshops combining all of our ideas. I met so many smart, interesting and unforgettable people who I will keep in touch with. We visited “Morskie Oko” the most beautiful lake I have ever seen and all the hiking was totally worth it. At the end of the mountain trip day, we went to a huge spa center and we had so much fun all together. Also, we visited the city called Zakopane and there we had fun tasks (asked some people for their healthy lifestyle and recorded a video).

During the cultural nights, I learned a lot about other countries’ traditions, beautiful places, and interesting facts. In addition, we had the chance to stay in Krakow for two days, we explored the city and made many unforgettable memories. Unexpectedly, we stayed a day in Vienna because our flight was canceled and the adventures didn’t stop but we took advantage of the situation and spent a great time in an amazing hotel. I will never forget this amazing project and the people themselves.

Salih Kanazirski, Bulgaria:

What is a Youth exchange for me?

The youth exchange is a program that gives us the opportunity to meet new people and to take part in different projects, based on different topics, including different countries.

Accommodation

The project took place in Poronin, Poland. This beautiful city is located in the southern part of Poland and has really nice views. Everything was covered by the organizers. There were breakfast, lunch, and dinner per day.

Travel and reimbursement

Everything was 100% covered by the Erasmus + program.

The first few days

Firstly, we did not talk often because we did not know each other so, it was really difficult to start a conversation with someone. BUT, after we broke the ice between us, communication became much easier. We started playing games which helped us to know each other better. After that, we started talking about our interests, hobbies, future plans and so on. After a few days, we went to the SPA together as a family and sharing personal things.

The funniest days!

Of course, we also had days in which all of us made something for the others. On the one hand, all of the foreigners enjoyed the ‘chalga’. But on the other hand, the Italians enjoyed the pasta and pizza in Poland, haha, just kidding. We went to Zakopane where we had to do our workout and to promote people to start their healthy life. And, of course, we had a lot of fun together. Furthermore, we went to the Tatra mountains and we saw the Morskie Oko where we took pictures. After that, we went to the SPA together as a family and sharing personal things.

The last day!

The last day was full of emotions. ☺ We just let our emotions go and started crying. Every moment was just unforgettable. I hope to meet others on other projects.

Thanks to everyone for giving me the opportunity to meet all of them!

Monika Dobrinova, Bulgaria:

Between 24 of June and 01 of July, I and other Bulgarians participated in Youth exchange in Poronin, Poland. We actually stayed more than was needed. We decided to stay 2 extra days in Krakow, Poland and got the opportunity to explore this beautiful city. Moreover, we met a few people from the project and hung out together which made us even closer.

The project itself was an unforgettable experience. We were with people from Turkey, Italy, and Poland. Learning new words in their native language was interesting but what I enjoyed most was the cultural nights of all countries. I tried food I had never tasted before and absolutely loved it! I learned Turkish dances and so many facts about each country.

The topic of the exchange was "We all play in one team". At first, I thought that we were going to do most sports, but what we did was even better. Of course, we played a lot of volleyball, football and even visited the local National Park where we were walking for at least 5 hours but I really enjoyed the nonsport activities which made us play mentally in one team. We had to think over some topics and discuss a lot which really made us work together.

The people were warm and friendly. However, the people I fell in love with were exactly the Bulgarians. We all were so different but got on perfectly! I learned something from everyone. What is more, I even learned some things for myself. When I realized that we were going to meet again I was over the moon. The feeling of finding not one, not two, but seven best friends from the same country as you are is unbelievable! And all of this happened on the Erasmus+ project. I hope we will be on more projects together, but even if we are not, we will meet in Sofia, Blagoevgrad or Plovdiv for sure. We separated yesterday, however, I already miss them and can not wait for the next meeting! We all really enjoyed the whole project and loved every single moment spent there.

Kaloyan Kirilov, Bulgaria:

I am 18 years old and had just heard about Erasmus+ projects. And when I did I decided to take a leap and try it out. I went on a project named „We all play in one team" in Poronin, a very small but also beautiful village situated in the Tatra mountains. On the project, we had to familiarize ourselves with the problems of an unhealthy lifestyle and how to promote a healthy one and also how to make friends in the process.

The project has helped me to be even more aware of the problems of an unhealthy lifestyle and the importance of being active. Moreover, I have also acquired further skills like editing and making a video and a poster, organizing a debate, conducting a survey and so on. Not only that but we also went hiking in the Tatra mountains, which is an amazing and beautiful place, and it is a great pleasure that I could go there and experience it.

However, for me, the biggest advantage of the Erasmus+ project is having the chance to communicate with so many different people with different beliefs and different backgrounds, from different ages. I met a lot of new amazing people and that alone helps you expand your horizons and improve you as a person. I also found new friends and had an amazing time with them for the whole week we were on the project.

In conclusion, Erasmus+ is a great opportunity to learn a lot of new things and skills that will help you in the future. It can also help you realize some things that you had not. And last but not least, it is a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and make new friends. This project was an amazing experience for me that I won‘t forget.

Ioana Doncha, Bulgaria:

Our trip to Poronin was very long-flight with a transfer in Vienna, where the luggage of one of the guys was lost. Then we took a bus from the airport to the bus station and then another bus. The trip has tired us a bit. But when we arrived, we were greeted with a wide smile. The splendid view of the mountain increased the magic of this peaceful town.

Each of the days was special. We had different games, tasks, debates about a healthy lifestyle. The teams during the assignments were always different, not just by one nation, which helped our better acquaintance. We were able to work with everyone. We had a night for each of the countries - Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Italy. So everyone learned something new about foreign cultures.

We had a walk in Tatry Mountain. The clean air and the surrounding nature are wonderful for relaxation and a little rest, from which every person who lives in the big city needs it.

For me, this was the first exchange, and at the beginning, I had quite different thoughts and some worries. I was not quite sure whether we would have liked the people there, but they were all so different and interesting. For 7 days I managed to meet more than 30 people and see so many new and different points of view. But the best thing is that I found new friends.

I did not want to go home, but unfortunately, we have come to this point. Every journey has an end, but it also has a new beginning for me, because I learned a lot about myself, getting to know others. Euphoria still keeps me. And this great adventure will remain a beautiful memory, bound with wonderful emotions.

Alex Popov, Bulgaria :

7 days well spent. Not exactly the croissants, but the adventure we had this week will remain unforgettable. The project was related to sports activities and a healthy lifestyle. Interactive workshops have also contributed to this. Despite the age limit, we still managed to find a common language among us. We familiarized with the traditions and customs of different countries thanks to this project. I am glad that I participated in it.

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